Toyota GR Yaris
The Toyota GR Yaris is a sport compact car manufactured since 2020 by Toyota with assistance from the company's Gazoo Racing division. It is a three-door hatchback which was designed to meet World Rally Championship homologation rules. The GR Yaris is available with four-wheel drive alongside other significant modifications which differentiate it from the five-door XP210-series Yaris, with the rear of the car being based upon the larger E210-series Corolla.
Overview
When the XP210 Yaris hatchback was developed, Toyota decided to only offer it in a five-door bodywork, as three-door hatchbacks had been diminishing in popularity. While the decision made financial sense, it posed a problem for Toyota's WRC team, which felt only a three-door hatch was suitable for competition.Despite the expense of developing a limited-production performance model, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda felt strongly that it was important for the company to still be represented at the WRC, so he authorised the development of the GR Yaris. Toyoda would later say that he saw the GR Yaris as a passion project of his, stemming from a desire for the automaker to develop and build a sports car purely of its own design, unlike the 86 or the GR Supra.
Design
To meet the WRC's homologation rules Toyota would need to produce at least 2,500 units of the GR Yaris in a continuous 12-month period, although this is claimed to be 25,000 by Toyota. Rally cars homologated for the WRC are required to use the same basic bodyshell as a production car and the standard XP210 series Yaris is only available with a five-door body which Toyota and Toyoda felt wasn't appropriate. The Gazoo Racing WRT team, led by team principal and 4-time WRC champion Tommi Mäkinen, was heavily involved in the design. The challenge was to build a car that was capable of being equipped to race at WRC events, but also suitable for daily driving.Working together with the rally team, the Gazoo Racing division built prototypes and development mules by heavily modifying production Yaris vehicles that were then reverse-engineered into a car that would work for the average customer. Both Toyoda and Mäkinen spent time test driving these development mules and pre-production cars in the snow, on gravel and on the street.
One of the major changes came when the team decided they wanted the three-door hatchback to have four-wheel drive, a wider rear track and a double wishbone suspension layout to handle significantly increased torque. The design changes required that the GR Yaris be built on a combination between the front end of the standard Yaris' GA-B architecture with the rear of the GA-C platform used by the Corolla, among other Toyota products. To save weight, the GR Yaris also uses aluminium for the front bonnet, boot lid and door panels. It also uses carbon fibre-reinforced plastic for its roof panel which was formed using the sheet moulding compound method. Ultimately, chief engineer Naohiko Saito said he was able to accommodate 90 percent of design requests made by Mäkinen and the WRC team.
The production car is powered by a Gazoo Racing-built, turbocharged and direct/port-injected 1.6-litre G16E-GTS three-cylinder engine that produces and of torque, varying due to emissions regulations in certain markets. The engine is mated to a 6-speed V16-series intelligent manual transmission and "GR-Four" permanent four-wheel drive system. It has a claimed acceleration in 5.2–5.5 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of.
The GR Yaris was unveiled at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon, and is sold in Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Mexico, Argentina and Taiwan.
The GR Yaris has not been offered in the United States or Canada; analysts attribute this to its low probable sales volume, the discontinuation of the standard Yaris in these markets, and a lack of commonality with the most recent Yaris sold in the region, which was a rebadged and slightly restyled Mazda2. Both regions received the larger, five-door GR Corolla in 2022 for the 2023 model year instead.
GR Yaris RS
Exclusive for the Japanese market, Toyota offers an entry-level, front-wheel drive GR Yaris RS. As it lacks the four-wheel drive system, the "GR-Four" emblem is eliminated, but otherwise the exterior bodywork of the RS is identical to the standard RZ trim level. Under the bonnet, the GR-built engine is replaced with a more regular Dynamic Force engine, the three-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, 1.5-litre, M15A-FKS, which is mated to the K120 "Direct Shift" continuously variable transmission. The Direct Shift CVT includes a physical first gear and nine additional simulated gears, for a total of ten. The RS also uses the braking system found in the regular Yaris models. However, the rear double wishbone suspension system is retained. Weighing, it is lighter than the RZ trim and the international GR Yaris model, which weighs.In April 2022, the "Light Package" variant went on sale, which further reduced weight to.
