At a press conference of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) at Circuit de la Sarthe in western France, Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda revealed the hydrogen engine vehicle prototype “GR H2 Racing Concept”.

Developed with future competition in its sights, the prototype’s unveiling was spurred by a recent announcement by the ACO, the organizer of Le Mans 24 Hours, that it would allow hydrogen-engine vehicles to compete in addition to fuel cell electric vehicles―in the race’s hydrogen category.

Toyota has been competing using a hydrogen-engine Corolla in the Super Taikyu Series since Round 3 of the 2021 season (earlier post) and raced the same car in the IDEMITSU 1500 SUPER ENDURANCE 2022 at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit in December 2022. Toyota is also racing a liquid hydrogen-fueled version. (Earlier post.)

By doing so, it has been honing its technologies in the harsh environment of motorsports and, with like-minded partners in and outside the automotive industry, accelerating its efforts for producing, transporting, and using hydrogen toward the realization of a carbon-neutral society. Toyota intends to further advance such efforts for making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and realizing a carbon-neutral society and it looks forward to taking on the challenge of a new generation of Le Mans 24 races.

This June 9, 2023 will be a milestone in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship: a manufacturer, and which manufacturer, the number one in the world, has just presented its Hydrogen Endurance project. 100 years ago, the ACO created the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a real technological laboratory for a car in full development. Today, mobility is undergoing a revolution, that of the energy transition and the 24 hours of Le Mans participate in the search for sustainable technologies. Since 2018, the ACO, with MissionH24 and GreenGT, has been promoting hydrogen, a safe and efficient energy carrier. This day is a new crucial step for the creation of the Hydrogen category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Once again, Endurance demonstrates its commitment to sustainable mobility, in line with automotive players. I would like to salute this challenge from Toyota, the vision of these men and women. Toyoda San, by officially presenting this Hydrogen project today, you have left your mark on the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

—ACO President Pierre Fillon