Toyota has left the door wide open to growing its collaboration with Walkinshaw Automotive Group – but only once its current projects are a success.
The car maker partnered with Walkinshaw Automotive Group (WAG) to convert the US-built Tundra to right-hand drive, and that relationship helped pave the way for Walkinshaw TWG Racing to bring the GR Supra into Supercars racing.
Toyota Australia boss John Pappas said there are opportunities for the two parties to expand their current partnerships – but only once both are successful.
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“ We already had a good relationship and partnership with Walkinshaw and now expanding into the Supercars with this GR Supra,” Pappas explained. “We continue to build and our focus right now is exactly on those two things. It’s about selling more Tundras and, you know, getting that brand expanded as well, as a model line and you know, trying to learn through the GR V8 Supra. So that’s the focus for now. But you know, as we grow we could look at other things.”
The Tundra has been off to a slow start, selling just 469 units in 2025, putting it well behind its direct rivals the Ram 1500 (3239 sales), Chevrolet Silverado (2389 sales) and Ford F-150 (2428 sales). Not that that was a bad result for WAG, as it is also responsible for the conversion of both the Ram and Chevrolet models too.
For his part, WAG chief, Ryan Walkinshaw would obviously like to expand his automotive empire in Australia but said the priority is getting the Tundra selling in greater numbers and trying to win Supercars races with the new GR Supra.
“ Toyota is a major partner of Walkinshaw Automotive Group,” Walkinshaw said. “Obviously we’ve got a successful program going on with Tundra. They’re obviously always talking with all of our manufacturing partners about other opportunities, we’d be silly not to. We’ve proposed different ideas, they propose different ideas to us.
“We’re always exploring those kinds of things. But at the moment, our focus is ensuring that our Tundra program is a huge success here in Australia. And after that, if there’s other exciting products that may or may not exist in the future as a partnership with our two brands, then we’ll let you guys know. But for now, it’s focusing on making sure that these things [GR Supra] win races and making sure that this man sells lots of Tundras.”
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