Toyota did the unthinkable a few months ago when it unveiled a performance-oriented variant of the Prius. Pictured here, the 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition is only a concept but a new report from Japan alleges a spicy production model is on the way. Best Car speculates it’s going to be based on the Prime version, which would imply a plug-in hybrid setup. The standard model already makes a healthy 220 hp, an extra 99 hp over its predecessor.
Toyota has a more potent powertrain in the RAV4 Prime with a combined 302 hp on tap but the electrified SUV uses a larger 2.5-liter engine. According to the report, the Prius GRMN is said to stick to its 2.0-liter mill. Even so, a significant power bump over the regular Prime would be necessary to earn that GRMN badge. Torque isn’t mentioned but the figure would likely grow well beyond the 139 pound-feet of the standard Prius Prime.
Speaking of badging, it seems a bit odd to skip the “warm” GR version and jump straight to GRMN. However, it wouldn’t be the first time considering the previous-generation Yaris supermini received the GRMN treatment without a GR variant beforehand. The Japanese brand has several tiers of Gazoo Racing-branded products, beginning with the GR Sport limited to cosmetic tweaks and minimal hardware changes.
Best Car claims a potential Prius GRMN would benefit from other upgrades beyond the powertrain. Aside from typical changes to the body, brakes, and suspension, the “Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring” could have improved structural rigidity courtesy of additional spot welding points and a more generous use of structural adhesives. There’s no word about whether the Prius GRMN would have AWD or not but we should point out the Prime is FWD-only.
It’s unclear when the Prius GRMN is scheduled to come out, but we aren’t expecting it anytime soon considering the fifth-generation model is only about a year old. It would make more sense for Toyota to introduce the Supra GRMN first, provided a new range-topping version of the coupe is indeed in the works.