2024 facelift
On 12 January 2024 at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the car received a facelift and for the first time Toyota included an 8-speed automatic option and also Formula One-style paddle-shifters for semi-automatic mode. The 1.6-litre G16E-GTS three-cylinder is upgraded to produce and of torque for the Japanese market model, on par with the GR Corolla. Engine upgrades also include "strengthened" valvetrain, a new undisclosed exhaust valve material, an increase in direct injection pressure, a new intake air pressure sensor, and redesigned lightweight pistons. The body rigidity and suspension are improved to support the power increase. The dashboard was reworked with a more driver-centric design, differentiating it from the standard Yaris.The GR Yaris facelift is set to commence production for the Australian market in late 2024 with showroom deliveries arriving in early 2025.
The GR Yaris facelift was launched in Indonesia in GIIAS 2024. It was launched in Brunei on 3 January 2025,
alongside with Malaysia on 5 January 2025. In 2025, the GR Yaris was launched for in the Chinese market.
In Japan, the Aero perfomance package was added in October 2025. It is available as a package option for the RC and RZ "High Performance". It is equipped with an aluminium bonnet with ducts, a front lip spoiler, fender ducts, a fuel tank undercover, a variable rear wing, and a rear bumper duct.
Special editions
GRMN Yaris (2022)
The GRMN Yaris is a limited-production variant based on the GR Yaris RZ with:- Increased engine torque output by to, while the horsepower figure remain unchanged.
- Retuned close-ratio gear transmission and a low final gear set. The SNCM material was used and shot processing was added to first, third, fourth, fifth and final gears, which is claimed to significantly improving shock torque and fatigue strength.
- Reinforced metal clutch on the dual-mass flywheel.
- Usage of twill weave CFRP for the bonnet and roof and removal of rear passenger seats, which reduced the weight by approximately.
- Increased number of spot welds by 545 and enhanced body rigidity by applying additional of structural adhesive.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon. Sales was began in the first quarter of 2022, with pre-order on 14 January 2022.
Sébastien Ogier Edition (2024)
This special edition vehicle was unveiled at the Rallye Monte-Carlo on 25 January 2024 alongside the Kalle Rovanperä Edition. Production was limited to 100 units for Japan and 100 units for Europe. Based on the Type 24 RZ High Performance model, all vehicles are painted in matte stealth grey, and special features include a lightweight rally spoiler made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, special BBS aluminium wheels with a French flag design, a decorative front radiator grille, blue calipers, and side decals, and S. Ogier Edition logo on the rear door.The steering wheel features exclusive blue, grey and red stitching in a tricolour motif, and a WRC victory commemorative badge is specially equipped in front of the passenger seat. It is also sold to the selected European markets.
Kalle Rovanperä Edition (2024)
This special edition vehicle was unveiled at the Rallye Monte-Carlo on 25 January 2024, along with the Sèbastien Ogier edition. It features a three-colour livery and a motif of Rovanperä's car number, "69", CFRP variable wing rear spoiler, BBS aluminium wheels with the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing logo, and side and rear bumper decals.The four-wheel drive control modes are "DONUT" and "KALLE", replaced the standard vehicle's GRAVEL and TRACK modes. "DONUT" is a mode for drifting that maximises the direct coupling of the front and rear wheels, while "KALLE" makes the most of the additional constant-speed rear differential
Production is limited to 100 units for Japan and 100 units for Europe.
Morizo RR (2026)
Toyota Gazoo Racing unveiled the GR Yaris MORIZO RR for the first time in January 2026 at the Tokyo Auto Salon.The Morizo RR is a limited-production variant based on the GR Yaris RZ with a revised digital instrument cluster that shows the new drive mode, Morizo replaced gravel mode. The steering wheel is smaller than the base model and has modified paddle shifters. The wheel-mounted switches have also been changed for improved operability in motorsports, with inspiration coming from the switches used in the GR Yaris Rally2 rally car. Same as base model but with special exterior features a special carbon rear wing, front spoiler, side skirts and a carbon engine bonnet.
Production is limited to 100 units for Japan and 100 units for Europe.