Gran Turismo 7 Update Confirmed for 20 August: Four Cars and Caterham Returns

It's official. Kazunori Yamauchi has confirmed that the next Gran Turismo 7 content update arrives on Thursday 20 August. After his silhouette teaser dropped around ten days ago promising an update "next week," the usual quick turnaround didn't happen this time, so the wait has been a little longer than normal, but now we have a firm date and confirmation of what's coming.

And here's the satisfying part: every one of the four cars the community guessed from the silhouettes turned out to be correct. So the lineup is exactly as expected.

Caterham Returns to the Series

The headline is the return of a whole manufacturer. Caterham is back in Gran Turismo for the first time since Gran Turismo 6, which is always a bigger deal than a single new car because new manufacturers are rare.

Previously Caterham was only represented by the Seven Fireblade, so the Seven Superlight R500 arriving is an all-new car as well as a returning brand. Rather than the Fireblade's relatively torque-shy bike engine, the R500 runs a four-cylinder Ford Duratec with roughly twice the twist and around 100hp more than its predecessor. The Fireblade was never slow, but the featherweight R500 hits 60mph in under three seconds, so it's going to be an absolute weapon on the right track.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 N

Not far behind the Caterham in the sprint to 60mph, despite being far heavier, is the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N. It's the latest N-model from the ongoing Hyundai N and Polyphony partnership, following the Ioniq 5 N we already have.

The 6 N uses the same underlying architecture as the 5 N but wraps it in a sleek sedan body rather than the crossover shape of its sibling. Power sits at 601hp, rising to 641hp with the boost feature engaged, keeping GT7's roster of modern EV performance cars current.

The Toyota Chaser and Mark II Tourer V

Finally, there's the pair of '90s Japanese performance sedans that the drift crowd has been waiting for. These are two of a set of triplets, the Toyota Chaser and Mark II in Tourer V specification, both from the X100 generation.

The Mark II previously only appeared as the older fourth-generation X90 car in the first two games, so this brings the X100 model in alongside the returning X100 Chaser. Back in the day these cars, along with the Cresta which isn't in this update, were different takes on the same chassis aimed at different buyers, even sold through different Toyota dealership networks. In Tourer V trim both share the legendary single-turbo 1JZ-GTE straight-six, good for the old Gentleman's Agreement maximum of 276hp. Rear-wheel drive, a bulletproof turbo six, and a practical four-door body, these are drift icons through and through, and their return is a proper nostalgia hit.

There Might Be More Than Just Cars

One detail worth paying attention to is the format change to this week's Online Time Trial. Rather than the usual two-week run, the Toyota MR2 GT-S at Lago Maggiore East End event was set to last just one week. That's unusual, and the last time it happened, it preceded an update that brought a major physics change to the game.

So there's a decent chance this update includes more than just the four cars, potentially a physics or handling tweak. Nothing is confirmed on that front yet, so treat it as an informed hint rather than a promise, but it's the kind of thing worth watching for once the patch notes land.

As for the Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Evo revealed at the Tokyo World Series, don't expect it in this update. It's slated for a 2026 appearance but is unlikely to arrive before the end of the year.

Final Thoughts

This is a strong update to end the wait on. A returning manufacturer in Caterham, a genuinely wild lightweight in the R500, a modern EV in the Ioniq 6 N, and the two JZX100 Tourer V sedans that drift fans have wanted for years. The possible physics change is the wildcard, and if it materialises, it could be the most significant part of the whole update.

Full patch notes should arrive around the update itself on 20 August, so we'll update this with the complete car list, any new events, and confirmation of whether the physics have changed once everything's live.

Let us know which of the four you're most excited to drive, and whether you're hoping for that physics tweak.