TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's latest TV commercial tries to portray the "wild side" of cars. We share the video along with a sneak peek at the trial-and-error process behind its production.
“What kind of cars do you like?” When Akio Toyoda, aka Morizo, was asked that question, the video of his response created quite a stir.
Akio Toyoda
Can I be honest? In truth, I like cars that smell of gasoline, get poor mileage, and make a lot of noise—cars that show their wild side.
Akio summed up his favorite aspects, including the smell and noise, as the “wild side” of cars.
What is the wildness that Akio seeks in cars? The video “WILD MOMENT,” created to express this essence, aired as a 60-second commercial during the 2024 Hakone Ekiden broadcast.
At the opening of the making-of film “BEHIND THE SCENES,” creative director Takeshi Nozoe, who planned “WILD MOMENT,” says:
(As previously featured on Toyota Times, Nozoe also worked on the GR86 film, THE FR.)
Takeshi Nozoe
To capture the wild side of GR cars, we shot them in super slow-motion in extreme closeup, bringing the camera right into their racing environments, as you would film wildlife or natural phenomena.
From speaking with Morizo, we set out to encapsulate the driver’s sensations as closely as possible, capturing those moments when they feel the car is like a living creature.
The commercial stars four cars and four drivers.
[GR Yaris Rally1 & Takamoto Katsuta]
[GR Supra (Nur#90) & Masahiro Sasaki]
[GR010 Hybrid & Kamui Kobayashi]
[GR Dakar Hilux T1+ & Giniel de Villiers]
What moment best brings out a car’s wildness? The team went through repeated trial and error in both driving and filming to capture it.
In fact, the shoot involved not four but five drivers. The other was Takamoto’s father, Norihiko Katsuta, who was given a special task by his son: “To get this shot, the camera needs to be as close as possible…”
The drivers approached the challenge of expressing the “wildness” in cars that Morizo seeks with surprising seriousness—while clearly enjoying every moment.