Toyota joins V8 rebellion
Car giant Toyota is set to go against the ‘woke’ trend of electric power and small engines by introducing powerful new options for its top models.
Toyota is set to go against the trend toward electric power and increasingly compact engines by introducing a powerful new V8 engine for its top models.
The Japanese giant will join manufacturers ranging from Mercedes to GWM that are introducing next-gen hybrid-powered V8s for customers who don’t want electric cars.
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The new V8 engine looks likely to debut in a new Lexus sports car before being used in other vehicles that may include the Toyota LandCruiser and Rolls-Royce-rivalling Century.
Speaking with Australian reporters at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, Toyota Powertrain Company president Takashi Uehara says “you can expect” a new V8 in future models.
Asked whether Toyota engineers selected a large V8 engine because of the effortless performance and stirring sound produced by the engine type, Uehara said “we love also”, reiterating that it produces “the best point of the performance” required by high-performance vehicles.
The powertrain boss explained that Toyota is not building a new V8 for nostalgic reasons, but because it makes the most sense.
“First we set the maximum power required, and second … we have to design the maximum RPM, yeah and also we have to care about … the design of the combustion chamber,” he says.
“Then we selected V8.”
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The new engine, likely to arrive with conventional hybrid power as opposed to a heavier plug-in hybrid system, will serve under the bonnet of a high-performance coupe to rival the Porsche 911 Turbo and Mercedes-AMG GT.
It will need to produce around 450kW of power to be competitive.
Which is why the unit will be a 4.0-litre twin-turbo monster based on a new engine block and cylinder design shared with a high-performance 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine set to serve in next-generation Toyota “Gazoo Racing” models rumoured to include successors to the classic Toyota Celica GT4 and Toyota MR2.
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A new generation of V8 power for Toyota and Lexus helps justify the company’s investment in V8 Supercars from 2026.
Uehara says less potent versions of the motor can be made for other vehicles such as the LandCruiser.
“We have several variations if it is necessary,” he says.
“So maybe we could have a V8 with a more gentle, or more … heavy duty version.”
Which makes sense, as manufacturers rarely produce an engine used in a single model.
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In the same way that the 4.0-litre Mercedes-AMG V8 is used in everything from a two-seat sports coupe to luxury limousines, family SUVs and the off-road G-Wagon, Toyota’s investment in the new motor could reap benefits in a wide number of vehicles.
Massive V8 engines aren’t welcomed by regulators in some regions.
In the same way that the twin-turbo V6-powered Nissan Z is sold in Japan, the US and Australia but not Europe, Uehara says the motor is destined for “probably America, probably Australia”, but that Europe is a less certain proposition.
Originally published as Toyota joins V8 rebellion
