Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome Group Vice President,
Toyota Division Marketing for Toyota Motor North America:
Lisa Materazzo.
Hello, good morning. everyone!
I'm so glad to be here with you today at SEMA.
You've probably noticed
that we're in a new booth space this year.
It's more than just a larger space
in a great location.
It represents Toyota's future.
We needed more room for our ever-growing lineup
that takes our customers where they want to go
whether that's off-road,
on the track, or just across town.
In fact, we have more vehicles at SEMA this year than ever before.
And Toyota is more committed to customization than ever.
We're working hard to offer an even wider choice
of Toyota accessories
while increasing our collaboration with the aftermarket.
It's why Toyota looks forward to SEMA every year.
Now, before we get started,
it seems Toyota is on a winning streak here in Las Vegas.
I'm proud to announce GR86 won SEMA'S prestigious
"Sport Compact of the Year" award.
Yeah!
Now, last year, Toyota won two SEMA awards,
and we're thrilled to win again in back-to-back fashion!
Now, today we have some great builds
and a debut of sorts to share with you.
And to help me take you through it all
please join me in welcoming NBC Sports host
and the host of Floor is Lava on Netflix,
Rutledge Wood.
Good morning, SEMA!
Oh, Lisa, it's so great to be back here with you.
I love this new location.
It's a vast, dare I say, Tundra?
Good one, okay.
Well, we do have some Tundras with us, that's for sure.
Hey, I have an idea:
Why don't you be my "field reporter,"
I'll stay here. Together, we can cover more ground.
That sounds good to me, where do we start?
Well, let's start at one of your favorite places, Rut, the track!
-Yes! -Where Toyota GR sports cars were born.
I know where to go, Lisa!
All right, thanks, Rut!
As many of you know, GR stands for Gazoo Racing
and encompasses Toyota motorsports worldwide.
It's the challenges and triumphs of each race
that continually inform the design and engineering
of Toyota's line of GR performance cars.
Introduced to the U.S. in 2019
the GR product line makes racing-inspired sports cars accessible to every driver
whether they're drawn to the precision handling of the GR86,
the big power of the iconic GR Supra,
or the turbo, all-wheel-drive rally chops of our first-ever GR Corolla.
The GR family offers something for every sports car enthusiast,
and our family is growing fast.
Faster than you think, Lisa.
This family now has twins!
Meet the "10-second Twins."
This one clocked 10.97 in the quarter mile.
This one did a 10.95.
I think we got a sibling rivalry going on!
Now, these two GR Supras had been
the official pace cars for the NASCAR Xfinity series.
But instead of retiring them,
Toyota decided to set them up as specially built dragsters.
So the Motorsports Garage got to work:
Increased the turbo size,
modified the cooling and the exhaust system,
installed an HKS suspension,
and they got the power down to the ground
with these Weld wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompsons.
Pretty cool.
Hey Rut, didn't the team do all of that for around ten grand apiece?
They sure did, Lisa.
Now, these GR Supras are fire-breathers right out-of-the-box.
But the Toyota team wanted to build a concept vehicle
that could sprint a quarter-mile almost like a funny car.
Well, with those times, Rut, I'd say they definitely succeeded!
How about a round of applause for the GR Supra "10-second Twins?"
Yeah, these GR Supra Twins will own the strip,
the dragstrip, of course, not the Vegas strip.
But on second thought, they'd probably own that too!
Now let's take a look at one of my favorite builds right here.
This is my friend Larry Chen's Daily Drifter.
The GR86 Daily Drifter.
That's right now if you know Larry Chen and you know his style,
he went all out with this bad boy.
He wanted to make something that could show
how capable the car was to get sideways and still enjoy it every single day.
So inside you can see they did the half-cage.
It's got the Sparco EVO buckets with the Sparco seatbelts.
He's got the hydraulic handbrake in there.
We know Pennzoil, Type S, HKS, everybody had a hand in this.
Of course, wrapped in Yokohamas.
I love that it's got the MagnaFlow exhaust on there,
and I love those LEDs.
But if you know Larry you know how his style goes.
ST suspension coil-over and a GKTECH Angle Kit.
Yeah, it is really amazing
how many companies now produce parts for our GR cars.
So, where are you headed now, Rut?
I'm going deeper into GR territory, Lisa.
Awesome.
Now, next year
Toyota will kick-off its new GR Cup series
at Sonoma Raceway.
The single-make series is sanctioned by SRO America
and will feature the GR86.
From a stock model it'll be transformed into this beauty!
Now that's an awesome-looking race car!
Yeah, I'll say!
In this series, racing enthusiasts will go all-out in a modified GR86 like this
at seven prestigious circuits across the U.S.
