Since the original model made its debut in 1966, more cars have carried the Corolla nameplate than any other, earning it the title of “the world’s best-selling car”.

That remarkable achievement, generation by generation, has included a large variety of vehicle types, meeting diverse customer tastes and preferences worldwide, from family sedans and hatchbacks to sports coupes and station wagons.

Corolla’s sustained success is founded on the principles that Toyota applied in creating the original model back in 1966. The vision then was for a high-quality, versatile car at an affordable price. Today, 12 generations later, it remains true to those qualities, having constantly adapted over the years to maintain its place at the heart of the market.

COROLLA HISTORY, GENERATION BY GENERATION

The Corolla story begins

In the early 1960s Japan was booming. It was a time of rebuilding, innovation and new prosperity. As the population grew to more than 100 million, society was becoming more aspirational and keen to adopt new ideas and products.

Cities grew with new suburbs, making car ownership both desirable and necessary for many. Toyota saw an opportunity to develop a new kind of car, one that didn’t just serve as reliable, functional transport, but was comfortable, enjoyable to drive, technologically advanced, well- equipped, and modern.

This groundbreaking model was the Corolla, a perfect example of the enduring Toyota principle of providing the right car, in the right place, at the right time.

Toyota demonstrated its commitment to the new model by building a dedicated factory, the Takaoka plant in Toyota City. Quality procedures were rigorous, with a requirement for each car to achieve better than a benchmark average points score at each stage of the assembly process.

Overseeing the project was Chief Engineer Tatsuo Hasegawa, who ensured Toyota’s vision was realised. The scene was set for the birth of Corolla and the start of a motoring legend.

First generation: 1966 - 1970

The original Corolla was conceived as a “people’s car” but in fact offered much more than mass-market customers were used to. Developed from an original concept in 1962, it was revealed at the 1966 Tokyo Motor Show and launched in Japan in November that year, entering production at the new factory.

Its name was inspired by the word describing a flower's crown of petals, widely considered the most beautiful part of the flower.

The original Corolla range consisted of a two-door sedan when the model was launched in, powered by a 1.1-litre engine producing 60 DIN hp. In 1967, Toyota expanded the line-up with a four-door sedan and a wagon. In 1968, the range gained the sportier Corolla Sprinter fastback coupe. Innovative features included a floor-mounted four-speed manual transmission – a first for a Japanese car – disc brakes, bucket seats, multi-point seatbelts and two-speed wipers. Toyota already had export ambitions for Corolla, reflected in the modern styling with a semi-fastback roof line and curved surfaces.

In just three years, Corolla became Japan’s best-selling car.

Second generation: 1970 - 1974

The Japanese car market was booming when Toyota presented the second generation Corolla in 1970. It coincided with the milestone of the model achieving one million sales since its launch. The new model demonstrated Toyota’s Kaizen continuous improvement philosophy, with a focus on improving safety, comfort and practicality.

This generation saw the addition of a two-door coupe, and the first sports model, the full fastback Levin (a word for a bolt of lightning), powered by a 115 DIN hp twin-overhead cam 1.6-litre engine.

Notable features included a revised suspension system, new powertrains and high-back front seats with integrated head rests. This was the first Corolla to be offered with an AM/FM stereo radio, air conditioning, windscreen washers and rear-door child locks. It also came with a larger, 45-litre fuel tank to make longer journeys more convenient.

It was a huge success, with 2.4 million units built. From 1971, Toyota’s manufacturing partner Caetano assembled cars from complete knock-down kits in Portugal.

Third generation: 1974 - 1979

With Corolla now firmly established at the heart of the market and achieving annual export sales of more than 300,000 units, Toyota’s intention was to deliver “the ultimate family car” with the third generation. Higher levels of safety and comfort were the priorities. New emissions regulations called for new engines to be developed, with Toyota developing an exhaust catalyst for the “Toyota Total Clean System”.

This was the first Corolla to be designed using wind-tunnel testing, resulting in a more aerodynamic, angular body.

The customer choice was greater than ever, with the addition of a pillar-less coupe and the availability of hardtops and semi-fastbacks in the mid-range, rather than being reserved for top-specification models. A new Liftback linked multi-purpose practicality with sportiness.

Cabins were quieter with improvements in noise and vibration and featured centralised controls and padded instrument panels. This was also the first Corolla to be designed with passive safety features, including an impact-absorbing body, crumple zones and emergency locking seatbelts.

Third generation production exceeded 3.75 million units.

Fourth generation: 1979 - 1983

At the turn of the decade, market demand was for more up-market models, but with better fuel economy a priority in the wake of an international oil crisis. Toyota responded with a fourth-generation Corolla that made advances in all areas, in particular handling and powertrains.

This was the first Corolla to feature rack-and-pinion steering and to replace rear leaf springs with a new multi-link system with coil springs. It was also the first to adopt a diesel engine, a 1.8-litre unit with high thermal efficiency and fuel economy that joined the range in 1982. Style-wise, the new model was distinguished by its sleek lines, slanting nose and high rear deck. In the cabin, higher quality materials were used, and convenience was enhanced with the introduction of split-folding rear seats in the coupe and liftback.

Fifth generation: 1983 - 1987

Debuting in May 1983, the fifth generation targeted a younger generation of drivers and delivered the most comprehensive model change in Corolla’s history. For the first time, Toyota used computer technology to design the exterior and develop powertrains and control systems.

Corolla became available with front-wheel drive, allowing cabin space and comfort to be optimised. Rear-wheel drive versions remained in the line-up for those wanting a sportier drive. The cabin was designed to seat five adults in comfort, with space gained by lowering the floor, moving the steering wheel forwards and fitting a more upright rear window. Power-assisted steering was available, together with central locking, power-operated windows and a sunroof.

The fifth generation included the legendary AE86 coupe, the last front engine/rear-wheel drive Corolla – details in a dedicated chapter below.

Sixth generation: 1987 - 1991

As customers sought ever-higher quality, the sixth generation Corolla set out to exceed expectations more than any previous generation. Every aspect of the car was redesigned to raise luxury, comfort and quality standards. Key elements were a choice of characterful body styles to suit different customer profiles; fun-to-drive performance; and quality that appealed to all the senses.

Externally, the design theme was “wide and low” with the straight lines of previous generations replaced with a more rounded look. Inside, tactile velours and thick upholstery materials raised the comfort level, while ergonomics were brought into play in defining the shape, location and operating feel of the controls.

Digital optimisation of the body reduced noise and vibration, while the ventilation system regulated both cabin air quality and temperature. New features included a rake-adjustable steering wheel, height-adjustable seatbelts and driver’s seat lumbar support. An extensive line-up spanned the range from sedans, a coupe and hatchbacks to a wagon and van. All had front-wheel drive, plus the first four-wheel drive options. The engine choice was unparalleled – six petrol and one diesel across a power range from 64 to 145 DIN hp.

Seventh generation: 1992 - 1995

Toyota sought to consolidate Corolla’s strengths with a seventh generation model that benefited from improvements across the board. It was larger, faster, safer and quieter than its predecessors and was the first to be influenced by the prestige qualities of Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand that had been introduced in 1989.

For the first time, suspension and powertrain development teams were integrated and specific track testing took place to achieve European-style handling performance. The bodywork was more curvaceous than ever, with the sedan design inspired by the Lexus LS 400 limousine. The bodywork used less panels and tighter gaps, while the interior offered more space all round and a co-ordinated look. The suspension was reworked to take the car’s larger dimensions into account, and wheel sizes were increased to 14 inches. From September 1994, a driver’s airbag became standard equipment as Toyota pursued higher safety provisions.

Eighth generation: 1995 - 2000

Toyota made a strategic change with the eighth-generation car, moving away from developing it as a global model to producing versions specifically designed for the European market, with direct input from European design teams. It also marked the start of full-scale local Corolla production in Europe., (further details in the chapter below).

The model’s development was influenced by increasing environmental concerns and the need to reduce weight and achieve higher levels of fuel and emissions efficiency. Weight savings were helped by the introduction of high-strength but lightweight steel in the car’s structure. Ownership costs were another key factor, so Toyota made the car simpler to service and repair. This was the first Corolla to make satellite navigation available as an option.

Ninth generation: 2000 – 2006

With the ninth-generation Corolla, Toyota signalled a break with the past, creating a car to new standards for the new millennium. Europe was a key target market and the car’s exterior design was developed there with a “youthful and refined” design theme. Key elements included a new platform and flush merging of the glass, pillars and roof to create a premium look that was also aero-efficient. Quality details included Optitron instrumentation, as used in Lexus models.

The European line-up included three and five-door hatchbacks built in the UK and a sedan and MPV – the Corolla Verso – manufactured in Turkey. Nine powertrains were produced, including a D-4D common rail diesel and a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol in the sports hatch, the T Sport.

Tenth generation: 2007 – 2012

The 10th generation model went by different names in different markets: while known as Corolla in some parts of the world, it was launched in Japan and Europe as the Auris three and five-door hatchback (the sedan remained a Corolla).

Toyota produced what it called an “inside-out” design in which priority was given to interior space. The initial engine choice featured 1.4 and new 1.6-litre VVT-i units, while the flagship model was powered by a 2.2-litre D-4D diesel and used a bespoke multi-link rear suspension system. Safety levels were higher than ever before, including the introduction of a driver’s knee airbag. Air conditioning, reclining rear seats and new electric power steering were among the standard features. Customers could opt for a new multi-mode transmission on certain versions, with manual gear selection using paddle shifts.

In 2010 Toyota introduced the Auris Hybrid hatchback, the first Toyota hybrid vehicle to be mass-produced in Europe. Built by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK, it introduced Toyota’s quiet, refined and highly efficient powertrain to the heart of the European car market and set the template for the roll-out of hybrid power across the entire Toyota model range.

Eleventh generation: 2013 – 2018

The Corolla, known as Auris in the European region, continued into its 11th generation with a complete redesign. Development focused on honing the driving dynamics through improved weight management and chassis tuning, creating a car that delivered more rewarding driver feedback. Designed primarily in Europe for European customers, the new line-up included a wagon – the Touring Sports – for the first time since the eighth-generation Corolla.

The powertrain choices included the full hybrid, diesel and petrol. Once again, fuel economy and emissions performance were enhanced through engine tuning, weight savings and aerodynamic improvements. The new hybrid achieved class-leading CO₂ figures of just 87 g/km. The Auris also found its way to the USA where it was marketed as the Scion iM (later the Corolla M) and given a strong sports profile with lowered suspension and a full body kit.

Twelfth generation: 2019 to date

The 12^th generation Corolla was launched with hatchback, Touring Sports and sedan models continuing in production in the UK and Turkey. Built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) C-platform, the Corolla benefited from a lower centre of gravity and greater body rigidity, significantly improving handling agility, responsiveness and ride comfort. It also introduced a new dual hybrid strategy, giving Hatchback and Touring Sports customers the choice of 1.8 and 2.0-litre hybrid systems to suit their preferences for optimum efficiency or higher performance. From launch, this Corolla was exclusively a hybrid model in Europe.

The styling programme created a more dynamic look for the hatchback and Touring Sports while the sedan offered a more prestigious look. This was the first Corolla to offer a GR Sport equipment grade, giving the car a stronger sports look inspired by GAZOO Racing, Toyota’s championship-winning international motorsports arm. Since launch in 2019, the European Corolla family has grown to include the Corolla Cross SUV.

THE COROLLA AE86: THE DRIVER’S CAR THAT BECAME A CULTURAL ICON

• Revered as an affordable and hugely rewarding driver’s car

• Classic front engine/rear-wheel drive set-up, with high-revving multi-valve 1.6-litre engine

• The “Hachi-Roku” legend sustained in popular culture through the Initial D Anime and Manga series

Among the hundreds of different Corolla models that have been produced over the past 60 years, the AE86 stands apart as a model acclaimed as an exceptional driver’s car. More than that, its fame has spread beyond the automotive world through its representation in the Initial D Anime and Manga series, elevating it to the status of a modern Japanese cultural icon.

The model was part of the fifth generation Corolla series from 1983 to 1987, presented in Levin and Trueno sports liftback forms and as a notchback coupe. In Europe it was marketed as the Corolla GT and GTi. The car’s sleek, wedge-shape design, low-slung driving position and playful handling made it a popular success.

The AE86 had a classic front engine/rear-wheel drive sports car configuration, weighed less than one tonne and had an ideal front-rear weight balance. Its 1.6-litre 4A-GE double-overhead camshaft in-line four-cylinder engine was equipped with electronic fuel injection and produced a maximum 130 DIN hp and 149 Nm of torque. This high-revving unit could accelerate the car from rest to 100 km/h in around 8.3 seconds, with progress accompanied by a rasping exhaust note. Servo-assisted, ventilated disc brakes ensured stopping power appropriate for its speed; a limited-slip differential was available as an option.

