TRD Vs. GR: What's The Difference Between Toyota's Racing Divisions?

Toyota's performance arm has long sat beneath the TRD banner. However, since the introduction of Gazoo Racing, things have been somewhat complicated. Thankfully, there is a clear and concise way to differentiate between the two.

TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development. While vehicles like the RAV4 and Camry were once available with TRD badges, the division is now focused on Toyota's off-road vehicles, such as the Tundra and 4Runner. Toyota splits its TRD offerings up into various trims, including TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and TRD Pro. TRD Sport models are geared toward on-road performance, TRD Off-Road models are naturally off-road oriented, and the Pro models take that off-road approach even more seriously with more advanced equipment.

GR has instead stepped up as the performance division for Toyota's passenger vehicles. Much like with TRD, the GR department can be separated into various groupings: GR Sport, GR, and GRMN. GR Sport is sort of GR-lite, bringing cosmetic upgrades, suspension tweaks, and other smaller modifications. The all-new 2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport that we called genuinely fun to drive is one such example. GR vehicles are full-fat performance models, with current offerings including the GR Corolla, GR86, and GR Supra. The performance upgrades on these GR models are more than just skin-deep. For example, the GR Corolla sports 300 horsepower, carbon-fiber body panels, and a slick six-speed manual option. The final member of the GR family is GRMN — or Gazoo Racing: Masters of Nürburgring. These cars are extremely limited, high-performance specials.

The segmentation of Toyota's performance divisions can be seen in motorsports, too. TRD has been involved in racing since the 1970s and entered the U.S. off-road truck racing world in 1979. The division has since been involved in a whole host of racing disciplines. Now, though, any series that are more involved with passenger cars, such as NASCAR, drag, and drift racing, have dropped the TRD name and made the move over to Gazoo Racing. This keeps branding consistent between both the track and the showroom floors. For those wondering, Gazoo is derived from the Japanese word for picture or image.

Although it is true that Toyota's Gazoo Racing department has stolen much of TRD's spotlight in recent years, as seen with the automaker's flagship performance models wearing GR badges instead, Toyota is clear that both will continue alongside one another. Most automakers make do with just one performance sub-brand — for example, AMG of Mercedes, BMW's M, or Audi's Sport division.  However, Toyota clearly sees value in using both. Few automakers can match the variation of models that Toyota offers, and the current lineup consists of everything from sports cars to pickups, crossovers, SUVs, sedans, and more. So, perhaps this is how Toyota gets away with having two distinct performance divisions, which can happily co-exist without encroaching into each other's space.