An Even Hotter Toyota Performance Lineup Could Be Coming: US Trademark Filing

How about a 400-hp GRMN Supra? Any takers?

byChris Tsui|
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Even though it doesn't look like Toyota's delightfully absurd GR Yaris hot hatch will hit our shores anytime soon, the company may be preparing to introduce something fast and fun to the United States in the near future. Sent to us by a Supra Forums member, Toyota filed a U.S. trademark application with the World Intellectual Property Organization for its "GRMN" performance brand last week. 

WIPO

The trademark specifically protects the red-and-black GRMN logo and is said to classify "automobiles and structural parts thereof." For those unfamiliar with fast Toyota nomenclature, GRMN stands for "Gazoo Racing tuned by Meister of Nürburgring" and is slapped onto the most extreme version of a Toyota road car, slotting above regular old GR and GR Sport.

A simple trademark filing in no way confirms any concrete product plans but if Toyota were to bring a 'roided-up Supra (or Sienna) to the U.S., making sure the thing's name is legally protected over here would be a good first step. 

Toyota

Late last month, a report out of Japan said Toyota is preparing a 400-horsepower Supra GRMN due out in 2021. Around the same time, Toyota USA's PR team cruelly asked social media whether or not the North American market "needs" another hot hatch like the GR Yaris or not. (Correct answer: nobody ever actually "needs" a hot hatch, Toyota, but as long as you're asking it'd be mighty nice if we got one, thank you very much.) Earlier this month, one Toyota exec was quoted in saying the company has "an answer" to America's GR Yaris demand.

When The Drive reached out to Toyota to ask whether the trademark filing is a sign of radder things in Toyota USA's future, a company spokesperson replied, "We don't have any news about GRMN vehicles coming to the U.S., but perhaps our legal team is snagging the trademark before anyone else does."

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