Before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Toyota showed off the Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition, a concept version of the fifth-generation hybrid that was made to look like a race car. The sporty Prius has a rear diffuser, dive planes on the front bumper, a carbon fibre hood, and a square back wing. Toyota did not say if the engine had been changed in any way, but the concept’s track has been made more expansive, and its 18-inch wheels are unique. Before the 2023 Toyota Prius came out last fall, we would never have used the words “Prius” and “sporty” together. On the other hand, Toyota showed off its fifth-generation hybrid, which surprised people with a new, slimmer shape and a more powerful engine. The Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition is Toyota’s latest surprise. It’s a concept car released before this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and shows what a high-performance Prius could look like. Toyota says that the hybrid hatchback has several parts inspired by motorsports, and this particular Prius is meant to honour the critical event. The GRius is an adapted Toyota Prius with a giant rear diffuser, big side skirts that flow into more prominent wheel arches, and dive planes on the front bumper. Reports say the GR010 Hybrid race car, which won Le Mans in 2021 and 2022, inspired the back hatch wing and other aerodynamic changes. The GRius concept is broader than the regular Prius, and instead of the standard 195-width tires, it has Michelin 235/the 50s on 18-inch black wheels. To make the car lighter, the front bumper now has wide, rectangular grilles and square clusters of LED headlights. Also, the hood has been changed to one made of carbon fibre. Toyota didn’t say anything about changes to the GRius’s mechanics, but we expect the Prius Prime’s 220 horsepower to increase. Even though we don’t think Toyota would make a GR-branded Prius for the U.S. market, we can’t help but dream about it.