Thanks, Rut.
I, for one, can't wait to see the GR Cup racing in action.
Now let's move from GR86 to the newest member
of the family, the 2023 GR Corolla.
The GR Corolla will be on sale soon,
but it's already taking the industry by storm.
I'm happy to say that you can get any transmission you'd like
as long as it's a 6-speed manual.
What do you think about that?
Yeah, let's hear it for the manual transmission!
The 2023 GR Corolla is born from rally racing,
and, like all GR models, master driver Akio Toyoda himself
had a key role in setting goals for development.
I have to tell you, Lisa, I love this GR Corolla.
They say it's the edgiest GR car yet.
And I was thrilled to be part of the reveal
in Long Beach, California!
And check this out.
This GR Corolla was named the official pace car
for the 2022 NASA National Championships at Laguna Seca.
These red, white and black graphics are inspired
by winning Toyota racing liveries.
Doesn't this car look incredible?
I think it's safe to say that's an understatement!
Yeah, and we're not done yet, Lisa.
-All right. -Right this way please.
Now, the buzz has been crazy about this build,
and I can't wait to see what the Toyota team did with it.
Whoa!!
Feast your eyes on the GR Corolla Rally Concept!
Mind is officially blown with this one!
You know, Toyota has a long history with rally racing
and you can definitely see the years of experience
with this concept!
Now inside it was carefully stripped and fitted with a roll cage
while the exterior is modified with this uber-custom aero
from these fender flares to the cool-looking rear wing.
Under the skin it's equipped with a Tein suspension
and a hydraulic rally-style brake,
'cause sometimes you just need a little more
when the Scandinavian flick is not enough!
And one more thing I like to mention here:
For once I got to help Marty from the Motorsports Garage,
'cause usually it's me calling him.
Because he said, "Hey, I need help.
Can you call your friends at MagnaFlow?"
And in 12 hours they made a totally custom Cat Back exhaust.
We got the four-pot back here now.
This thing's incredible.
Marty, thanks for letting me help you out for once.
That felt really good, buddy.
Yeah, thanks, Marty.
The team at the Motorsports Garage,
well, they never cease to amaze me.
So, what do you think of the GR Corolla Rally Concept?
Pretty cool.
All right, as you can see,
Toyota is committed to performance
whether it's off-road, on the street,
or on the track.
We never stop innovating in order to bring you
exciting and fun-to-drive vehicles.
Next, let's enter another world where Toyota is also a leader.
The world I'm referring to is overlanding:
Self-reliant travel
where the journey is just as important
as the destination.
It's about heading into the wilderness with a vehicle
that you can confidently handle
and can handle those rugged trails
and carry whatever you need when you arrive there.
Toyota has been the top choice for overlanders
who love our go-anywhere-do-anything trucks and SUVs.
Toyota is also the choice of serious builders
like Australian-based Patriot Campers.
Lisa, take a look over there to your right.
That FJ45 Land Cruiser
has been rebuilt and redubbed the FJ49.
That's what I call classic Beauty meets modern-day Beast.
The Black Truck is a Land Cruiser 79 series monster build
that set the bar for future Patriot Camper builds.
And this Megatourer is a six-by-six '79 Land Cruiser
that makes mince-meat out of the most difficult terrains.
How about a round of applause for the Patriot team
for sharing these with us today?
Coming all the way from Australia!
Definitely, thank you, Patriot Games.
All right, Those are some big rigs.
And here's something else that's pretty big!
Toyota is now making it easier than ever
for customers to outfit their Toyota vehicles themselves.
We call it Associated Accessory Products, or AAP.
With roughly 100 accessories at launch,
and more to come in the future,
this new program brings many of the best accessory brands together
under a single tent.
AAP products will have a Toyota part number,
and they can be ordered directly through dealers
to help streamline the ordering process.
Also, they can be conveniently rolled into vehicle payments
providing more options for our customers.
Wait a second, Lisa.
You mean I don't have to go through the hassle of making separate payments?
We can put it all together?
That's WAY more convenient.
Way more convenient, I absolutely agree.
And with AAP,
we are working with some of the most recognized suppliers in the industry,
each with their own stellar brand reputation.
And remember, Associated Accessory Products include accessories
for both on- and off-road adventures
so we can cover our customers wherever they want to go.
I invite everyone to come up and take a closer look at our display
right over there, when we're finished.
All right, so what's up next, Rut?
Let's take a look
at what the pros at Expedition Overland, Clay and Rachelle Croft,
have done to build two Toyota trucks into an overlander's dream…
Whoa, there we go!
If this is an overlander's dream don't wake me up!