Unsurprisingly, the AE86 proved to be a highly capable car in motorsport in both rally and racetrack competition. It also became a hero model in the world of drifting competition. Its reputation was enhanced by its appearance in the Initial D series from 1995 where the hero character drove an AE86 as a tofu delivery vehicle during the day and as a drifting machine by night.

The meaning of AE86 and Hachi-Roku

AE86 is a Toyota code: A denotes the engine series and E86 the version within the eighth generation of the Corolla series. In Japan, the car became known simply as the “Hachi-Roku” (86), the start of a Toyota sports model reference that was revived with the launch of the GT86 and GR86 coupes more than three decades later.

The AE86 today

Recognising the enduring significance and popularity of the AE86, GAZOO Racing manufactures replica heritage parts to help owners keep their cars on the road, including driveshafts, differentials and cylinder blocks.

Forty years on from the original model’s launch, GAZOO Racing presented radical technical transformations of the original coupe at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon. The AE86 Carbon Neutral Project equipped two coupes with new powertrains: the AE86 H2 Concept with a hydrogen combustion engine and the AE86 BEV concept with a battery electric system and manual transmission, demonstrating how new zero-emission technologies can be adopted while retaining traditional driving rewards.

FROM THE HIGHWAY TO RALLY STAGE AND RACETRACK: COROLLA IN MOTORSPORT

• Championship-winning success in race and rally competition

• Corolla wins Toyota the 1999 World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title

• Toyota using Corolla in Japanese endurance racing to test new hydrogen combustion engine technology

Although not defined as a sports model, the Corolla has enjoyed success in motorsport at world level, most notably with Toyota Team Europe (TTE) under the leadership of Swedish rallying legend Ove Andersson.

Before the founding of TTE in 1975, it was a Corolla that claimed Toyota’s first victory in the World Rally Championship (WRC). A second-generation Corolla, based on the road-going 1600 SR model, entered and won the Press-on-Regardless Rally in the USA.

A TTE-entered Corolla began to enjoy success in local European events in 1975, before claiming the team’s first WRC victory at the 1,000 Lakes Rally, the precursor of today’s Rally Finland. The winning car was a 1.6-litre Corolla Levin driven by Hannu Mikkola, who prevailed in a close battle with rivals from Ford and Saab.

International motorsport rules limited Corolla's potential as a WRC contender, so it was successive Celica models that claimed glory. A turning point came in 1997 when new rules allowed teams to install engines that were not used in the production versions of their cars. Thus, the European Corolla AE111 was equipped with a 2.0-litre unit and went on to win three events in 1998 and claim the WRC manufacturers’ title for Toyota in 1999.

Corolla has proved its quality as a racing car, too, competing in national, European and world touring car championships. Notably, the Corolla AE86 (GT) won back-to-back series in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 1986 and 1987. A current Corolla has competed in the BTCC since 2019.

Since 2021, Toyota and ROOKIE Racing have competed with a hydrogen-fuelled GR Corolla H2 Concept in Japan’s Super Taikyu endurance racing series. The competition is helping Toyota develop hydrogen combustion engine technology that can help retain the traditional sounds, power and driving experience of performance engines with near-zero carbon emissions.

A KEY MODEL FOR TOYOTA IN EUROPE

• First produced in Europe in 1971 from complete knock-down kits
• Full-scale European Corolla manufacturing since 1994
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK is the European centre for Corolla hatchback and Touring Sports production
• Corolla Sedan production by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey
• Almost 9.5 million Corolla sales in Europe to date

Europe was recognised as a valuable market for the Corolla from the car’s early development stage and the first models were shipped to the region in April 1967. From 1971, cars were produced from complete knock-down kits by Toyota’s manufacturing partner Caetano in Portugal.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, new Corolla models were designed and engineered to better suit European driving conditions and market preferences. Sales grew steadily as Corolla evolved, leading to the launch of full-scale European production in Turkey in 1994, true to Toyota’s philosophy of making cars local to the markets where they will be sold and driven.

Toyota’s investment in Europe has helped propel Corolla sales in the region to a total of almost 9.5 million to date – around one in six of all Corolla models sold worldwide.

Today, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) is the European centre for Corolla Hatchback and Touring Sports production. It also manufactures a local van conversion – the Corolla Commercial – and the high-performance GR Corolla for export to North America.

The Burnaston car plant in Derbyshire began making Corolla with the eighth-generation liftback and three-door hatchback models from 1998, progressing to the ninth generation from 2001. Auris production commenced in 2007 and in 2010 TMUK had the distinction of becoming Toyota’s first European centre for hybrid vehicle production.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey (TMMT) began building the seventh-generation Corolla at its Adapazari plant in Sakarya from 1994 and continued with production of the eighth and ninth generations (including the wagon and Corolla Verso) and the 11^th and current generations.

Today, Corolla production at TMMT is focused on the Sedan, manufactured alongside the Toyota C-HR.

COROLLA TODAY: 60^th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITIONS

• Toyota marks Corolla’s 60^th anniversary with limited edition models

• European-built Hatchback, Touring Sports and Sedan models featuring unique styling elements, enhanced standard equipment specifications and commemorative badging

• Styling for global models created in Europe at Toyota’s Brussels design studio

To mark Corolla’s 60th anniversary, Toyota is producing special edition versions of the Hatchback, Touring Sports and Sedan, featuring unique styling elements, commemorative badging and enhanced standard equipment specifications.

The 60th Anniversary versions of the Hatchback and Touring Sports, built in the UK by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK, are immediately distinguished from other Corolla models by their exclusive New Boreal Blue metallic paint, presented in a bi-tone execution with a contrasting Night Sky Black roof and pillars.

Their special status is also expressed in new-look 10-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels with a contrast matt and machined finish and chromed black wheel nuts.

Corolla’s sporty styling is highlighted by new matt silver garnishes on the lower front bumper and side sills and dark-plated fog light ornaments and back door and rear bumper corner garnishes. The Touring Sports adds an extra matt silver highlight on the lower rear bumper. Externally, the finishing touch is provided by stylish matt silver 60th Anniversary decals on the lower edge of the rear doors.

Inside the car, there are sleek matt silver scuff plates bearing the 60th Anniversary logo and front and rear carpet mats in black textile with co-ordinating matt silver inserts.

The sophisticated Corolla Sedan, produced by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey, has its own signature Lunar Sky Blue paint finish and shares most of the special styling features with its sister Hatchback and Touring Sports models, including the external garnish details, 17-inch wheels, 60th Anniversary badging, scuff plates and carpet mats. In addition, there is a matt silver highlight strip along the bottom edge of the boot lid.

Customers have further paintwork colour options for the 60th Anniversary models – Platinum White Pearl premium finish and Ash Grey metallic.

The Corolla’s hybrid system delivers characteristically quiet, smooth and highly efficient performance. Hatchback and Touring Sports customers have 1.8 hybrid and 1.5 petrol powertrain options, according to their local market availability.

A high equipment specification for the latest Corolla range provides a fully digital user experience as standard with a customisable 12.3-inch driver’s combimeter and the Toyota Smart Connect+ multimedia system with 10.5-inch touchscreen. The multimedia package includes access to cloud-based navigation, benefiting from up-to-the-moment traffic information, together with an embedded route planning system.

A comprehensive package of Toyota T-Mate active safety and driving assistance systems is also provided as standard. This includes Toyota Safety Sense features designed to recognise and react to an extensive range of common accident risk scenarios, alerting the driver and helping them avoid or mitigate the consequences of an impact. The functions include a Pre-Collision System with Intersection Collision Avoidance, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert and Lane Trace Assist, Emergency Steering Assist and Road Sign Assist. New and enhanced safety and multimedia functions are delivered seamlessly with over-the-air updates.

The 60th Anniversary Corolla models are available to order now, with deliveries to customers from the end of October.

TOYOTA COROLLA CONCEPT

• Toyota Corolla Concept revealed at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show

• Concept designed to accommodate multiple powertrain options

• Design guided by “Max Vision” and “Max Space” themes

The Corolla story is set to continue, with Toyota exploring radical ideas about how the model might evolve in the future with the unveiling of the Toyota Corolla Concept at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show.

Speaking at the concept’s unveiling, Koji Sato, then Toyota Motor Corporation President, explained how Corolla has always been the perfect representation of Toyota’s people-focused manufacturing spirit – in Japanese, its Monozukuri.

He said: “Regardless of its look or body type, it has always been the Corolla. That’s why the Corolla has always been ‘a car for everyone’.”

The key ideas that guided the concept’s creation were “max vision” and “max space” – developing a vehicle that is compact yet feels spacious; highly architectural yet warm and domestic; and minimalist yet full of personality, with objects that create emotional value, almost like a living room or tiny studio apartment – reflected in a striking exterior design with a large, steeply raked windscreen and a spacious interior with a low instrument panel.

Toyota sold 873,445 vehicles in the first nine months of 2026, up 0.9% year-on-year, with battery electric vehicle sales increasing by 151% to 98,148 units, led by the newly launched Toyota C-HR+ and Toyota bZ4X. Toyota Professional delivered 113,352 sales. Lexus sold 62,597 vehicles, with electrified models accounting for 96% of sales and continued strong demand for the LBX Hybrid and battery electric RZ.

Brands and model performance

Toyota sold 873,445 vehicles between January and September 2026, retaining its position as the second best-selling passenger car brand in Europe. Yaris Cross remained the best-selling model in the Toyota line-up, accounting for 18% of brand sales. Other top sellers included the Yaris and Corolla ranges, Toyota C-HR, Toyota C-HR+ and Aygo X. Toyota's overall electrified sales mix reached 86%, an increase of 11 percentage points year-on-year. Battery electric vehicle sales rose by 151% to 98,148 vehicles, with the Toyota C-HR+ leading the brand's battery electric passenger car sales, followed by bZ4X, Urban Cruiser and bZ4X Touring.

Toyota Professional recorded 113,352 sales across the Hilux and Proace family in the first nine months of 2026. Sales of the all-electric Proace and Proace City increased by 25% and 27% respectively. Proace Max BEV sales rose by 149% to 3,379 vehicles, while the new Hilux BEV recorded 441 sales.

Lexus achieved 62,597 sales in the first nine months of 2026, with electrified vehicles accounting for 96% of total sales. The LBX remained the brand's best-selling model with 20,512 vehicles sold. Battery electric Lexus RZ sales grew by 47%, while RX Plug-in Hybrid sales increased by 8%.

TME highlights January – September 2026:

• Total sales: 936,042 (+0.6% year-on-year)
• Total electrified sales: 813,623 (+13% year-on-year)
• Total electrified mix: West Europe: 92%, Central Europe: 84%, East Europe*: 59% - total: 87% (+10 pp year-on-year)
• Battery electric vehicle sales: 104,832 (+136% year-on-year)

Toyota highlights January – September 2026:

• Toyota sales: 873,445 (+0.9% year-on-year)
• Top sellers (passenger): Yaris Cross Hybrid (155,066); Yaris range (125,260); Corolla range (113,583); Toyota C-HR range (101,139); Aygo X range (82,581); RAV4 range (41,697)
• Total electrified sales: 753,665 (+15% year-on-year)
• Top electrified (passenger): Yaris Cross Hybrid (155,066); Yaris Hybrid (125,258); Toyota C-HR Hybrid/Plug-in Hybrid (101,139); Corolla Hybrid (93,350); Aygo X Hybrid (78,509); RAV4 Hybrid/Plug-in Hybrid (41,000), Toyota C-HR+ (29,616), Toyota bZ4X (26,270)
• Toyota Professional sales (Hilux and Proace family): 113,352
• Electrified mix: West Europe: 91%, Central Europe: 83%, East Europe*: 59% - total: 86% (+11 pp year-on-year)

Lexus highlights January – September 2026:

• Total Lexus sales: 62,597 (-4% year-on-year)
• Top sellers: LBX Hybrid (20,512); NX range (19,032); RX (6,177); UX (5,807); RZ (5,654)
• Total electrified sales: 59,958 (-2% year-on-year)
• Top electrified: LBX Hybrid (20,512); NX Hybrid/Plug-in Hybrid (18,899); UX Hybrid/BEV (5,807); RZ (5,654); RX Hybrid/Plug-in Hybrid (5,555)
• Electrified mix: West Europe: 100%, Central Europe: 100%, East Europe*: 61% - total: 96%

Sales for January – September 2026 are listed below:

(1) Toyota Motor Europe is responsible for all Western, Central and Eastern European countries including Turkey as well as Israel and a number of Central Asian markets (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan). TME discontinued sales in Russia in 2022.

(2) European sales excluding Russia.

*East Europe includes Kazakhstan, Caucasus, Ukraine, Turkey and Israel.

GAZOO Racing has revealed further details about its fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV)* challenge on the 2027 Dakar Rally, including the driver-navigator crew for the gruelling event, as well as the first technical information about the DKR GR FC Hilux.

