Toyota applies trademark application for GR 86 and GR Yaris names in Europe

Toyota sports car fans and enthusiasts are getting excited about the possibility that the Japanese carmaker would be releasing a new Toyota GR 86 and a new Toyota Yaris GR 86. This comes after Toyota filed an application to trademark the GR 86 and GR Yaris with the European Trademark and Design Network.

The trademark filing for the GR 86 and the GR Yaris names was made with the Swiss trademark office on September 18, 2018. However, the European Trademark and Design Network hasn’t approved Toyota’s registration application as of this writing.

It was a year ago when Toyota made public its plans to its new "GR" sports car series. GR stands for Gazoo Racing that the Japanese carmaker is positioning as its performance brand. Gazoo Racing is a company within Toyota that is in charge of refining its cars while training its staff via world-renowned motor sports activities like the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and the All-Japan Rally Championship. Toyota’s new GR sports car series are meant to be the product of the knowledge, expertise and experience earned from participating in motor sports activities.

Quite a number of models have already been converted as part of the GR sports car series, as divided into three tiers – GR Sport, GR and GRMN. The top-level GRMN comes with a tuned engine and a number of related modifications. The mid-level GR comes with the essence of the GRMN. On the other hand, the GR Sport offers casual sports car driving experience, as achieved through minor suspension tweaks and the addition of a sporty trim.

GR Sport is tagged as the base level of this performance brand. In Japan, Toyota models like the Harrier, Mark X, Noah, Prius PHV, Vitz and Voxy are already being offered with the GR Sport treatment. In the mid-level of the performance brand’s spectrum is the GR, which already includes the Toyota Vitz in Japan. Sitting on top is the GRMN, which is considered as the pride of the Gazoo Racing expertise.

Toyota Yaris was actually the first model from the Japanese carmaker to be included in the GR sports car series. However, that model received the GRMN top-level treatment in March 2017, hence the birth of the Yaris GRMN. The Yaris GRMN serves as an example on how Toyota vehicles blessed with the GRMN treatment could become high-performance units through major enhancements in their powertrain, suspension and braking systems.

A GR Yaris may not match a Yaris GRMN in terms of performance, but it is expected to look as much, with some improvements on its major components. The possible arrival of a GR 86 is something to anticipate, while GRMN version would be much welcomed. A Supra GRMN could be in the works too.