The Toyota GR Yaris is one of the most popular hatchbacks on the market today. It sports a custom two-door body, a loud 268-horsepower turbo three-cylinder engine, a drift-happy all-wheel-drive system, and a motorsport-derived chassis. It was created as a homologation requirement for the WRC rally vehicle. But that wasn’t enough, since at the Tokyo Auto Salon on Friday, Toyota introduced a new limited-run version called the GRMN Yaris, and it’s freaking great.
The GRMN Yaris, according to Toyota, was created with the cooperation of real race car drivers and motorsport engineers. The back seat has been removed, and Recaro bucket seats with integrated side airbags have been installed in its place. The hood, roof, and rear spoiler are all made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, resulting in a 44-pound weight savings over a standard GR Yaris. More spot welds for increased body rigidity, a mechanical limited-slip differential, and a close-ratio transmission with a lower final gear and more robust components are all included in the GRMN Yaris. According to Toyota, the GRMN is 0.4 inches wider and 0.4 inches lower than a standard GR Yaris, providing a lower center of gravity and somewhat higher torque.
The factory will provide a Circuit package with modifications drawn from the Yaris that competes in the Super Taikyu series. It gets 18-inch BBS wheels, stronger brakes, Bilstein shocks with adjustable dampers, a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic front splitter, side skirts, and a massive rear wing. Each Circuit package car is limited to 50 units and painted in a distinctive Matte Steel color.
The Rally package, which includes dealer-installed equipment, is even more exciting. A roll cage, altered shocks, new stabilizers, and skid plates are all included with the Rally pack. A Rally pack car with the Circuit pack’s wing, smaller wheels with off-road tires, and mud flaps is also shown in one of Toyota’s photographs, though no information is offered concerning those features.
The GRMN Yaris will be limited to 500 units, with all allocations determined by an online lottery that begins today. Upgrade and Personalization programs will be available to customers, with the former delivering new components and software upgrades at GR dealerships and the latter giving unique tuning and optimization based on driver-specific data at racing circuits. This fall, Toyota will offer some of the GRMN’s parts to customers who already own a standard GR Yaris.