Toyota have launched the long-awaited GR Yaris in Japan with three variants going on sale. These variants are called the Yaris RS, Yaris RC and Yaris RZ. Here are the drivetrain options.
The RS variant comes with a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder with a Direct-Shift CVT sending power to the front wheels.
The RC, RZ and “High Performance” variants all come with 1.6-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged engines with a 6-speed manual (iMT) Sending power to all four wheels.
This GR Yaris comes with a number aesthetic upgrades and at least one performance enhancement. These include:
- Front strut tower bar
- A front diffuser (12mm lower)
- gloss black side skirts
- new rear diffuser
- four exhaust pipes
- carbon fibre number plate frame
- body strips
- tyre valve caps
- floor mats
- luggage compartment mat
- carbon-finished interior inlays
- red engine cover
- Gazoo data recording device
- BBS Forged aluminium wheels
- 16” ventilated disk brakes
We wonder if this will be brought in via grey market dealers in about a year.
PRESS RELEASE
Celebrating the launch of the all-new GR Yaris in Japan, on sale nationwide through Toyota dealers starting from September 4, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing announced today that it will hold an event, called the GR YARIS ONLINE FES, that will display virtual images of the GR Yaris to fans, starting at 7:30 p.m. on September 16 (available only in Japanese). This event will communicate the ideas incorporated in the development of the GR Yaris and its development story, together with information about the GR FACTORY. Additionally, President Akio Toyoda, in his Morizo master driver persona, will drive the GR Yaris and offer the opportunity for a VR drive-along.
The all-new 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, as well as learnings gleaned from evaluations given by non-Toyota 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.The main features of the new GR Yaris are as follows
- Vehicle packaging with attention paid to aerodynamics, light weight, and high rigidity
- The high power of a newly-developed 1.6-liter in-line three-cylinder intercooler turbo engine combined with the “GR-FOUR,” a newly-developed sports 4WD system, to convey power to all four wheels
- Created from three distinctive models: the base “RZ,” the fun to drive “RS” (1.5-liter FF), and the competition based “RC.”
In addition, the GR FACTORY, an exclusive production line, has been created at the Motomachi Plant, where each sports model has been produced, to build into cars the performance sought through development by takumi (master craftsmanship) team members.
