The is a performance-oriented variant of the
XP210 series Yaris supermini
The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of ...
/
subcompact
Subcompact car is a North American classification for cars smaller than a compact car. It is broadly equivalent to the B-segment (Europe), supermini (Great Britain) or A0-class (China) classifications.
According to the U.S. Environmental Prot ...
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
, in a segment commonly called the
hot hatch
A hot hatch (shortened from hot hatchback) is a high-performance hatchback car.
The term originated in the mid-1980s; however, factory high-performance versions of hatchbacks have been produced since the 1970s.
Front-mounted petrol engines, ...
. The vehicle is manufactured by
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
with assistance from the company's
Gazoo Racing
Toyota Gazoo Racing (or Toyota GR/TGR) is a motorsport/performance brand of the Japanese automaker Toyota.
Many divisions in various racing disciplines use the branding, including Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Toyota's World Rally Championship ...
(GR) division and being produced to meet
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...
(WRC)
homologation
Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work fr ...
rules.
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
is a Japanese business executive and the current president of Toyota Motor Corporation. He is the great-grandson of the Japanese industrialist, Sakichi Toyoda, and the grandson of both the founder of Toyota Motors, Kiichiro Toyoda, and the found ...
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 (jointly developed with and built by Subaru) or the
GR Supra (jointly developed with
BMW and built by
Magna Steyr
Magna Steyr AG & Co KG is an automobile manufacturer based in Graz, Austria, where its primary manufacturing plant is also located. It is a subsidiary of Canadian-based Magna International and was previously part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch congl ...
).
Design
File:Toyota GR Yaris (XP21) – h 03052021.jpg, Rear view
File:2021 Toyota GR Yaris Circuit GR-FOUR 1.6 Interior.jpg, Interior
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
Tommi Antero Mäkinen (; born 26 June 1964) is a Finnish racing executive and former driver.
Mäkinen is one of the most successful WRC drivers of all time, ranking fifth in rally wins (24) and third in championships (4), tied with Juha Kankkune ...
, 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 mule
A development mule (test mule, or simply mule) in the automotive industry is a testbed vehicle equipped with prototype components requiring evaluation. They are often camouflaged to cover their designs.
Application
Mules are necessary because a ...
s 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 car
Pre-production cars are vehicles that allow the automaker to find problems before a new model goes on sale to the public. Pre-production cars come after prototypes, or development mules which themselves are preceded by concept cars. Pre-producti ...
s 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
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
, a wider rear track and a
double wishbone suspension
A double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design for automobiles using two (occasionally parallel) wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckle ...
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
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
for the front bonnet (hood), boot (trunk) lid and door panels. It also uses
carbon fibre-reinforced plastic for its roof panel which was formed using the
sheet molding compound
Sheet moulding compound (SMC) or sheet moulding composite is a ready to mould glass-fibre reinforced polyester material primarily used in compression moulding. The sheet is provided in rolls weighing up to 1000 kg. Alternatively the resin a ...
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
Toyota Gazoo Racing (or Toyota GR/TGR) is a motorsport/performance brand of the Japanese automaker Toyota.
Many divisions in various racing disciplines use the branding, including Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Toyota's World Rally Championship ...
-built,
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
and
direct
Direct may refer to:
Mathematics
* Directed set, in order theory
* Direct limit of (pre), sheaves
* Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces
Computing
* Direct access (disambiguation), a ...
/
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
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...
("iMT") 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 .
File:Osaka Auto Messe 2020 (113) - Toyota GR YARIS RZ"High Performance・1st Edition".jpg, Drivetrain of GR Yaris 1.6 models
File:Toyota GR YARIS RZ"High performance" (3BA-GXPA16) (8).jpg, '' G16E-GTS'' engine of the GR Yaris
The GR Yaris was unveiled at the 2020
Tokyo Auto Salon
The is an annual auto show held in January at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for Performance and custom aftermarket parts and technology displays. Hosted by thNippon Auto Parts Aftermarket Committee (NAPAC)
The Tokyo Auto Salon is one of ...
