Toyota Ad Sends Drifting GR Models into a Mall While Teasing the Next GR Debut
Stay to the very end of this Toyota GR86 commercial to see a sneak peek of the GR Corolla which we’ll probably see later this month!
Toyota GR86 advertisements hit the internet earlier this year, kicking off a viral marketing campaign. More recently, the official YouTube channel of Toyota USA tried to make a GR86 car commercial as exciting as the car it features. Taking a page from comedian John Mulaney’s notebook, Toyota USA’s newest video is a tongue-in-cheek take on focus groups.
The new video carries the Tokyo Drift style from previous TV spots and commercials. The four-minute clip also highlights Toyota GR86’s performance and handling characteristics, obviously its USP. This fact becomes evident as the focus group starts losing interest when the suits demand that the ad men take a more somber approach and focus on more practical features of the sports car.
Understandably the group livens up as soon as the GR86 starts drifting around the Chicago shopping center. Sweatpants Media is the creative mastermind behind the new commercial. The Long Beach, California outfit collaborated with Toyota Gazoo Racing Pro drifters and shot the action-packed commercial in just three days.
The GR86 car commercial also features racing legends like Frederic Aasbø, Ken Gushi, and Jonathan Castro.
In addition to tearing through the empty mall’s narrow corridors, Aasbø also slides around the snowy terrains outside the shopping center. Safe to say, in the right hands, the new Toyota GR86 can even make finding a parking spot a lot of fun. Towards the end of the video, Castro and Gushi join Aasbø in a pair of GR Supra drift cars.
After a quick jump (also executed inside the mall), the video culminates while teasing another exciting GR model, which is most likey the GR Corolla. Toyota first teased the Corolla hatchback back in October 2021 and it’s our understanding that it will be debuting later this month in Long Beach, California later ahead of the April 2 Formula Drift race.
As our avid readers must know, a 2.4-liter boxer motor powers the all-new Toyota GR86. The powertrain churns out 228 HP of maximum power and 184 lb-ft of peak torque. The sports car is available with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission.
Image Source: Toyota USA
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