Let’s be honest, 2020 wasn’t a great year for people – but it was a brilliant year for cars. From the new Porsche 911 Turbo S to Land Rover’s excellent Defender 90, impressive machines just kept on coming. Arguably the most exciting was the Toyota GR Yaris, not only a rarified homologation special for WRC, but also our performance car of the year. Now comes news that the hot hatch might get hotter still.
A preview image from the up and coming Tokyo motor show reveals a GR Yaris that appears to be sporting a few extra trinkets. The extreme external dimensions remain the same with a short and stout stance still sporting flared arches and a CFRP roof. However, there are some notable differences…
Sitting beneath the already large grille on the car’s nose is a fresh front splitter of considerable proportions. Matching the splitter is a set of jutting side skirts spanning the stance between a set of forged alloy wheels. Unfortunately we can’t see the rear of the hot hatch from this image, but we’d be surprised if there wasn’t some form of wing as that’s what the GR’s aggressive roofline was originally designed for. However, we can plainly view a set of ‘go faster’ stripes in Gazoo Racing colours.
There has been much speculation about a faster Toyota GR Yaris, especially due to the car’s baked-in motorsport potential that could be further unlocked for the road. We’ll have to wait for the news to break in Japan to find out what this mystery Yaris is all about, but more GR action is never a bad thing.
Currently the GR Yaris packs a 254bhp punch from a turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine, something that also grants 395Nm of torque. The pocket rocket will launch to 62mph in just 5.5 seconds with the aid of all-wheel drive. However, this car is at its most impressive through the bends – read all about that in our GR Yaris’ full road test.
For now all we can do is stare at what could be one of 2021’s most exciting new cars. We’ll keep you posted.
Keyword: Is Toyota about to reveal a hotter GR Yaris?