The X Overland Simba Sequoia
is a 2023 Sequoia that definitely has everything you need
to get to the far corners of the great outdoors
from this Alu-Cab ultra-light roof top tent,
the Prinsu roof rack,
to the Rigid Industries lighting,
right down to the Icon 3.0 CDEV Shocks.
Now if you want to get really, REALLY remote,
check out the Expedition Overland "Orion,"
a 2022 Tundra with a full-size Alu-Cab Canopy Camper
with a Webasto heater, solar panels,
Icon suspension front and rear,
and ARB Locking differentials to handle the most extreme environments.
I can't wait to see the X Overland Simba Sequoia and Tundra "Orion"
in action on the team's upcoming episodes.
I mean, have you seen their social media content?
It is epic!
All right, Rut, if you wouldn't mind
can you come back over here?
We've got some more exciting news to share.
I know it's a long journey, but let's hustle it up
because we're almost in the home stretch!
-Oh, this is exciting -Yeah!
I mean, there's a turntable.
There's this silk cover.
I feel like we're gonna find out what's so secretive under here.
I know.
That, Rut, is some very BIG news for Toyota and overlanders.
But before we pull the cover off,
let me first say that underneath that isn't just a vehicle,
isn't just a concept,
it's a new vision of a path forward for Toyota Trucks,
one that embraces the outdoor enthusiast lifestyle
at a whole new level.
So, ready?
-Yes. -Should we do it?
-Let's do it, y'all ready? -Y'all ready?
Let's take a look!
All right, ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Trailhunter Concept!
This Trailhunter concept showcases how Toyota
is preparing to take overlanding a step further.
This new grade of truck will come straight from the factory
equipped with authorized accessories
to meet the needs of overlanding enthusiasts.
Like Rut!
Wow, Lisa, this certainly appeals to me!
I mean, when you look at this truck,
the lift, the huge tires, the beefed up suspension,
I mean, this is everything you need,
it's ready to go, to get people out there.
I mean, this Trailhunter Concept look badass,
not to mention it's extremely capable.
And on top of that,
it already has everything you need to get out there,
to spend the night or nights out on the trail.
Even better!
Yeah, Trailhunter is an entirely new grade
purpose-built for overlanding.
So cool, I love that Toyota is doing something special
for the overlanding crowd.
So do I.
Trailhunter trucks will be developed in-house
by our own engineering teams
to deliver the most capable OEM overlanding solutions
that embody Toyota's legendary QDR.
Every, and I mean every vehicle
that will wear the Trailhunter badge will be the real deal.
And if you haven't noticed, the logo resembles a compass
to signify that the journey is the purpose.
That's awesome! Man, I couldn't be more excited!
This Trailhunter Concept looks absolutely awesome!
Obviously Toyota is all-in when it comes to overlanding.
You can see, just take a look around.
I can't wait to learn more.
Well, I'll give you just a little bit more.
Every Trailhunter will be built from the ground up
rather than the top down.
So, for instance, that rooftop tent?
That's great,
but only if the truck underneath has the goods to support it.
So I'm telling you, the engineering teams
in Michigan and in Texas are working tirelessly
to meet the needs of overlanders
with a purpose-built vehicle that's prepared from the word "Go."
Awesome.
So, stay tuned we'll have a lot more to tell you, very very soon.
Yeah, I mean, if you don't have the right foundation to build upon,
it's kinda like never doing legs, only doing the bench presses,
which is a life I've lived, I understand.
So this is way better.
Okay, yeah yeah, I can see that, I hate that too.
Luckily, that brings us to the conclusion of the show
We're thrilled to share with you
some of our latest news with our GR sports car lineup
along with some mind-blowing, red-lining GR builds,
the launch of Toyota's new Associated Accessory Products,
which make accessorizing Toyota vehicles easier than ever,
and the reveal of that, the Trailhunter Concept,
which points the way for Toyota's future in overlanding,
a future that will give our customers the purpose-built
and adventure-ready vehicles they've been asking for!
So Toyota is meeting customers where they are and where they want to go.
Not everyone's journey is the same
but we're here to support every single adventure.
-That's right. -So I want to take a moment
and give special thanks to Rut for helping me out today.
Aww, thanks Lisa, thanks for having me.
Ten years strong over here, I love it.
Folks, there's a ton more vehicles
than we've been able to talk about up here,
so make sure you come on up here, check them out.
And stick around afterwards to meet some of the Team Toyota athletes,
celebrities, I'm gonna be up here too.
We've got a great autograph session.
-Lisa, thanks for having me. -Absolutely.
So thank you, everyone, appreciate you joining us
and enjoy the rest of the SEMA show!