What Does the Morizo Name Mean on Toyota and Lexus Vehicles?

• Morizo is Akio Toyoda’s racing pseudonym.

• The name is also used on high-performance models and special editions from Lexus and Toyota.

• It seems the Morizo nameplate could be spun into a separate performance division.

While Toyota and Lexus each have their own performance divisions, GR and F, respectively, the Japanese automaker might be in the process of adding a third division that would encompass the most hardcore models from both brands.

Indeed, the Morizo nameplate could be spun into a separate sub-brand containing the highest-performance models from both Toyota and Lexus, above what both GR and F currently offer.

The Morizo name comes from Toyota Chairman and former CEO Akio Toyoda, who took part in major racing events under the pseudonym “Morizo Kinoshita” to avoid being recognised.

This allowed him to evaluate and fine-tune the company’s performance vehicles without attracting much media attention.

At the 2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Toyota finished third in class at the wheel of a Lexus IS F and fourth in class when piloting a Lexus LF-A.

During the 2014 edition of the same race, he finished first in class with an LF-A, and at the 2019 24 Hours of Nürburgring, he finished third in class with a Toyota GR Supra GT4.

Toyoda also took part in multiple other racing events aboard Toyota and Lexus prototypes and production models over the years.

He is also responsible for green-lighting the GR Yaris and GR Corolla hot hatches, which have brought Toyota back to the affordable performance segment after years of absence.

Now that the pseudonym is not so anonymous anymore, the automaker has applied it on special editions of its most hardcore performance models, such as the GR Corolla.

Offered worldwide, including in North America, the GR Corolla Morizo stands out from the standard GR Corolla with lower gear ratios, shorter differential gears, forged wheels, a stiffer chassis, different brake and suspension parts, a carbon fibre roof, more torque, grippier tires, and a deleted rear seat.

Not sold in North America, the GR Yaris Morizo follows a similar recipe in a smaller package.

For now, the only Lexus model to receive the Morizo treatment is the subcompact LBX crossover, also not available in North America.

This could change soon, however, as reports from Japan suggest the company is working on a Morizo RR Lexus RX, of which a prototype was recently spotted testing on the Nürburgring.

This high-performance premium SUV is expected to produce around 600 horsepower to compete with the highest-performance models from Audi and BMW.

The addition of more Morizo models to the Toyota and Lexus lineups will continue a trend from multiple manufacturers who keep expanding their range with new tiers of performance models.

For example, BMW now has M Sport, M Performance, and “full” M models, the first having a more dynamic design, the M Sport models featuring higher performance, and the real M receiving all of the brand’s efforts.

Similarly, Audi has S-Line, S, and RS models, Mercedes-Benz has AMG-Line models in addition to its entire 35 through 63 AMG lineup.

Now, Hyundai also wants to join in by adding a new tier between its N-Line and N models that will bring full N powertrains to more affordable models.

If Toyota and Lexus keep their current strategy, we are likely to see more and more Morizo models reach production over the coming years.