Toyota to appoint Tommi Mäkinen as Motorsports Advisor

Given its aim of further advancing the manufacturing of ever-better cars, Toyota Motor Corporation will appoint Tommi Mäkinen as a Motorsport Advisor. This decision was strongly motivated by the Tommi Mäkinen Racing team's impressive contribution to the supercharged re-ignition of Toyota's World Rally operations from 2017. Wherein he and his team helped the brand develop a highly competitive rally car and more importantly, composed the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team who are to participate in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). This collaborative effort blessed Toyota with such recognitions, including the manufacturers' world championship title in 2018 and drivers' and co-drivers' world championship titles in 2019.

Tommi Mäkinen does have a strong background in the field of motorsports, and it sure makes him qualified in this appointment given by Toyota. Therefore, he may be able to contribute necessary ideas involving the development of motorsports-bred GR vehicles, as well as planning of motorsport activities, and enriching driver talent. Apart from that, the brand is also looking forward to his advice which should further empower its strategy formulation and organizational operations.

However, the WRC project which was built by the Tommi Mäkinen Racing Oy will now be directly managed by Toyota. It will then be run by Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe GmbH starting from 2021 onwards, given that the brand is responsible for the core function of its motorsports in Europe. Toyota, on the other hand, sees the great benefit of learning from its new Motorsport Advisor, Tommi Mäkinen, including his world-leading vehicle development know-how, which should help the brand link this to specific business development. 

It is also worth noting that the GR Yaris sports car was created partly through Tommi Mäkinen’s expertise in the field of motorsports. Apart from rendering motorsports-related advice, the renowned rally legend is also expected by the brand to provide broad insights that should help them produce better cars in the future.