As part of its commitment to making ever-better motorsports-bred cars, GAZOO Racing will enter the Dakar Future Mission 1000 category, which is dedicated to experimental vehicles and new technologies. This project marks Toyota’s first full-fledged entry in a motorsport competition with a hydrogen-powered FCEV. The project is also a further example of GAZOO Racing utilizing the motorsport arena to train people and develop talent.

Testing Start:

A short and intense development programme involved close cooperation between several parties to create the new DKR GR FC Hilux. Toyota’s European R&D centre near Brussels, Belgium cooperated with Overdrive Racing – which operates the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC team and developed the DKR GR Hilux – as well as TOYOTA RACING GmbH in Cologne and Toyota Motor Corporation.

Construction of the DKR GR FC Hilux is now complete and it is undergoing dynamic testing prior to its competitive debut.

Driver Announcement:

Saudi rally driver, Dania Akeel will drive the DKR GR FC Hilux in testing and in its first competition, the Dakar Rally.

Since starting her rally-raid career in 2021, Akeel has become an experienced and successful competitor. In her first Dakar Rally, she earned a top 10 finish in the T3 class and, became a Dakar Rally stage winner in 2025 in the Challenger category. She went on to successfully secure multi-stage wins during the W2RC 2025 and 2026 seasons and was the Challenger class winner of the W2RC Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. She is also a two-time winner of the FIA Middle East Baja Cup, at the wheel of an Overdrive Racing-entered Toyota Hilux in 2024 and 2025.

Dania Akeel: “This is a great opportunity for me to learn how new technologies are brought to life in the automotive world. To witness such a pioneering venture from the driver’s seat is a truly unique experience, which I hold as both a privilege and a pleasure. And to be able to share my feedback as a driver into the development of these technologies is very special.

In rally-raid our biggest asset as a driver is to be able to race in diverse terrain and conditions requiring us to be flexible and effective in changing environments. Perfect for testing the Reliability and durability of any new car or technology to the limit. And this I believe will also help me enhance my skills by adapting to evolving technologies and to grow as a driver."

Technical Specification:

Based on the same platform as the DKR GR Hilux, the DKR GR FC Hilux uses the same tubular frame, safety cell, suspension and brakes. It is equipped with a high-output unit that combines two fuel cell stacks into a single system and uses the same high-pressure hydrogen tanks as Mirai.

A dedicated e-axle, an IAV Dragoon ECU and a new electronics system have been specifically selected, while innovative solutions such as natural fibre panels – replacing some carbon fibre parts – and a new high-voltage cooling system will also be introduced. The vehicle will run on OPEN COUNTRY tyres from TOYO TIRE.

By combining production parts and advanced technology, GAZOO Racing will test components in the harsh environment of the Dakar Future Mission 1000 category. The experience gained will enable knowledge transfer which can benefit the development of future road cars and fuel cell applications.

With the support of its official sponsor Jameel Motorsport, and partners DENSO, TOYO TIRE and IAV and PRF, Toyota continues to advance its challenge to explore the potential of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in motorsports.

*FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle. The electricity powering the vehicle is generated on board by the fuel cell from hydrogen, which can be produced from various energy sources, including fossil sources. Emissions can be associated with other aspects of the car's life cycle (including its manufacture, maintenance, end-of-life), from the production of hydrogen fuel and from day-to-day usage, such as from the tyres and brakes.

In difficult conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the team won for the fourth time this season to secure its eighth manufacturers’ World Championship, in its first year as TOYOTA RACING.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa were victorious in the #8 TR010 HYBRID, extending their lead in the drivers’ standings.

Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries completed a perfect day for the team by finishing second in the #7 TR010 HYBRID. With one race to go, they are 17 points behind their team-mates in the fight for the drivers’ title, which is now a two-way contest between the TR010 HYBRID crews.

TOYOTA RACING has now completed a clean sweep of both World Championships and victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the team’s home race, the 6 Hours of Fuji, in the debut season of the TR010 HYBRID.

A spectacular performance in Spain was built on a strong opening hour when the drivers took advantage of changing conditions on wet tyres. After starting second, Sébastien quickly took the lead in his 100th WEC race. From ninth on the grid, Nyck rapidly moved up the field and into second late in the opening hour.

Sébastien served a five-second penalty for a starting procedure offence at his second pit stop, without any long-term impact on the race. At half-distance, Brendon led Kamui by 10 seconds, with the chasing pack over 20 seconds behind.

Despite a safety car closing the field with two hours to go, the two TR010 HYBRIDs set new fastest laps and rebuilt their advantage. They safely negotiated lapped traffic through the closing stages whilst preserving their comfortable gap. Ryō crossed the line just 0.583secs ahead of Nyck to earn the team’s first one-two since Bahrain last season.

The close fight between the TR010 HYBRIDs will resume in the eighth and final round of the season, the 6 Hours of Monza on 8 November, when the drivers’ title battle will be decided.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Congratulations to the whole team for winning the race and the manufacturers’ World Championship here already. I’m very proud of all the team members involved in this, in Cologne and at Higashi-Fuji, as well as the Toyota family, our partners and of course, Morizo-san and Nakajima-san. It’s a huge achievement to win Le Mans and now the manufacturers’ title, especially after we were struggling last year. We introduced the TR010 HYBRID and that has brought us to the top again. The drivers’ title is now between car #7 and car #8, so I think we can enjoy the last race.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “On our car, we challenged for the win and didn’t quite make it. But it’s great to get a one-two finish and wrap up the manufacturers’ title. Against such a competitive field, it’s really impressive to do that with one race to go, so big congratulations to everyone. The drivers’ title is still open, so for the #7 car, we will just try to regroup and improve for the next race.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “It’s a great result for the team. I think we executed well, very cleanly, with no mistakes, so it was a really strong performance from everyone. Obviously, it’s very important to secure the manufacturers' World Championship and to know that a TOYOTA RACING car crew will win the drivers' title as well. That’s a nice feeling going into the final round.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “It’s obviously an amazing day for the whole team. There was a lot of stress and I'm still a bit mad at myself for the penalty at the start, but my team-mates made up for it. I’m really happy to celebrate the title with the whole team with a one-two. After a difficult season last year, it shows how hard the team worked over the winter to introduce the TR010 HYBRID and win Le Mans and both titles. Now hopefully Brendon, Ryō and me can win the drivers’ title in Monza.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It’s a fantastic day for the team with a one-two and the manufacturers’ title. I enjoyed the whole weekend. Actually, we hadn’t tested here, and we didn't expect to be so strong, but our crew worked very well, and we had a great car in the race. Today I'm not thinking about the drivers’ championship, it's all about celebrating the title with the team. Congratulations to everyone involved, it's been a massive effort to fight back and take the manufacturers’ World Championship. It's a huge deal for everyone involved and I'm proud to be part of it.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “We were really motivated after our Fuji victory, and we came here with a lot of momentum. There were a lot of things to explore because we never tested here, but everyone did a good job, the car was flying, and everything went well. This victory is something we worked very hard for. There was no luck, we just grabbed it. It’s good to secure the manufacturers’ title but the drivers’ is still open. We’ll keep pushing and hopefully we can win that with car #8.”

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A strong race result could secure the manufacturers’ World Championship for TOYOTA RACING with one race still to go, and qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya laid the foundations for its challenge in Sunday’s race.

Ryō Hirakawa earned second place in the #8 TR010 HYBRID he shares with Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley, just 0.170secs away from the pole-sitting Genesis. The #8 crew currently lead the drivers’ standings and could seal the title on Sunday if results go their way.

The #7 TR010 HYBRID crew of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries are also in the drivers’ title battle, just 10 points behind their team-mates. They will start from ninth on the grid.

Qualifying took place in warm, dry conditions in contrast to the weather forecast for Sunday, when rain is predicted. Nyck and Ryō were at the wheel for the first 12-minute session, aiming to progress to Hyperpole. On medium Michelin tyres, Nyck set one flying lap time and progressed in eighth place while Ryō improved on his second lap, ending the session in second.

In Hyperpole, the fastest 10 Hypercars battled for the top grid positions, again on medium tyres, and both TR010 HYBRIDs set their best laps on their first efforts. Ryō was again among the fastest on track and scored the team’s second front-row start of the season. Meanwhile, Nyck missed out on the top six by just over a tenth of a second.

That qualifying performance gives TOYOTA RACING the platform to challenge at the front and take important steps towards both World Championships when the 6 Hours of Barcelona begins at midday local time on Sunday.

Quotes:

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “It was a positive day for the team. Ryō did a great job qualifying on the front row of the grid. It was a little bit more challenging for our car. Still, it’s a good basis and tomorrow there is the potential for rain, so a lot of things can happen. We'll do our best, try to execute a clean race and gain some positions.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “The car was really fast today, the team did a great job. Potentially I could have been even faster but there were double yellow flags on my second push lap in Hyperpole. That was a pity, but being on the front row is good and I’m happy with the result. From there we can have a nice race tomorrow, hopefully.”

6 Hours of Barcelona – Hyperpole

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After winning at Fuji Speedway in the last race, TOYOTA RACING leads the manufacturers’ and drivers’ World Championships, with the possibility of securing both titles this weekend. To do so, it must overcome a closely-matched Hypercar field on a track hosting its first WEC race.

The TR010 HYBRID recorded its first laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in two 90-minute sessions and a busy day ended with both cars in the top 10. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries were fifth fastest in the #7, while Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa – who lead the drivers’ standings – were eighth in the #8.

The WEC’s only previous visit to Barcelona was the pre-season Prologue test in 2019, while the team tested on the track in 2021. Engineers and drivers therefore worked intensively during Friday’s two sessions to analyse the behaviour of the Michelin tyres and adjust set-ups for the 4.657km circuit, which features a slightly different layout compared to the team’s previous visits.

Work got underway late on a warm, dry morning with a productive first session without interruptions. Sébastien’s lap put the #8 TR010 HYBRID in sixth place at the end, while Nyck’s best time earned 11th for the #7.

Engineers used the three-and-a-half hours before second practice to analyse tyre data and optimise set-ups. Another trouble-free session brought more experience with the tyres and progress on car balance. Nyck’s lap earned fifth place for the #7 and Ryō recorded the best time in the #8 for eighth.

The team has a final opportunity to fine-tune the performance of its TR010 HYBRIDs in third practice, which takes place for Hypercars on Saturday lunchtime. Hypercar qualifying takes place at 3.40pm CEST on Saturday, while the 6 Hours of Barcelona begins at midday on Sunday.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “It’s nice to be back in Barcelona. We’ve not been here since we tested in 2021, so it’s our first time here with the TR010 HYBRID. The track is a bit different since then, so it was a bit like learning a new track. We saw that there is quite a lot of tyre degradation, so we are trying to figure out how to manage that and have a good car balance. We’re still working on this and hopefully we will find improvements.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “It’s good to be back here in Barcelona. It’s been a while. Today we were just trying to learn as much as we can about the tyres and how to manage them in the race. The target was to complete a lot of laps and we achieved that. We tried some set-up things as well and I think it was a productive day.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “I think it's been a decent day overall. Tyre degradation will be a hot topic here this weekend, unless it rains for the race. We made a positive start, but we still have some performance to find, especially when it comes to tyre and race strategy, but we are getting there.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “It was a good first day. I’m happy to start my 100th WEC race weekend with a lot of laps. As always, it's a very tight field, so it's going to be important to optimise our car and adapt to the conditions. We know how hard it is to pass here, so hopefully we can have a strong qualifying. It's been a positive start. Now we will analyse the data for tomorrow.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It was a clean and positive day. Some teams have tested here but we haven’t, so we had a bit of catching up to do. I think we're all up to speed now. We're a bit behind a couple of our competitors, but we’ve learned a lot about the tyres, so I think there's everything to play for on Sunday.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was a very busy day as it’s obviously a new track for us with the TR010 HYBRID. We explored different set-ups and focused mainly on the longer runs. It seems like we made a good start, which is encouraging for the rest of the weekend. So far, given the experience we have at this track with our car, we had a very productive day. Now it’s about fine-tuning for tomorrow.”

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As EU legislators shape the Industrial Accelerator Act and the Automotive Package, and the UK Government reviews its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, Toyota calls on policymakers to act pragmatically and with partnership in focus, to secure the future of Europe's automotive industry.

Toyota speaks as a manufacturer with more than 60 years in Europe, where it designs, develops and builds vehicles, engines and hybrid systems and invests in skills and know-how together with European partners and suppliers.

Toyota fully supports Europe's climate goals and believes that the decisions taken in the coming months must combine ambition with pragmatism including rules that reflect real customer demand, include an openness to all technologies that reduce CO₂ and embraces the significant contribution of trusted partners.

From "Made in Europe" to "Made with Europe"

Toyota supports the ambition of the Industrial Accelerator Act to strengthen Europe's industrial base. However, ambition must be matched by scale. Together with trusted partners such as the UK, Türkiye and Japan, Europe's market reaches around 31 million vehicles, and that is the scale it needs to compete globally.

