Toyota to start making go-karts - report
Japanese car giant Toyota will soon start producing racing go-karts in a bid to bring down costs of entry-level motorsport.
Toyota already has many bases covered, from producing common-or-garden commuter vehicles, to luxury models (through Lexus), high-performance road cars (Gazoo Racing), and even trucks (Hino).
Now it plans to expand its vehicle operations even further, with Nikkei Asia reporting the world’s largest carmaker is set to begin production of GR-branded go-karts, all built in Japan.
"We'll build entry-level karts and hope to see kids move up to more advanced models," Tomoya Takahashi, president of Gazoo Racing, reportedly told Japanese reporters.
The go-karts will reportedly be built near Toyota’s global headquarters in Aichi prefecture, where each kart will be built to order.
Jordan Mulach
Toyota expects to produce between 1000 and 2000 karts annually, though this figure is expected to rise, depending on how successful the program is.
Nikkei Asia reports Toyota’s decision was based on one of wanting to reduce costs for entry-level motorsport in Japan, given the huge decrease in racing licences issued in recent years.
Data from the Japan Automobile Federation reported by the publication shows 3250 kart licences were issued in 2025, well down on the nation’s peak of 9730 licences in 1995.
Toyota will sell the karts from approximately 300,000 Yen (A$2655), and will distribute then through its dedicated GR showrooms, the upcoming new home to the likes of the GR Corolla, GR Yaris and GR GT.
