By Staff Reporter

A few months after unveiling the all-new Toyota Yaris, Toyota has revealed its more potent version, the Toyota GR Yaris. This is not the first Yaris with bonkers performance. Back in 2017 Toyota unveiled the GRMN Yaris, a supercharged version of the popular daily car producing 156 kW and 250 Nm from a 1.8-litre engine.

Fast forward two years and a few months, Toyota has brought us yet another hot Yaris. The new GR Yaris was co-developed with designers and engineers from Toyota GAZZO Racing and Tommi Mäkinen Racing, Toyota’s partner in the WRC (World Rally Championship). This will also serve as a homologation model for the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team’s WRC campaign.

Performance

Engineers were tasked with creating a car which is light weight, aerodynamic and has a perfect weight distribution. This, according to Toyota, is what makes the best drivable performance car. So, a car with a low roofline for improved aerodynamics, an engine pushed further back for weight distribution and lightweight materials like carbon fibre polymer and aluminum were used to create the hot GR Yaris.

Powering the Toyota GR Yaris is an all-new DOHC 12-Valve 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine producing a whopping 192 kW and 360 Nm of torque. All of that power is sent to the permanent all-wheel drive system which helps propel the GR Yaris from 0-100 km/h in under 5.5 seconds. A six-speed manual is used to change gears.

Will it be sold in South Africa?

The GR Yaris is scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2020. Toyota South Africa is yet to confirm if any of these hot GR Yaris’ will be sold locally.