Toyota believes that an EU-only assembly rule would send the wrong signal to long-standing investors - a vehicle made in Europe reflects far more than the origin of its parts. It also reflects the engineering, research and development, assembly and skilled jobs behind it. Toyota is calling on EU legislators to:

• Use a ‘Made with Europe’ approach - recognise a limited number of trusted free-trade and customs-union partners where there is full reciprocity, among them the UK, Türkiye and Japan.
• Phase in European-content requirements – build towards 70% after three years, based on the ex-works value of the vehicle and recognising value created through engineering, R&D and the final assembly.
• Do not apply substantive automotive requirements before 2030, in line with vehicle-development and supply-chain investment cycles.
• Set a more realistic threshold for overall vehicle sales of 70%, encouraging localisation but avoiding the proposed 85% threshold which creates disproportionate compliance risks.
• Apply one consistent set of rules across public procurement, incentives and corporate fleets, so that vehicles made with trusted partners qualify equally.
• Temporarily exclude fuel-cell vehicles give the market and European supply chain time to develop before localisation rules apply.

CO₂ rules that are ambitious and achievable – and in pace with market demand

The Automotive Package should keep an ambitious direction for 2035. It must also give manufacturers the flexibility to respond to the real pace of customer demand and market change. Battery-electric vehicles are forecast to make up around 45% of new cars by 2030, while current rules require more than 55%. For LCVs, the gap is wider. Without flexibility, manufacturers will be forced to spend on compliance rather than on the technologies Europe needs.

Toyota is therefore calling on EU legislators to:

• Introduce a five-year compliance window from 2028 to 2032 to smooth the transition through 2030 and 2031; and set a 90% CO₂ reduction target for 2035, with additional flexibilities for renewable fuels and green steel to close the remaining gap.
• Treat LCVs separately, with a 35% reduction target for 2030 and 80% for 2035, and five-year averaging to reflect business customers' needs for range, payload and uptime.
• Recognise vehicles exclusively running only on renewable eligible fuels [VEEF] as zero-emission, under one EU definition aligned with the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III).
• Review targets regularly if demand or infrastructure does not develop as expected.

A realistic pathway for the UK, aligned with the EU

Toyota welcomes the UK Government's review of the ZEV mandate. The move to zero-emission vehicles must stay on track, but at a pace that reflects real customer demand. With 2030 only three years away, investment decisions taken now will shape production to 2035 and beyond. Manufacturers and suppliers need a clear, realistic framework to invest with confidence.

Toyota is asking the UK Government to:

• Set realistic 2030 levels, with a maximum ZEV share of 50% for cars and 40% for LCVs with flexibilities.
• Define the framework for 2035 now, giving industry long-term direction.
• Keep practical compliance options, extending flexibilities to 2035.
• Align more closely with the EU by adopting a similar five-year approach.
• Recognise renewable fuels as a route to decarbonisation and consider a UK equivalent of the EU's VEEF approach.
• Complete the ZEV mandate revision in 2027.

See further information in the documents attached.

After an exciting victory on home ground at Fuji Speedway in the previous race, the team travels to Spain for the penultimate round of the season at the top of both World Championships. Its third win of the season extended the gap in the manufacturers’ standings to 23 points, while in the drivers’ championship, the two TR010 HYBRID crews are first and second.

A second win of the season for the #8 TR010 HYBRID crew of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa elevated them to the top of the standings. The #7 TR010 HYBRID drivers, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, are just 10 points behind.

Barcelona represents a significant landmark for Sébastien, who will become the first driver to reach 100 WEC race starts. Sébastien is the only active driver to have been with the team since its first race, at Le Mans in 2012. In that time, he has won 28 times – including four times at Le Mans – on his way to four World Championship titles so far.

Meanwhile, Mike is preparing for the penultimate race in his illustrious racing career, having announced earlier this month that he will retire from full-time competition at the end of the WEC season.

The 6 Hours of Barcelona is a new addition to the WEC calendar, replacing – along with November’s race in Monza – the races originally scheduled in the Middle East. The 4.657km circuit, located around 30km north of Barcelona in the town of Montmeló, has been a regular feature on the calendar of many championships since it opened in 1991.

Although this will be WEC’s first race in Spain, it is not the series’ first visit to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It hosted the pre-season Prologue test in July 2019, when Mike, Kamui, Sébastien and Brendon were among the team’s line-up at the wheel of the TS050 HYBRID. Ryō has the most recent experience of the track via his Formula 1 testing and free practice roles.

The TR010 HYBRIDs will complete their first laps in Barcelona during two free practice sessions on Friday 16 October. Saturday hosts final practice and qualifying (3.40pm CEST), before Sunday’s race, which begins at midday CEST.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “This is another important race for the World Championship. With only two races left, there’s no room for mistakes – we need to maximise our results with both cars to stay in a strong position for the final race. We’re entering the unknown to a certain extent because we don’t have much experience of Barcelona, although it’s a track all drivers know well from earlier in our careers. It means we need to work particularly hard in free practice to find the right set-up direction for the race. We’ll be pushing hard to have the best chance on race day.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “This is obviously my first race since announcing my retirement at the end of the season. I am determined to create more happy memories over the rest of the season, starting in Barcelona. Racing there again is like going back to my younger days, because I drove there regularly in my junior career. I’m looking forward to being there again and seeing what our TR010 HYBRID can do.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “I’m looking forward to Barcelona. It’s a track where I have had some success in the past, winning in Formula 2 and junior series, so I know it well. It’s a big weekend for the team, and also for our car, in terms of the championship. We’ve been a bit unfortunate on our side of the garage in the last two races, so we want to reverse that trend.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “A hundred races is a cool milestone and a nice opportunity to think again about all those races, the ones we have won, as well as the ones we have lost together as a team. I can’t believe we have done so many races together. We’re always looking to the future and the next race, so I don’t really think about being with the team since the comeback in 2012. I feel proud and honoured to reach 100 WEC races and I hope to be around for a bit longer still. It’s fitting to reach this number on the back of the win at Fuji, which was one of our best because of the great job we all did as a team. I have so many good memories of winning championships and Le Mans, but that’s the past. We want to focus on the next races and obviously I hope we will be able to score some decent points in Barcelona to help us in the World Championship.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “As drivers, I think we all know Barcelona pretty well from earlier in our careers, but as a team there’s a lot to learn about how our TR010 HYBRID works on this track. Barcelona was actually my first official appearance for TOYOTA, back at the Prologue in 2019. It’s nice to think back and consider how much we’ve experienced together since then. I hope we can add some more good memories this weekend. We’ll be doing our best.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It’s great to be racing again so soon after our victory at Fuji. That put us in a strong position in the World Championship and gives us positive momentum for the last two races. It will be a tough weekend, I’m sure, because we haven’t tested our TR010 HYBRID at Barcelona before, unlike some of our rivals. But we showed at Fuji what is possible with strong teamwork and good strategy so I’m optimistic we can fight at the front again.”

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The British driver has played a significant role in the team’s development and success since joining in 2014, helping TOYOTA to seven manufacturers’ World Championships. In that time, Mike has won 20 WEC races, including the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2021 and 2026, and two drivers’ titles (2019-20 and 2021).

Alongside #7 TR010 HYBRID team-mates Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, Mike is currently second in this season’s drivers’ standings, just 10 points behind team-mates Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa with two races remaining.

TOYOTA RACING expresses its genuine appreciation to Mike for his unending dedication and strong team spirit over 12 seasons. His last race for the team – his 94th in total for TOYOTA – will be the 6 Hours of Monza on 8 November.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal): “It has been a pleasure to race the #7 car with Mike for so many years. We have shared so many emotional moments together, particularly at Le Mans. Some of my most incredible memories in racing have come alongside Mike. He has been an incredible team-mate, not only in terms of speed and consistency, but on a human level as well. He has become a friend to many of us, and we will miss having him in the team. But nothing lasts forever in motorsports, and we all want to wish Mike a deserved, and very happy, retirement with his family.”

Evans went head-to-head with his team-mates Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg in the deciding rally with all three vying to be crowned world champion for the first time.

Playing host to the season finale for the first time, the sandy and rough gravel roads of the Italian island proved as demanding as usual. Following a hot and dry summer, the loose and sandy surface would produce a significant road cleaning effect for the three contenders to deal with during the first full day on Friday.

While Evans entered the final round with a lead of 17 points over Pajari and 21 over Solberg, he also faced the toughest task opening the road and finished Friday in sixth overall. While Pajari was just one position ahead in fifth, Solberg took advantage of his more advantageous position to end Friday in third and within striking distance of the rally lead, which he then seized on Saturday morning.

With Solberg comfortably leading the rally into the final day and Evans in fifth overall, and the virtual gap between them reduced to six points, the battle would be decided by the 10 bonus points available across the Super Sunday and Power Stage classifications.

Continuing to show impressive pace, Solberg established an early lead in the Sunday standings with a strong stage win in the opening Osilo – Tergu test, but the subsequent Sassari – Argentiera beach – noted for its sandy downhill finish – would provide a different dynamic with conditions deteriorating for later runners.

A major twist followed in the second pass of Osilo – Tergu when Evans stopped to change a punctured tyre, conceding close to two minutes. While he held on to fifth overall, he dropped out of contention for Sunday points and headed into the rally-ending Power Stage with a virtual lead of just one point over Solberg.

The final stage of the season therefore effectively became a straight shootout between the two in the knowledge that whoever set the quicker time would be world champion. Knowing the time of Evans that he had to beat, Solberg was faster on the split times during a committed run but ran off the road in the final stretch. While Solberg managed to get back on the road and still secure the rally victory, he finished the stage 8.9s down on Evans.

Evans and Martin’s first world title represents a hard-earned reward after seven seasons consistently fighting at the front of the field with TGR-WRT, during which they finished as championship runners-up in five of the previous six years. Their 2026 campaign has been built on typically strong consistency, as well as two impressive victories in Sweden and Japan and calculated pace when required to score well on Sundays even when opening the road through a string of consecutive gravel rallies.

Evans is the first Welsh driver to ever win the title, and follows in the footsteps of Scotland’s Colin McRae and England’s Richard Burns as a World Rally Champion from the United Kingdom. Martin is the first English co-driver to win the title, joining fellow Britons David Richards, Derek Ringer, Robert Reid and Phil Mills on that honour list.

It is the seventh time in eight years that a TGR-WRT crew has been crowned world champions, and the fifth time in six years that the team has swept all three championships having already secured the manufacturers’ crown at the previous round in Chile.

Solberg finishes just five points behind in the championship along with co-driver Elliott Edmondson in their first full season competing at the highest level. They began the season with an epic victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo, and their speed was never in doubt, winning more stages than anybody else through the season. After a character-building mid-season period, they have bounced back from being 59 points adrift to end the year with back-to-back victories in Chile and Sardinia.

Their win is a record-equalling 12th from 13 rallies this season – and record-extending 48th in total – for the GR YARIS Rally1 car in its fifth and final season of the current homologation cycle before new technical regulations are introduced for 2027.

Pajari finishes third in the championship, six points behind, together with co-driver Marko Salminen after a breakthrough season of their own – just their second full campaign at the top level. Their Sardinia podium is their ninth of the season – more than anybody else – and Pajari matches Solberg in taking three victories.

Sébastien Ogier finished second in the rally to claim a record 121st WRC podium, moving ahead of fellow nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb, on the very same event that he made a record 214th start, surpassing his Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala. Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais finish the year fourth in the standings with six podiums from 11 rallies entered.

Takamoto Katsuta made it five GR YARIS Rally1 drivers in the top six of the rally and the points standings at the end of a breakout year with co-driver Aaron Johnston that included their first wins in Kenya and Croatia, Katsuta becoming the first Japanese driver to lead the championship in the process.

Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka secured their second WRC2 victory of the year by just 0.7s driving their GR Yaris Rally2 car entered by Rautio Motorsport and run by Printsport, a result that allows them to finish second in the championship standings.

Quotes:
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“I'd like to send three messages to Elfyn and Scott, who have finally become world champions: congratulations, thank you, and sorry.

Since joining the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing family in 2020, Elfyn has finished just one place short of the championship five times, including three consecutive seasons from 2023 onward. After so many seasons of coming painfully close, he has finally achieved the title he has worked so hard for. Congratulations, Elfyn. You really deserve it!

Of course, I can’t really say that out loud. Publicly, I have to say that I want all our drivers to win. But if I’m being honest, this year I was cheering for Elfyn. Sorry, Sami and Oliver, but I simply couldn’t let Elfyn and Scott end up second again. Elfyn, congratulations. Truly, truly congratulations!

The “thank you” is for everything Elfyn and Scott have done for the team over the years. Those five second-place championship finishes are proof of how consistently they have delivered points. Thanks to the points they contributed season after season, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has been able to keep winning manufacturers’ titles.

Their contribution goes far beyond points. At the final round of the 2021 season, with the drivers’ championship on the line, Elfyn and Scott went off the road. Afterwards, they shared information with the team about sections where grip was particularly low. Thanks to that information, Seb was able to secure the championship. They are the kind of drivers who always think not only about themselves, but about the team as well. Thank you both, truly! (And I think everyone can now understand why I was cheering for Elfyn.)

