The production of the eagerly-anticipated super hot hatch from Toyota which gets its tuning from Gazoo Racing started on 26th August this year.
Built in the Motomachi factory in Japan, not far from where the Lexus LFA was born this plant was also responsible for the manufacturing of the ‘Mark X’ and Crown super sedans from Toyota. Deliveries to European buyers will start in November this year and it is uncertain if this super hatch will even come to Malaysia anytime soon.
Selling price in England starts from 29,995 pounds sterling which is about RM165,405.00 before local taxes and delivery charges. The England bound version gets:
- GR sports suspension
- GR Ultrasuede® Sports Seats
- GR leather steering wheel
- 18″ alloy wheels
- Dual exhaust pipes
- Smart entry
- Active noise control
And it engine specifications are:
ENGINE: 1.6L-3-CYLINDER TURBO
TRANSMISSION: 6-SPEED MANUAL
DRIVEN WHEELS: 4-WHEEL-DRIVE
WEIGHT (KG): 1280
ENGINE POWER: 261Bhp
ENGINE TORQUE: 360Nm
POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO: 4.9 KG/HP
ACCELERATION (0-62 MPH): 5.5 SEC
PRESS RELEASE: On August 26th 2020, the first unit of GR Yaris serial production left the line at the Motomachi plant in Toyota City, Japan. Totally new, the production facility has been designed to meet the specific needs of the GR Yaris production.
In fact, Toyota’s return to sports car production in Japan created the opportunity for production engineers to redesign the assembly processes specifically for the GR Yaris. Furthermore, Toyota Gazoo Racing has established the ‘GR factory’, a facility dedicated to producing GR sports cars. The factory comprises several distinct assembly cells connected by automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) and includes conveyor-less body and assembly lines.
These processes have enabled the facility to produce highly rigid bodies―essential for sports cars―and to ensure highly accurate assembly – both of which are challenging to do on standard, high-volume production lines.
True to its conviction about people development, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing gathered together highly-skilled technicians from throughout Toyota at this plant. Known as ‘Takumi’, these team members are well-known for their exceptional craftsmanship skills. This new TGR plant is also used for the craftsmanship and technical skills training of workers in other Toyota production facilities.
Born from WRC, the GR Yaris is a unique sports car based on a new platform, equipped with a totally new 3-cylinder 1.6 turbo producing 261bhp and 360Nm, featuring a bespoke GR-FOUR 4-wheel-drive system directly inspired from racing and weighing just 1,280 kg.
Following the successful launch of online reservations back in March ‘20, first deliveries will be prioritized to these early customers in late 2020/early 2021.
