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Toyota is currently the only existing WRC manufacturer to have developed a completely new car built to the WRC27 regulations. Development of the new car is already well advanced, but Toyota now faces another challenge: producing enough of them. The WRC27 regulations require a manufacturer to build at least ten competition-ready cars that can be sold or leased to customers. The regulations do not specify who the cars must be supplied to. Toyota technical director Tom Fowler admits that ramping up production of a new car within a short timeframe is a demanding operation. “I think with any new car, the biggest challenge is always how many cars you can produce in a short period of time right at the beginning,” Fowler says. Monte Carlo car count remains unclear One of the most intriguing questions is how many completed WRC27 cars Toyota will have available when the new era begins at Rally Monte Carlo in January. Fowler declined to give an exact number. “I can’t say that right now.” When Fowler was asked whether Toyota would have at least five cars ready, his answer was even more cautious. “I don’t know. Maybe three, maybe two.” The regulations require at least two cars to be on the start line at the season opener. “That’s why I said maybe two,” Fowler laughed. There have also been considerably larger estimates regarding Toyota’s potential car count next season. Juha Kankkunen has suggested that Toyota could run as many as six cars in the top category, compared with five at present. Fowler, however, did not confirm such a plan. Testing programme ramps up While there is still uncertainty surrounding production numbers, development of the new car continues at full speed. Ott Tänak has so far played a major role in testing Toyota’s WRC27 car, but Toyota’s other drivers will soon get behind the wheel as well. According to Fowler, the testing programme will intensify towards the end of the year. Toyota is also considering how it can prepare as effectively as possible for Monte Carlo before the season opener itself. One option could be to enter the new car in a smaller rally, although Fowler points out that such an event could never fully replicate the conditions and demands of a WRC round. “Even if we did a smaller rally, it’s never the same as a WRC event. We might do something to find the conditions we need, but I believe we can be ready anyway.” Toyota therefore faces a busy end to the year. Alongside developing its new WRC27 car, the team must ramp up production and ensure that it has enough machinery available for the first rally of the WRC’s new era.