The “sorry” is because I couldn’t be there with them during the fight for the championship. Whenever I was there, Elfyn has almost always delivered a strong result: four victories and three second-place finishes. That's why I wanted to be there for the rally where he could become champion. Sorry to the other drivers, but I was planning to go to Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, my schedule didn't allow me to attend Sardinia, so I'm relieved that he was able to clinch the title there.

Oliver and Elliott also fought incredibly hard right to the very end. Let's keep pushing together next year!

This rally marks the end of the GR YARIS Rally1's journey. It is a car that has continued to win championships throughout the five seasons since 2022. This year, it became a car that any one of our five drivers could win with. I would like to sincerely thank everyone in the team for pursuing an ever-better, driver-first car.

I am sure the team is already hard at work preparing the next generation of cars. There will be many new challenges ahead. Things may not go perfectly from the start, and that’s okay. Let’s enjoy taking on a new challenge of making ever-better cars together once again!

To Jari-Matti, Juha, everyone in the team, our partners, and all our fans: thank you very much for your support throughout this season.”

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“This was an incredible finish to what has been a very exciting season. All year we have tried to give all of our drivers an even chance to win and we saw a great fight this weekend. Elfyn and Scott have been working really hard and trying for so many years and now they could finally get the titles that they deserve, so we are really happy for them. Oliver has been so fast and spectacular and gave it everything, and he nearly made it right to the end. It’s an unfortunate finish for him but he and Sami are both young drivers who have had really good seasons, and they can be proud of what they have achieved, as we are of them, and I’m sure they will have more chances to win championships in the future.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s still not really sinking in yet that we’ve managed to get the championship across the line after such a wild final day. We came into it knowing it would be tight and tried what we could today, but there was massive cleaning on the first stage. We managed to pull back some time on the second, but then at the start of the third there were rocks everywhere and we tried to pull our way through, but immediately we punctured. Then we had to lay it all on the line for the Power Stage. It was a messy run so I was pretty sure I hadn’t done enough and Oliver was coming quicker until he had that moment near the end. I feel sorry for him and Elliott because they drove an incredible weekend. But we didn’t only win it there, it was a whole year’s worth of work and I think it’s a championship to be proud of. It’s a bit of a relief after coming close so many times, and I’ve got a lot of people to thank for backing me through the years, especially Scott and the team.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“You could not have scripted a more dramatic finish than what we saw today. In rallying we all know that it’s never over until it’s over. Congratulations to Elfyn and Scott: they have worked so hard over so many years and nobody deserves it more than them. I know that it’s hard for Oliver and Elliott right now after getting so close, but they have impressed all of us with their speed this season and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they are also world champions. Thank you to everyone in the team for this season and the last five years with this car. It’s amazing to work with you and to always be able to count on a fast and reliable car.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“First of all, I want to say congratulations to Elfyn and Scott. They deserve this for sure, they have been very consistent all season. That I even had a shot with my rollercoaster of a season feels incredible. I started to believe more and more through the weekend, and to get so close, it’s tough. In the Power Stage I knew I had to push hard to beat Elfyn, but I wasn’t sure I was doing enough, so I tried pushing even more. Then I made a small mistake at the end, couldn’t save the car and we went off. For my first season with this team I’m still proud of what we could achieve. I’ve given my heart and tried everything until the very end, and hopefully I have a few more chances to try again.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“A big thank you to the whole team that we managed to finish this tough rally. It was such a difficult start with punctures on Friday, but at the end we could finish P6 and have some fun in the last rally with this car, which has been so successful with so much effort behind it from the whole team. Our season started well with two wins and even if we couldn’t keep up the fight in the championship, it was great to see such a fight between my team-mates right until the last corners. Big congratulations to Elfyn and Scott, and also to Oliver and Elliott and Sami and Marko; they have all done a fantastic job and I hope to keep fighting with them in future.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“This was a really dramatic end to the season, and even if I didn’t have my best rally here, I’m super happy for Elfyn and Scott: they really deserve this. For my second year at this level, I think I can be very happy with our season, and with our nine podiums and three wins. After an extremely difficult start in Monte Carlo, we took stage wins in almost every rally, got closer and closer in the title fight and in the end we were only six points away. We’re still young, so hopefully we have the chance to chase titles again in the future. I gave everything on the last stage with this car: a big thank you to the whole team and everyone supporting us.”

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY ITALIA SARDEGNA
1 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 3h24m57.0s
2 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +57.6s
3 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m37.4s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m38.6s
5 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +4m48.1s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +6m02.4s
7 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +7m32.2s
8 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +12m10.4s
9 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +12m11.1s
10 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +13m02.2s
(Results as of 16:00 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 13:
1 Elfyn Evans 243 points
2 Oliver Solberg 238
3 Sami Pajari 237
4 Sébastien Ogier 189
5 Adrien Fourmaux 183
6 Takamoto Katsuta 175
7 Thierry Neuville 134
8 Hayden Paddon 38
9 Josh McErlean 35
10 Esapekka Lappi 33

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 13:
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 662 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 440
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 251
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 168

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Saturday was the longest day of the rally with 123.66 competitive kilometres to be driven across two loops of three stages.

After a strong performance during the rally’s first full day on Friday, Solberg began the morning in third overall, just 12.3s from the lead. He gained one place already in the day’s opening stage when Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) was slowed by a loss of tyre pressure, then claimed a pair of stage wins to catch and pass Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) for the lead – a valuable position in his bid to close the 21-point deficit he had to Evans entering the final round.

Solberg started the afternoon with his lead at just 2.7s, but this grew to 36.6s after Neuville stopped with damage in the first stage of the loop. With team-mate Sébastien Ogier now up into second overall and taking two stage wins of his own during the afternoon, Solberg’s advantage at the top stands at 33.6s going into the final day.

With Neuville’s exit and Fourmaux stopping to change a wheel in SS12, Pajari and Evans benefitted to move up to third and fourth overall. Fourmaux did reclaim fourth overall in the day’s last stage, 6.4s ahead of Evans. Takamoto Katsuta has moved up to sixth overall after a trouble-free day.

Based on current overall positions, Evans remains in the lead of the virtual championship standings, six points ahead of Solberg and 12 ahead of Pajari with up to 10 additional bonus points available from the final day; five for the fastest drivers in the rally-ending Power Stage and five more for the quickest drivers across the day in the Super Sunday classification.

There is now a GR Yaris Rally2 1-2-3-4 in the WRC2 class with Roope Korhonen leading Gus Greensmith, Teemu Suninen and Kajetan Kajetanowicz.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It’s very exciting that the fight for the championship is going right down to the final day of the season between our drivers. With just one day to go, it’s now very close between Elfyn and Oliver. So far, Oliver has driven very well to get into the lead of the rally, which is where he really needs to be, and he needs to keep up that performance tomorrow as well and keep taking risks to go for the maximum Sunday points, as he has done many times this year. Elfyn has understandably been on the cautious side so far and has to raise his performance level tomorrow to score the points he needs to hold Oliver off. Sami has been driving consistently and that’s got him up into the podium places, but realistically will need something else to happen tomorrow to have a chance. It’s not all about our drivers because others will be pushing too, so it promises to be a real Super Sunday to end the season.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“We were in a tricky position today. The feeling was OK behind the wheel and we were driving cleanly, but the road was evolving and the grip improving a lot with every car, so with fast drivers starting behind us, it was difficult to try to close the gaps to them. The second pass was quite rough and perhaps we were a bit too conservative in the first two stages, but when Adrien got a puncture and dropped a few seconds behind us, we gave it everything in the last stage to try to keep him behind. One more position would have helped us for tomorrow, but with many cars between us, we didn’t stand much chance. Oliver has been driving very well and put himself in a strong position, but tomorrow is still a long day and we just need to go all in.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“This has been a more positive day for us than yesterday. We managed to climb some positions and I enjoyed this afternoon, especially this first stage of the loop which has the nicest profile of the weekend and was not so rough, and it was good to win two stages. It feels like anything can still happen in this rally, as tomorrow is a long day with some rough sections to drive through. Oliver has done a great job so far and I would not want to wish bad luck on anyone, but it can happen to any of us, myself included, so we just have to keep trying until the end.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“I think this has been one of the toughest days but one of the best also. The feeling in the car has been really good and this morning was quite flat-out to try to get ourselves into the lead, which we were able to do. This afternoon I tried to be a bit more clever and look after the tyres, while a lot of things were happening around us on every stage. On one hand, those incidents for others gave us more of a lead, but they also benefitted our rivals for the championship. But we can’t control anyone else and we just have to keep doing the best we can. Tomorrow the objective is clear and the target will be the full 10 bonus points, as it has been on most Sundays this year.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Today was quite OK for us and better than yesterday, with no problems. It wasn’t easy as we were second on the road, and then we had to open the road this afternoon, but I just tried to drive cleanly and as well as possible. We managed to gain some positions and now our road position should be better for tomorrow with a few cars in front of us. It’s going to be an exciting final day for all the fans to follow and we will just try to enjoy the last day driving this car.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“We had high hopes that today could be stronger than yesterday but it seemed that the road order was unfortunately still playing quite a role and it just wasn’t really possible to be faster than the guys who were starting behind us. We haven’t been giving up and we’ve still been trying to do all that we can. We were anticipating that some drama could happen this afternoon, and that allowed us to gain a couple of positions. The situation is not in our hands but I don’t think that anybody will be cruising around tomorrow, so many things can still happen and we just need to keep pushing to the end.”

End of day three (Saturday):
1 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 2h42m33.2s
2 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +33.6s
3 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m39.9s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m32.0s
5 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m38.4s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +5m43.9s
7 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +6m01.2s
8 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +8m23.0s
9 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +8m42.6s
10 Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +9m46.6s
(Results as of 20:00 on Saturday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
The final day of the season consists of two returning stages in the north-west of the island each run twice. A final tyre-fitting zone will be held before the second pass of Sassari-Argentiera serves as the season-ending Power Stage.

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TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) overcame the harsh desert environment to take victory in Rallye du Maroc, the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

The new-for-2026 DKR GR Hilux demonstrated its improved performance and durability over a variety of difficult terrain on a rally which tested drivers, navigators and vehicles to their limits.

The 1,508 km of timed action featured rocky tracks and spectacular sand dunes – including a section in the Sahara Desert – on a route which created drama and excitement. TGR W2RC started the final day in first and second overall but faced a high-speed final stage over 259 km to secure a double podium finish.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short delivered another composed drive to earn their second consecutive W2RC victory. Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings also stood on the podium thanks to their third place. Hilux crews swept the top three, with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa’s João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro finishing second.

Quintero and Short had established a strong foundation for a victory challenge over the opening days before asserting themselves at the front as their rivals fell away. The #203 DKR GR Hilux took the overall lead on the penultimate day and safely navigated Saturday’s finale. Sixth place on Stage 5 confirmed victory by 4 mins 23 secs and elevated the pair into the lead of their respective World Championships.

Lategan and Cummings finished a rollercoaster rally on the podium. The #202 DKR GR Hilux overcame technical issues on Monday to win Stage 2, before losing time as the first car on the road during the following stage. However, they showed strong pace in the final days to move back into podium contention. They held second overall until late in Stage 5 but dropped to third after finishing the day 10th.

Akira Miura and Armand Monleón displayed speed and consistency despite the demanding desert terrain but were denied an overall top-10 finish by technical issues for their #204 DKR GR Hilux on Stage 3. They responded well and recovered positions in the final two stages and ended the rally strongly with 11th place on Stage 5. That left them in 30th overall.

Heading into the final event of the W2RC season, Quintero and Cummings lead their respective World Championships by 14 points. Meanwhile, TGR W2RC is now 46 points behind World Championship leaders Dacia Sandriders, setting up a grandstand finish in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on 22-27 November.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It was a great race for the team, to get a one-three is awesome for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and I’m really happy about that. We had a tough start and day one put us out of position, so we were a bit on the backfoot from there. We opened the stage on a couple of difficult days, but we tried to recover as much as we could and to get a podium is a great result. Well done Seth and Andrew for taking the win.”

Seth Quintero: “It feels absolutely amazing to win, and to get back-to-back wins is simply incredible. Coming away with the World Championship lead means it’s been a great week. Rallye du Maroc was brutal, but the team worked so hard to give me the car I needed every single day. I couldn’t be happier to be part of this awesome TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC family. Now I’m looking forward to the last round where there is everything to fight for.”

Akira Miura: “Firstly, congratulations to Seth and Andrew for their victory, and to Henk and Brett for finishing on the podium. It’s a great result for the team. These five days have been a good experience for me and Armand. We tried many things with the team and built up our confidence. Of course I was aiming for a better overall result, but we will keep pushing until the end of the season. Thanks to the team and all the TGR fans for their support.”

