Toyota Gazoo Racing to enter hydrogen fuel cell Hilux in the 2027 Dakar Rally
Toyota Gazoo Racing has confirmed it will enter the DKR GR FC Hilux, a fuel cell electric vehicle, in the 2027 Dakar Rally’s Future Mission 1000 category, which is dedicated to experimental vehicles and the demonstration of new technologies.
The car replaces the petrol engine of the existing DKR GR Hilux rally raid truck with Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell system, emitting only water vapour while driving.
Toyota said the extreme conditions of Dakar — characterised by high temperatures, rough terrain and stages spanning 1,000 competitive kilometres across 13 stages — make it an ideal real-world proving ground for advancing fuel cell technology beyond laboratory and circuit testing.
The project will focus specifically on fuel cell downsizing, cooling performance in extreme heat, durability over long competitive distances and energy management. Toyota said lessons from the DKR GR FC Hilux programme will feed into broader fuel cell applications across passenger cars, trucks, buses, trains, marine applications and stationary power.
The announcement builds on Toyota’s long-running motorsport hydrogen programme, which included the hydrogen-engined ORC Rookie Corolla H2 Concept in Japan’s Super Taikyu series from 2021, demonstration runs by the GR Yaris H2 at the 2022 Ypres World Rally Championship round, and a liquid hydrogen racing prototype demonstrated at Le Mans in 2026.
A hydrogen-engined GR Corolla with superconducting technology also became the first vehicle of its kind to complete a full race in the 2026 Super Taikyu series.
