New Toyota Gr Yaris: A Rally Car For The Road

BY Diane Marini

New Toyota Gr Yaris: A Rally Car For The Road – Jan 11, 2020 – Tokyo, Japan (Techreleased) – The world premiere of Toyota’s rally-inspired GR Yaris has revealed a pure performance car born from Toyota’s title-winning experience in the World Rally Championship (WRC).

Forged from success in the heat of competition, the Toyota GR Yaris brings motorsport technology and design directly to the world of the road car.

Powered by a new 200kW/370Nm¹ three-cylinder turbocharged engine, the GR Yaris benefits from the design and engineering skills of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) and Tommi Mäkinen Racing, Toyota’s partner in the WRC.

As well as serving as the official homologation model for development of the next Yaris WRC car, GR Yaris also has all the attributes required for owners looking to compete successfully in local rally competitions.

Every aspect of the car has a performance focus: an all-new platform and engine, new suspension, lightweight construction, aerodynamic styling and a new GR-FOUR permanent all-wheel-drive (AWD) system.

“The GR Yaris is an exciting well-rounded vehicle that exemplifies Toyota’s commitment to producing ever-better cars, offering compelling performance that will appeal to a broad range of enthusiasts,” Mr Hanley said.

“It is a rally car for the road that pushes vehicle performance to the limit and will enhance the image of the Toyota and Yaris brands,” he said.

Presenting the GR Yaris at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon, GAZOO Racing President Shigeki Tomoyama said TGR is committed to using motorsport to refine its know-how and its personnel, with the aim of launching world-class production sports cars.

“While the new GR Supra is a sports car developed through track racing, the GR Yaris has been devised through our participation in rallies – something that many of our fans have been waiting for,” Mr Tomoyama said.

GR Yaris is the second pure sports-car model to be launched globally by TGR, following last year’s return of the legendary Toyota GR Supra.

Heritage

The new GR Yaris is Toyota’s first genuine AWD sports car and its first homologation model for WRC competition since the end of production of the Celica GT-FOUR in 1999.

As a homologation model, the GR Yaris will support the development of a new competition car for the TGR World Rally Team’s WRC campaign. Since re-joining the championship in 2017, Toyota won the manufacturers’ championship in 2018 and, with Ott Tänak, the drivers’ championship in 2019.

Development Priorities

The WRC-skilled team of designers and engineers at Tommi Mäkinen Racing focused on perfecting the aerodynamics, weight distribution and light weight of the new car – the three qualities essential to achieving the best performance and drivability.