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Stage 5 result*

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional result*

*Correct at time of publication

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) delivered a powerful team performance on Stage 4 to take a one-two lead into the final day of Rallye du Maroc, the fourth round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

Friday’s action consisted of a high-speed 319 km timed section, which featured challenging navigation and a demanding variety of surfaces. The loop north-east of Zagora started on fast-flowing tracks before passing through picturesque valleys, canyons and mountain paths. The two lead DKR GR Hilux enjoyed a trouble-free day as the team took control with just one stage to run.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short took the overall lead after around 100 km of Stage 4 and extended their advantage over the remainder of the day. The #203 DKR GR Hilux finished sixth on the stage but more importantly, established a 2 min 45 secs lead at the top of the overall standings. They have the chance to take the lead in the drivers’ World Championship with a clean run on Stage 5.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings completed a perfect day for TGR W2RC in the overall results by moving into second place. After losing time opening Thursday’s stage, they made a rapid start today and quickly regained positions. They briefly took the stage lead within the first 100 km and were in the podium positions throughout, finishing Stage 4 in second place in the #202 DKR GR Hilux.

Akira Miura and Armand Monleón responded to their Stage 3 disappointment with a consistent day to add to their experience of desert conditions. Their challenge for the top 10 was derailed by a mechanical issue for the #204 DKR GR Hilux on Thursday, but they resumed at a competitive pace on Stage 4. Despite running in the dust of competitors ahead of them on the stage, they finished 17th, leaving them 35th overall.

After completing more than 1,000 km of timed sections so far, competitors must conquer one final stage to determine the finishing positions in this year’s Rallye du Maroc. Saturday’s Stage 5 includes a 259 km competitive section, taking crews south of Zagora and back again for the podium ceremony.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “We had a good day. We started 12th on the road and ended up eighth over the finish line so we overtook a few cars along the way. We had a little bit of dust but actually we caught the cars in good places. It was a really fast stage. I was hoping for more corners and tricky bits so we could make up more time, but most of the day was flat-out at top speed. But I’m happy, today feels like redemption after the time we lost yesterday. Now we’re ready to go out and fight on Stage 5.”

Seth Quintero: “It was another amazing day for us. I really feel like we’ve been managing this race well; we’ve pushed when we needed to and turned it down when we needed to. The DKR GR Hilux is performing brilliantly, and the team is doing a great job too. So now we’re in the lead by over two minutes and it’s incredible. There’s one more big day ahead of us and I’m sure our competitors will throw everything they’ve got at us.”

Akira Miura: “It was a nice stage and I enjoyed it. The route and the conditions felt a lot like the Dakar. Just like yesterday we tried to push, but we were running in dust for long periods, so it was difficult to keep up a good pace. Tomorrow we should have a better starting position and that should help. The target is to get to the end of this tough rally.”

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Stage 4 result*

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional standings after Stage 4*

*Correct at time of publication

After Thursday’s short opening super special stage, crews now faced two loops of demanding gravel stages in the north-east of the island. Although the rally is taking place four months later than usual, the conditions have so far remained dry, dusty and rocky as usual.

As the top three in the championship coming into the deciding round, GR YARIS Rally1 drivers Elfyn Evans, Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg faced some of the toughest conditions running at the front of the road order, each one cleaning a line through the loose sandy gravel for everyone else behind to follow.

Solberg, with a 21-point gap to close to Evans, led the rally coming into the day but dropped to seventh after the morning’s first stage having sustained a loss of tyre pressure near the end. He fought back strongly, winning the morning’s final test to move back up to third place ahead of Pajari, who enjoyed a consistently strong morning. Sébastien Ogier also lost time with tyre damage in SS3 but ended the morning fifth, with Evans rounding out the top six.

Continuing to push in the afternoon, Solberg came close to another stage win on the second pass of the loop’s final test and finished the day in third overall, 12.3 seconds away from leader Thierry Neuville (Hyundai).

Ogier moved ahead of Pajari for fourth in the day’s final stage by 2.8s, while Evans ended the day just over a minute back from the lead in sixth and still leading the virtual championship standings.

Takamoto Katsuta is ninth overall having stopped to change a wheel and tyre in SS4 and conceded more time with further loss of tyre pressure later in the day.

Gus Greensmith leads Roope Korhonen in a GR Yaris Rally2 one-two in the WRC2 category, with Teemu Suninen slipping from first to seventh after he had to stop and change a tyre in the day’s final stage.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“This was a demanding day as expected, especially for our drivers who were running at the front of the road order and sweeping a line through the loose gravel. Compared to Elfyn and Sami in front of him, Oliver had more chance to attack from third on the road and he used that really well, keeping himself within striking distance of the two Hyundai drivers, Neuville and Fourmaux. That certainly keeps the championship fight interesting with two days to go, but I think that Elfyn and Sami also did what they could today and avoided any problems, so nobody’s chances are over and it will be exciting to follow again tomorrow.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been a tough day, like we anticipated in our position. We didn’t make a bad start this morning, and generally everything has felt quite OK in the car, but the stage times were just not where we would have wanted them to be, especially this afternoon. We at least managed to avoid trouble, which is important, and our position overall is not far off what we could have hoped for today. Tomorrow our road position will be much better, and although it might be tricky to try and close any gaps ahead, we just need to keep doing what we can and keep ourselves in a good position.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“We didn’t have the best day today; we would have hoped to be higher than fourth tonight. Unfortunately it didn’t go my way this morning and most of our time loss came with this puncture. After that I was probably a bit too cautious, trying to avoid every stone and stay out of trouble, and so we weren’t especially fast. It wasn’t an ideal day but we will try to be better tomorrow, hope we can focus on enjoying the driving, and see what happens.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“It’s been a great day for us. I think we can be happy with the job we’ve done considering our road position. We were unfortunate to lose about six seconds with the puncture in the first stage this morning, but lucky on the other hand not to lose more time. I was a bit cautious on the second pass of that stage to avoid another issue, but on the other two stages we pushed quite hard and had a good feeling in the car. We will just continue with the same strategy tomorrow, trying to avoid trouble but also see if we can close the gaps in front with more equal road positions.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s been a frustrating day for us. The conditions on the stages were pretty rough, and we were trying to get through without any problems. Unfortunately we had to stop and change a tyre in the third stage of the loop – it seems that we were not the only ones to have issues in that one. Going into the afternoon we were hoping to avoid any further issues, but still we lost some time with some punctures. Hopefully tomorrow we can have a cleaner day and find a good feeling.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It’s been a tricky day but I feel like we probably did all that we could. It’s difficult to judge our performance given the road positions, as we were quicker than Elfyn in all the stages but not as fast as Oliver. I was quite happy with the job that we did in the morning, and we were not too far away, but the afternoon seemed to be more difficult and unfortunately we just lost one position at the end. At least we have avoided any issues, so we are still in the fight and nothing is lost. Tomorrow our road position should be better and let’s see if our pace can also be stronger and we can keep up the fight.”

End of day two (Friday):
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 1h25m04.9s
2 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +0.4s
3 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +12.3s
4 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +37.4s
5 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +40.2s
6 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m08.9s
7 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m21.1s
8 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m26.5s
9 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +3m27.2s
10 Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m39.9s
(Results as of 18:00 on Friday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
Saturday’s route follows a similar format to Friday with two loops of stages run either side of service, although it is slightly longer at 123.66 competitive kilometres and includes a completely new test – Salorche – to round out each loop.

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TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) overcame a demanding Stage 3 of the Rallye du Maroc to strengthen its chances in the fourth round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

Harsh conditions and changing surfaces put the crews to the test on an incident-filled day in the Moroccan desert, which ended with two DKR GR Hilux pickups in the top five.

The 363 km timed section of Stage 3 took crews on a loop north-east towards Errachidia, initially on treacherous rocky tracks. The route then passed through sand dunes on the northern edge of the Sahara Desert during a fast final section on the return to Zagora.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short stayed on course to close the gap to the World Championship leaders. They lost three minutes very early on Stage 3 but responded well with consistent pace to regain ground. The #203 DKR GR Hilux took third place in the final kilometres and is now second overall, just 3 mins 20 secs behind the new leaders, Carlos Sainz and David Oliveras (Ford Racing)

After winning Stage 2, Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings faced the additional difficulty of being the first car on stage today. They ran in the podium positions early on but slipped back due to a combination of a puncture, a one-minute penalty and navigational challenges. Despite finishing the stage in 12th, the #202 DKR GR Hilux remains well placed in the overall standings in fifth, just over two minutes off the podium with two stages and 643 km of timed action remaining.

Akira Miura and Armand Monleón initially continued their strong form in Morocco and ran inside the top 10 for much of Stage 3. However, their good progress ended in the final 100 km when their #204 DKR GR Hilux stopped with a mechanical issue. They resumed after a long delay, and are now 44th overall.

Only two stages remain in this year’s Rallye du Maroc. Friday’s action features the longest timed stage of the event, at 384 km, which heads north-east of Zagora on a loop. The rally concludes on Saturday with a 259 km competitive section.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It wasn’t a good day for us. We had to open the road, which is always tricky, especially today in the dunes. We were going well, and the times were looking good, until just after 100 km. Then it started to go wrong. It was tricky opening the dunes because there were no lines and it was very difficult to see the route. We made it safely through, but then we missed the road in one spot, then had a puncture, then got lost again. We lost a lot of time, and it wasn’t our cleanest day, but we’re still in it and we’ll push flat-out tomorrow.”

Seth Quintero: “It was a decent day for us, but it was very difficult. There were a lot of dangers that were not well marked. The team did an amazing job to get the car to the end without problems on a stage like this. It’s very impressive and shows the durability of the DKR GR Hilux. We managed as best we could and ended up third on stage and second overall. So, everything is still to play for, and the championship is looking better every day. I’ll keep working hard to keep this going.”

Akira Miura: “We had some bad luck today, unfortunately. We were pushing a bit more than yesterday and we were looking good, with some strong pace. But we suffered a technical problem with less than 100 km left in the stage, which was a pity. But we are still in the rally and we’ll keep pushing tomorrow.”

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Stage 3 result*

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional standings after Stage 3*

*Correct at time of publication

Solberg is one of three GR YARIS Rally1 drivers competing to be crowned world champion for the first time this weekend, along with Elfyn Evans and Sami Pajari. Evans has a lead of 17 points over Pajari and 21 over Solberg.

Fresh from a victory in the last rally in Chile, Solberg also set the fastest time during the morning’s pre-event shakedown as teams and drivers made final checks and tweaks before the competitive action got underway.

In the afternoon’s 2.21-kilometre Ittiri Arena super special, Solberg led a 1-2-3-4 for TGR-WRT. He was quickest by 0.8 seconds over Sébastien Ogier, who set a new record as he started his 214th WRC event, surpassing the tally of his Team Principal, Jari-Matti Latvala.

Evans and Pajari raced side-by-side through the stage and were also among the frontrunners on the leaderboard in third and fourth, 1.1s and 1.5s from the lead respectively.

GR Yaris Rally2 driver Teemu Suninen claimed an early lead in the WRC2 category in 10th overall.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It’s exciting to be here in Sardinia, which hosts the final rally of the season for the first time and what I’m sure will be an epic battle between three of our crews; the first time that three are all fighting to become world champion for the first time in the deciding event. This is always a tough rally and it seems unlikely that anything will be settled before the end of the last stage on Sunday. The most important thing for all three contenders in this first stage was to get through it cleanly, but they all set good times as well, so we can see they are up for the fight before the real challenge begins tomorrow.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s good to get this final rally started. Everything’s feeling alright and this first stage went fine for us, but we know that the real challenge will start tomorrow morning. The later date for the rally this year hasn’t changed the demands of this rally: after a long and hot summer it’s still looking very dry and loose, so it could be tough tomorrow running first on the road. We’re not in a position to just cruise around, so the target like normal needs to be to drive well from the start, try to stay in touch and see how things play out.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“It was a great way to start the weekend with this arena show stage and very nice to see so many fans there; we always feel the passion for motorsport when we’re on Italian soil. Tomorrow the real business will start, and it can be a tough weekend for the cars and the tyres. We’ll do our best to stay out of trouble, try to enjoy it and fight for a last win with this car. I’m proud to have been able to be competitive for so long, and hopefully we can achieve a strong result to match this record start.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“It’s always nice to start the rally with a stage win, but there’s a long and tough rally ahead. Even though it’s the last rally and we have a gap to close, it’s not as straightforward as just driving flat out. Sardinia is always challenging and the stages are surprisingly dry, so it won’t be easy. We’ve still got to get to the end without trouble to stay in the fight, so the plan is to have a clean weekend, try our very best and hopefully still be in with a chance on Sunday. If everything goes well and with maybe a bit of luck on my side, everything is possible.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s nice to see so many fans already watching this first stage of the rally; it seems like a lot of people have arrived on the island to watch this last rally of the year! It’s always nice to be here and we’ll try to make a good rally. It seems like it’s going to be very challenging like always with the conditions. Everybody will want to attack and enjoy this last rally, but I think we need to be clever and find the right balance.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Stage one was quite an exciting first taste for this weekend, with lots of fans and a bit of sliding here and there, but from tomorrow onwards I think everyone can expect quite a wild ride. The championship is not fully in our hands and we will most likely need a bit of luck, but at the same time we have to go for it, because if we are slow, it won’t just come our way. The risk of an issue can be higher if you try to push, but hopefully we find a good pace from tomorrow morning and can put up a good challenge.”

