German based Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) will become company’s motorsport division, just like Mercedes-Benz has the AMG and BMW with the M division. So what will happen to TRD (Toyota Racing Development)?
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, president of TMG, said to the press that TMG will become a Mercedes-Benz AMG-type company. For those who don’t know, TMG was hit after Toyota pulled out of Formula One in 2009, and the facility reduced the number of employees from 800 to 200. Kinoshita was the man that kept alive the facility and ensured Toyota’s involvement in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Moreover, he was the man that convinced Toyota to keep the Cologne facility. Currently, TMG is working hard on numerous projects including a rally car, which will re-enter the 2014 World Rally Championship with a 1.6-litre turbocharged Toyota Yaris. Moreover, TMG is also working on a sporty version of the Lexus LS 460 powered by a twin-turbo 4.6-litre V8 with around 650bhp. Regarding the LS, TMG’s technical director, Pascal Vasselon, said that the new vehicle is a brand new car as every single part was reworked. The good news is that a sporty THG tuned GT 86 will be arriving soon.
