It’s pretty clear the new Toyota GR Yaris is an awesome hot hatch, the kind we’ve been waiting to see from the brand for years. The car is so popular with enthusiasts that it completely sold out in Australia within a week of debuting. Of course, Toyota Australia only brought in a small amount of cars (1000 units), but it’s still clear that demand is higher than product planners expected. Now the car has gotten its public ‘dynamic’ debut in the UK with the spectator-free Goodwood Speedweek.
Our question is: how long before the Toyota GR Yaris makes it to parallel importers all across the country from the UK?
Here’s the press release about the dynamic debut.
PRESS RELEASE
The Goodwood Festival of Speed (GFoS) is known as a motorsport festival where many motorsport fans, famous cars both old and new, and world class drivers gather from all over the world usually around July every year. The 2020 festival was postponed to next year or later due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while a no-spectator event was held in its place as the Goodwood Speedweek. Scenes from the event were “broadcast” worldwide over the Internet. TGR raced at the GFoS in 2009, and has participated in the motorsports festival since 2012.
In the rally stage (Rally Sprint) held from October 16 through 18, the new GR Yaris was driven as the zero car＊3. In addition, in the Motorsports Circuit special stage (First Glance), the GR Yaris was driven in public. The GR Yaris was born as a vehicle that anyone can drive the way they want with peace of mind on any road in the world. The reason for this is that it incorporates lessons learned from the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (WRT), including how to make cars that are competitive in the WRC＊4, as well as learnings gleaned from evaluations given by professional drivers from the early stages of development. Based on the desire of master driver Morizo to “restore the Toyota sports cars,” the new GR Yaris was created as the first Toyota vehicle developed with the reversed concept of turning a motorsports car into a production car. For this event, 2019 TGR WRT drivers, Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke, and Elfyn Evans who is racing as a 2020 TGR WRT driver were drove the GR Yaris.
As for GR production vehicles, the GR Supra limited edition＊5 was also appeared at the Goodwood Motor Circuit.
Master driver Morizo also participated through video, sharing through images his passion for motorsports, the development of the GR Yaris, and the experience of riding in the passenger seat of the GR Yaris.