End of day one (Thursday):
1 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 2m01.4s
2 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +0.8s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.1s
4 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.5s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2.3s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2.7s
7 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3.0s
8 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +3.7s
9 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +4.2s
10 Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +4.6s
(Results as of 17:00 on Thursday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
The first full day of the rally consists of two loops of three stages using familiar roads in new configurations in the north-east of the island, separated by mid-day service in Alghero and totalling 119.66 competitive kilometres.

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TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) won Stage 2 of the Rallye du Maroc and moved into contention for overall victory after a gruelling day of action across harsh terrain in the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

In temperatures of more than 30°C, the 300 km timed section of Stage 2 was particularly challenging with regularly changing conditions testing both crews and their DKR GR Hilux pickups.  

Starting at more than 1,000 metres above sea level, the route began south-west of Zagora and descended sharply on rocky tracks before the first sandy section, through dried riverbeds. Sand dunes followed before the stage looped eastwards and the terrain alternated between slow, rocky surfaces and soft sand through to the finish. Despite the difficulties, TGR W2RC made progress and has the podium in its sights, with two cars in the top 10.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings – 10th after Stage 1 – fought for victory from the beginning. They took the lead inside the opening half of the stage, before dropping to second going into the final kilometres. However, they reclaimed top spot shortly before the end and earned a stage win which moves the #202 DKR GR Hilux into second overall, just 28 seconds behind leaders Lucas Moraes and Pablo Moreno (Dacia Sandriders).

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short started the day in seventh and initially lost ground early in Stage 2. However, they worked hard to minimise the damage and stay on course to earn valuable World Championship points after finishing Stage 2 in seventh. The #203 DKR GR Hilux remains seventh overall, within three minutes of the podium positions.

Akira Miura and Armand Monleón built on their strong performance in the opening stage by continuing to gain positions in the overall standings in the #204 DKR GR Hilux. They finished the stage in 15th place and have climbed to 14th overall.

The crews have three days and more than 1,000 km of competition remaining, continuing on Thursday with Stage 3. It consists of another loop around Zagora, this time touching the northern edge of the Sahara Desert on a 591 km route which includes a 363 km timed section.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It was a really nice day, much better than yesterday. The car was performing really well, mechanically sound all day. The goal this morning was not to get out of the car and we managed that. Brett did a great job on the navigation. I just managed the pace and tried to make sure we didn’t get punctures or other trouble. I’m really happy with how it went. It has been a big day for us, and we’ve pulled ourselves back into contention. Now we have to open the road, which is always difficult, but we’ll keep pushing.”

Seth Quintero: “It was a decent day for us, just unfortunate that we had some navigation errors which cost us a few minutes. We are five minutes off the overall lead, which is not the best position, but we will push to improve it. It was an amazing job for Henk to get the win. It’s awesome for the team, and brings good points, so I’m super happy for him. For us, we are in front of our championship rivals and hopefully we can keep it that way. There are three long days to go.”

Akira Miura: “It was a difficult stage because we had to change our pace depending on the terrain to manage the risks. It was not easy, but we made it without trouble. The dune section was great fun. We pushed and really felt the sand surfing. Navigation was tricky today, but Armand helped a lot and allowed us to continue at a good pace. We’ll try to keep this going consistently and get more experience over the rest of the rally.”

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Stage 2 result*

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional standings after Stage 2*

*Correct at time of publication

Speaking at a celebration event at Deeside today, Dariusz Mikolajczak said: 

The coming on stream of an anaerobic digester adjacent to the plant has enabled TMUK Deeside to close the remaining emissions gap and take the final step in its transition towards carbon-neutral manufacturing and achieving the international standard ISO 14068*. This waste-to-energy unit supplies biomethane gas and electricity to the plant via underground pipes and cables, replacing the conventional fossil-fuel-based energy sources.

The digester is a €329 million (£282 million) privately funded venture, capable of handling around 180,000 tonnes of waste a year coming from the surrounding Deeside community. This is broken down by bacteria to produce biomethane, which is used by the factory in place of natural gas, saving almost 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. TMUK Deeside also uses electricity from renewable sources and has eliminated waste sent to landfill.

TMUK Deeside’s milestone sets Toyota on course towards its ambition for all its European manufacturing sites to achieve carbon-neutral production by 2030.

A multi-pathway approach to carbon neutrality

Yoshihiro Nakata, Toyota Motor Europe President and CEO, explained the philosophy that drives Toyota’s wide-ranging approach to decarbonisation: 

One example of the circular approach is Toyota’s work to recover aluminium from end-of-life vehicles and return it to manufacturing. In the UK, recycled aluminium from alloy wheels is already being transformed into new engine blocks produced at Deeside, demonstrating how circular resource use can support both carbon reduction and materials efficiency.

TMUK Deeside is the European centre for production of the 1.8-litre hybrid and petrol engines featured in the Corolla and Toyota C-HR models. Since commencing production in 1992, it has produced more than six million units for Toyota factories in Europe and across the world. Its notable achievements also include becoming Toyota’s first overseas facility to manufacture hybrid system engines.

_{*Notes to editors}

_{TMUK Deeside has implemented the technologies, renewable energy sources and operational measures required to operate under Toyota's carbon-neutral manufacturing framework. Performance against Toyota's carbon-neutral manufacturing criteria will be monitored and validated through the site's annual emissions reporting cycle. Full accreditation will be realised following a full 12-month production cycle production in 2027.}

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) overcame adversity to stay in the fight after the opening day of Rallye du Maroc, the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

Three DKR GR Hilux pickups took the start in North Africa as the team looked to maintain the positive momentum from victory in the previous round in Argentina in May. Challenging terrain and gruelling conditions made life difficult for the crews, but TGR W2RC ended the opening day with two cars in the top 10.

In temperatures exceeding 30°C, Stage 1 took crews eastwards from the coastal city of Agadir to Zagora, near the Algerian border. Competitors faced a stony surface on a steep descent during the opening section before a gradual climb as the route became faster and passed through large sand dunes.

The stage began with an extremely close fight and just 10 seconds separated the top five, including two DKR GR Hilux, after 100 km of competition. However, soon after, both the leading DKR GR Hilux hit trouble which compromised their performance on the remainder of their stage.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short – who are just 13 points off the World Championship lead after victory in Argentina – started third on the road and were in podium contention in the early stages. The #203 DKR GR Hilux lost time with a puncture, but they nevertheless ended the day in a promising seventh, 3mins 28secs off the lead.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings were running as high as third after 100 km before dropping back, also due to a puncture and other issues. Despite that, the #202 DKR GR Hilux crew was 10th, 5mins 17secs behind the stage-winning TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa duo of Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro.

Akira Miura completed another productive day alongside his experienced navigator Armand Monleón. Multiple Dakar Rally class winner Miura is in his first season of top-level W2RC competition and gained more experience of desert conditions during Stage 1. Consistent, strong pace saw the #204 DKR GR Hilux move up the order during the day, and they were running in 15th before a late puncture dropped them to 18th place.

The challenge continues on Wednesday’s Stage 2. The 423 km route travels into the desert on a loop south-west of Zagora, and includes 300 km of competitive action on a mix of rocky tracks and sand dunes.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It was not the day we were hoping for because we had to do damage limitation. It was going okay for the first 100 km; we were running a good pace. Then we were in the dust of a bike and hit a rock, which gave us a puncture. Shortly after that, we experienced a technical issue. We had a long way to go, so we were just nursing the car to the finish. I’m a bit frustrated, but that can happen when you try new things. It’s not over. We have plenty of time to catch up, we have a nice road position, and this race will have more things to say.”

Seth Quintero: “The car was working really well early in the stage, and we were moving up the rankings. Being third on the road wasn’t easy but we did a very good job in the first 100 km. Unfortunately, we got a puncture and the jack wouldn’t come down, so we lost some time. Then we had to manage a technical issue and just make sure we got the car to the finish line. Despite that, I’m happy with the result considering we were among the first cars on stage. Our championship rivals are behind us, so it was a good day.”

Akira Miura: “It was tough stage, because we were running in the dust a lot of the time. But both Armand and I stayed concentrated, and we could keep up a steady pace. The result could have been even better if it wasn’t for the puncture 30 km before the end. Despite that, it was a good day overall and we have a decent starting position for Stage 2. We’ll keep pushing together with the team to get the best possible result.”

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Stage 1 result*

   *Correct at time of publication

We achieved victory at our home race, the 6 Hours of Fuji.

To all the fans who fought alongside us.

To everyone who came to the circuit and continued supporting us until the very end.

And to everyone around the world who cheered for us.

Thank you very much.

First, I would like to say something to our drivers and to everyone in the team.

Congratulations on this victory. And thank you, truly.

Winning our home race is never easy.

With so many fans watching, you turned expectations into strength, overcame immense pressure, and delivered the result. I am truly proud of what you achieved.

Of course, I am happy that we won.

But what makes me even happier, and prouder, is the process that led to this result.

With "For the Engineering Race" in our hearts, every individual continued to refine their skills, learn from past failures, communicate openly, support one another, and build a stronger team.

The engineers continued racking their brains until the very end.

The mechanics continued believing in the car and maintaining it in the best possible condition.

The strategy team made courageous decisions in rapidly changing circumstances.

And the drivers continued pushing beyond their limits, believing in both their team-mates and the car.

No one wins a race alone.

Each person fulfilled their role, trusted one another, supported each other, and fought until the very end. That is why we were able to achieve this victory.

This was not a victory earned through speed alone.

It was a victory earned through human effort.

And today, we stood on the top step of the podium for the third time this season.

Rather than being a one-off success, it feels like everything we have built together is beginning to turn into genuine strength.

After Le Mans, I said that "the team has changed".

Morizo-san has continued to pursue ever-better car-making through motorsports, nurtured team-mates who embrace challenges, and created an environment where those team-mates can fully demonstrate their abilities.

Because of that, we have been able to believe in our own path and move forward with confidence.

Presenting the Le Mans winner's trophy to Morizo-san was the moment we fulfilled a promise.

However, that trophy was never the finish line.

It represents the resolve of our engineers.

The hard work of the team-mates who sweated on the front lines.

And the passion of every team member who believed in our potential and continued to take on challenges.

To refine our technology.

To trust our team-mates.

And to continue challenging ourselves in the pursuit of becoming the best in the world.

That is TOYOTA RACING.

Thank you for your continued support of TOYOTA RACING.

With just an hour remaining, the TR010 HYBRIDs were out of podium contention after experiencing different setbacks against strong Hypercar competition. But, in front of a 72,326-strong weekend crowd, a bold strategy turned the race on its head, and determined driving earned a tense win.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa won the race in their #8 TR010 HYBRID and took the lead in the drivers’ standings with two races remaining in the season. The team’s 10th victory at Fuji stretches its advantage in the manufacturers’ championship to 23 points.

Le Mans winners Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries recovered from their own setbacks to finish eighth and stay in the title battle, in second, 10 points behind their team-mates.

After poor weather caused qualifying to be cancelled, the TR010 HYBRIDs had ground to make up to challenge at the front. The #8 started from eighth with the #7 in 13th when the race began on a damp track. Sébastien quickly made up two positions while Nyck’s race was disrupted by a puncture inside the first half-hour. A promising fightback was then interrupted by a spin due to contact with the #35 Alpine early in the second hour.

The TR010 HYBRIDs battled their way into top six contention during the opening three hours, but the second half started with frustration. Early in the fifth hour, Brendon was pushed into a spin by the #007 Aston Martin at turn one. At the next pit stops soon after, Ryō took the wheel in sixth. Kamui was seventh until a drive-through penalty for speeding under a full course yellow dropped the #7 to 12th.

However, a safety car with 55 minutes to go enabled a bold strategic call from the #8 crew. Engineers correctly anticipated a longer interruption due to barrier repairs, so the #8 was refuelled accordingly, and did not change tyres. Ryō therefore led the race when it resumed with 20 minutes remaining. As the rain fell and under intense pressure, he held off the #36 Alpine and crossed the line 0.591secs ahead. Kamui made up two positions in the final minutes to finish eighth.

The World Championship battle now returns to Europe for the penultimate round of the season, the inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona on 18 October at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Winning at Fuji is very important for us so congratulations to the whole team for this victory, and particularly the car #8 crew who did such a strong race. Everyone worked so hard for this, and we all kept fighting until the very end. For our car, it was a bit of a difficult day and I don’t think we had a clean enough race. We were a little bit off the pace generally, so we were always chasing and that defined our day.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “A great result in the end for car #8. They deserved that one after a great call on the last stop to jump everyone in the pits. So well done to them. As a team we scored good points today and won in front of our home fans, which always feels great. On our car, the penalty took us out of contention. Unfortunately, that means we lost some ground in the drivers’ championship but there are still two races to go, and we’ll do our best to get back on top.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “This is a great result for the team and I’m super happy that TOYOTA RACING was able to win at home in Japan. I think this makes everyone very, very proud. We scored a few points with our car but of course we hoped for more. I think several things could have gone differently and been done better but that's racing. We need to focus instead on a great team victory and celebrate a very good day for the team.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “This is one of our best wins in a long time. I’m really proud of this one, especially because it was completely unexpected going into the last part of the race. The team made a great call on the last pit stop and it was enough to jump ahead of everyone. An amazing strategy move. And then of course, Ryō kept everyone behind and didn’t make any mistakes in difficult conditions. All in all, it was an amazing win.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “What an incredible race and home win. I’m so happy for Ryō to take the flag at his home race. It's a really nice feeling that we're going to enjoy for a while. We didn't have the ultimate pace but with good execution, no mistakes on track, and an amazing strategy at the end, we came away with the home win. Massive thanks for everyone on the team.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It’s amazing to be on the top step of the podium in front of our fans. Of course, we always pushed to get a victory but until the last safety car, it didn’t look possible. The team did a great job on strategy. This win is for them. The last few laps were really stressful. The track conditions were quite tricky, and the Alpine was closing quite fast. I was able to manage it, so I’m really happy, especially in Fuji. It’s a really special feeling and also good for the World Championship.”

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Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa will line up eighth in their #8 TR010 HYBRID while Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries start from 13th in their #7 TR010 HYBRID.

The fastest laps of the weekend so far were recorded in Friday’s dry practice sessions. Saturday morning’s final session took place in wet conditions before the rain intensified.

Fans can follow the race – starting at 11am local time (4am CEST) via the onboard camera streams at www.toyota-racing.com/fuji-special-2026.

Away from the track action, a press conference at Fuji Speedway today announced TOYOTA RACING’s expanded partnership with MissionH24, an initiative to decarbonise motorsports supported by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. TOYOTA RACING will supply a 3.5-litre, V6 hydrogen combustion engine to MissionH24 for use in its future prototype. Hydrogen engines retain the sounds and sensations of a traditional engine but create zero CO2 emissions during driving.

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The team aims to extend its lead in the World Championship by winning in front of its home supporters for the 10th time. To do so, it must overcome a 17-car Hypercar field and Friday’s two 90-minute free practice sessions showed the intensity of the competition. Less than a second separated the top 15 cars after a day of dry running on the foothills of Mount Fuji.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa were fastest in the opening session before ending the day eighth in their #8 TR010 HYBRID. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, who are tied on points at the top of the drivers’ standings were 13th fastest in their #7 TR010 HYBRID.

With its long straight and mix of high- and low-speed corners, Fuji Speedway is challenging for drivers and engineers alike. Both crews, therefore, had a comprehensive programme of mechanical and aerodynamic set-up comparisons, to optimise their cars for the demands of Sunday’s race.

The TR010 HYBRIDs hit the track for the first time in the morning, in warm and dry conditions. A trouble-free session allowed engineers and drivers to make progress on set-ups and strategies. Ryō set the fastest lap of the session in the opening minutes, while Nyck’s best time earned eighth place for the #7.

Despite an initial forecast of rain for the afternoon, the weather stayed dry for second practice. This allowed the team to analyse the soft and medium Michelin tyres whilst also adjusting set-ups to improve balance over long stints. Ryō again recorded the #8 car’s best lap, with Kamui doing so in the #7.

With rain forecast on Saturday, third practice will be an important chance to adjust the TR010 HYBRIDs before qualifying. Qualifying begins at 2.40pm local time (7.40am CEST) and fans can follow it – as well as the race – live via the onboard camera streams at www.toyota-racing.com/fuji-special-2026.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Of course, it's nice to be back in front of our Japanese fans and it’s always fun to drive here. In terms of the car set-up, we still need to work on some things for the race. We had dry conditions today but unfortunately, we expect some rain tomorrow, so we need to prepare for that as well. We will do our best whatever the weather.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “We spent the two sessions just trying to find a bit more pace in the car and I think we did okay. The lap times look pretty close, so every small improvement can have a big impact. Let’s see what the weather brings because that can change the picture. Either way, we’re trying to get most out of our car in all conditions.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “I think it was a decent day. It was nice to get some dry running in and get prepared in case we have a dry race. We don’t know exactly what the weather will do on Sunday, so it's good to have covered that today. We’re looking forward to welcoming all our Japanese friends and colleagues to the track this weekend. We'll do our best for them.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “We've been here since Sunday so it's nice to finally get to drive the car. These sessions could be the driest day of the weekend. Nevertheless, we tried to learn as much as we could. We drove both specifications of tyre, and I think we have a good picture now. We tested a few things, so we have a lot of data to analyse. Hopefully we’ll improve our overall package for the weekend.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It was an okay day, and we’ve ended up with a balance that we're pretty happy with. After FP1 we made changes for FP2 which actually went in the wrong direction, but this is still important learning, and it helped us to understand where we are in dry conditions. There could be rain tomorrow, but who knows for the race, so it was important to go through our programme today.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “The main target today was to prepare for the race. But at the same time, knowing the risk of rain tomorrow, we also tried a qualifying simulation at the start of each session before focusing on race set-ups. It’s very close in Hypercar and we are in the mix, looking at the lap times. We just need to fine-tune and find a little bit more lap time.”

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The intense Italian island event will decide the winners of the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles after the FIA and WRC Promoter confirmed that Rally Saudi Arabia, scheduled for November, will not form part of the 2026 WRC season.

Sardinia will therefore also host the end of an era and the farewell WRC event for the highly successful GR YARIS Rally1 car before new technical regulations are introduced for 2027. Across five seasons, the GR YARIS Rally1 has established itself as one of the most successful cars in WRC history with 47 victories – more than any other model under any previous set of regulations.

TGR-WRT will arrive in Sardinia having already secured a record-equalling sixth successive manufacturers’ title on the last round in Chile, and knowing that one of its crews will win the drivers’ and co-drivers’ crowns for the seventh time in eight years.

With 35 points available from the final round, Elfyn Evans leads the drivers’ standings by 17 points over Sami Pajari and 21 over Oliver Solberg, with one of these three drivers now guaranteed to achieve the dream of becoming world champion.

Welsh driver Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin will look to crown another strong and consistent campaign, in which they have taken impressive victories in Sweden and Japan and led the championship since round five in the Canary Islands in April, continuing to score highly while opening the road on mostly loose gravel rallies.

While a title for Evans would be the culmination of seven seasons spent fighting for victories and championship honours with TGR-WRT, his two young challengers have the opportunity to crown breakthrough seasons of their own.

Finnish driver Pajari, 24, has shone in his second full season driving Rally1 machinery and surged firmly into championship contention along with co-driver Marko Salminen when the pair achieved their first three WRC victories back-to-back in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay – something nobody had ever done before.

Swedish driver Solberg, who turned 25 on September 23, started his first full season with TGR-WRT with a victory on the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo in January, before he and co-driver Elliott Edmondson boosted their title hopes with a second win in Chile earlier this month.

While nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, fourth in the standings, can no longer claim a record 10th title this year, he will set a new benchmark for the number of WRC starts in Sardinia when he begins his 214th event – surpassing the tally reached by Team Principal, Jari-Matti Latvala, on his one-off appearance at Rally Finland earlier this year. Ogier is the most successful driver in the history of the Sardinian event, claiming his fifth win there in 2025 alongside co-driver Vincent Landais.

Takamoto Katsuta is another driver to have achieved a breakout year with his first two WRC victories in Kenya and Croatia, in the process becoming the first Japanese driver to lead the drivers’ standings. He is set to reunite in Sardinia with regular co-driver Aaron Johnston, who missed Chile while recovering from a collarbone injury.

In WRC2, GR Yaris Rally2 drivers Roope Korhonen and Teemu Suninen are among those competing in Sardinia with a chance to finish as championship runner-up. Joining them in the class are Gus Greensmith, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Fabio Schwarz and Johannes Keferböck, while Italian driver Matteo Fontana, the 2025 champion and 2026 champion-elect in the WRC3 category, makes his WRC2 debut. Luis Arceluz and Martin Grigg also enter the rally in GR Yaris Rally2 cars.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto will not take part in Sardinia, a decision taken jointly to provide him with the best opportunity to reset and focus on his continued development. Yamamoto has shown progress with his pace and performances this season, securing a maiden WRC2 podium at Rally Japan, and the Program continues to support him in his training and preparation to return stronger in the future.

Usually run in June, Rally Italia Sardegna moves to an October date for the first time since 2020. Even if temperatures may not be quite as high as in summer, they could still combine with the rocky and abrasive base – which gets exposed as each passing car sweeps away the sandy surface – to test tyres and cars. At the same time, the change in season could increase the chances of changeable weather conditions blowing in off the Mediterranean Sea.

For this year the rally’s base alternates once more from Olbia to the historic city of Alghero on the northwest coast, and the event begins with an opening super special stage at the nearby Ittiri rallycross circuit on Thursday evening. Friday features two loops of three stages on familiar roads to the north-east, separated by mid-day service. Saturday has a similar format in a similar area but includes a completely new stage to round out each loop: Solorche. Sunday consists of two returning stages in the north-west run twice, with a final tyre-fitting zone before the second pass of Sassari-Argentiera serves as the season-ending Power Stage.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“This has been another amazing season for our team, with all five of our crews winning multiple rounds of the WRC, and a record-equalling manufacturers’ championship under our belt. It’s going to be very special to go to Sardinia with three of our crews fighting to become world champion for the first time. For our team, the most important thing is to provide them all with a strong and reliable car so that they can have an even fight. We know that Sardinia can be a rough rally with a lot of rocks, so it can be hard for the tyres and the drivers will need to calculate the risks they take. Elfyn has driven another great season as we have come to expect from him, and while he may have the most difficult position opening the road in Sardinia, he also has a lot of experience he can rely on in this situation. Sami has grown a lot during this year, and Oliver has bounced back strongly to stay in the fight, and it’s an exciting opportunity for both of them to challenge for a title for the first time. We’re looking forward to a fair fight and a fitting finale for our GR YARIS Rally1 car.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Our approach for Sardinia doesn’t change just because it’s the last rally of the season: we have to go there and have the best rally that we can. We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in this position, holding on to the lead through a difficult run of gravel rallies. Sami and Oliver have been driving well, and with so many points still available, especially on Sunday, we know things will most likely remain open until the end. We just need to drive it like a normal rally and focus on doing the best job we can. Sardinia is usually not an easy rally to open the road on, and although we might be more likely to see some rain at this time of year, which could help reduce the cleaning effect for us, we have to prepare for a demanding event like usual.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Sardinia is a rally that I have always enjoyed going to during my career. While the island itself is beautiful, the rally is really demanding and it took me a few years to master it, but it was very satisfying to win there again last year after a close fight right until the end. I also remember driving there in October a couple of times before, and it can still be really challenging at this time of year, especially with weather that can change very quickly when you’re on an island. Now that the team has secured another manufacturers’ title, and that we officially no longer have a chance in the drivers’ championship, our target will be to enjoy driving this great car one last time and, of course, try to achieve one more victory to end the season.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“The championship has looked like a long shot for us at times this year but we never gave up. It was great to get back into the fight with our result in Chile and go into this last rally with a shot at the title. It’s a big gap to Elfyn to try to close in one rally, but we will give it everything of course, and in a rally like Sardinia, anything can still happen. The stages are challenging, with fast sections where you need good commitment, as well as more technical parts where you have to be more patient. I don’t have so much experience there, especially in the top category, but we had a good run to win the Rally2 class last year and we just have to aim for the top step once more and see what happens.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“I’m looking forward to Sardinia. The rally is really demanding but it’s one that I always enjoy going to with a nice atmosphere around it, and it will be interesting to drive there this time as the final round of the season. We’ve had some really good moments this year, as well as some tougher ones more recently, but the team is really supporting me a lot and now I’m just focused on coming back stronger and having a positive end to the season – and enjoying the last event with this Rally1 car. Our road position, being sixth on the road, should be better for us – if it doesn’t rain – and hopefully it can be a good opportunity for us.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It’s really nice to be in the fight for the championship with only one rally to go, and I’m looking forward to it. I just need to do the best that I can, like in every single rally, so nothing really changes on my side. The gaps closed up between the top three in Chile but Elfyn still has the advantage in the points; anything is still possible and we’ll focus on doing what we can. Sardinia is a rally that I normally like a lot. The stages are quite twisty and most of them are pretty narrow, but I’ve been able to do quite well there in the past. Now we’re going at a different time of year but I don’t expect it to affect the nature of the rally too much, even if the temperatures may not be quite as high as usual.”

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Read the full press release on Woven by Toyota.