, 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
The Mazda2 is a subcompact/ supermini (B-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Mazda since 2002, currently in its third generation. An entry-level model of the brand in markets outside Japan, the Mazda2 is positioned below the Mazda3. The Ma ...
. Both regions received the larger, five-door
GR Corolla
The is a high-performance hot hatch variant of the E210 series Corolla compact hatchback. The vehicle is manufactured by Toyota with assistance from the company's Gazoo Racing (GR) performance division.
The GR Corolla was introduced on Marc ...
instead.
GR Yaris RS
Exclusive for the Japanese market, Toyota offers an entry-level,
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longit ...
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
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of gear ratios. This contrasts with other transmissions that provide a limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. T ...
(CVT). The Direct Shift CVT includes a physical first gear (known as a "launch 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 .
File:Toyota GR YARIS RS (5BA-MXPA12-AGXXB) front.jpg, GR Yaris RS (MXPA12, Japan)
File:Toyota GR YARIS RS (5BA-MXPA12-AGXXB) rear.jpg, GR Yaris RS (MXPA12, Japan), note the lack of "GR-Four" badging
Special editions
GRMN Yaris (2022)
The GRMN Yaris ("GRMN" for ''Gazoo Racing, tuned by the Meister of the Nürburgring'') is a limited-production (500 units) 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
A flywheel is a mechanical device which uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, ass ...
.
* Usage of twill weave
CFRP CFRP may refer to:
* Carbon fiber reinforced polymer
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (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.
Apart from the regular GRMN Yaris, "Circuit Package" and "Rally Package" options were also available. The Circuit Package includes BBS GRMN bespoke 18-inch wheels, 18-inch brakes,
Bilstein shock absorbers with adjustable damping force, carbon (twill weave CFRP) rear spoiler, side skirt and lip spoiler, while the Rally Package includes GR shock absorbers and short stabilizer link set, GR under guard set and GR roll bar (with side bar). Rally Package parts could be chosen separately.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon. Sales will begin in the first quarter of 2022, with preorder beginning on 14 January 2022.
File:TOYOTA GRMN YARIS.jpg, GRMN Yaris Circuit Package
File:Suzuka Fan Thanksgiving Day 2022 (34) - Toyota GRMN YARIS Circuit package.jpg, GRMN Yaris Circuit Package
File:2022 TOYOTA GR YARIS GRMN.jpg, GRMN Yaris Rally Package
Concept models
GR Yaris Hydrogen
The GR Yaris Hydrogen is a GR Yaris with a modified ''G16E-GTS'' engine to run with
hydrogen fuel
Hydrogen fuel refers to hydrogen which is burned as fuel with oxygen. It is zero-carbon, provided that it is created in a process that does not involve carbon. It can be used in fuel cells or internal combustion engines (see HICEV). Regarding hydr ...
.
Motorsport
The GR Yaris served as the basis for the GR Yaris
Rally1
Within the motorsport discipline of rallying, Group Rally1 is a formula of rally car specifications for use at the highest level of international rallying in the World Rally Championship (WRC) as determined by the FIA. Despite the use of the w ...
car that made its debut in
2022 World Rally Championship
The 2022 FIA World Rally Championship is the fiftieth season of the World Rally Championship, an auto racing competition recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the highest class of international rallying. Teams ...
season. It will also made its
Rally2
In the motorsport discipline of rallying, Group Rally2 is a formula of rally car specification determined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA for use in its international competitions: the World Rally Championship (WRC) and reg ...
debut in 2024.
File:Suzuka Fan Thanksgiving Day 2022 (31) - TOYOTA GR YARIS RALLY 1 No.18 in 2022 FIA World Rally Championship.jpg, GR Yaris Rally1
Awards
In January 2021, the GR Yaris was named Hot Hatch of the Year by ''
What Car?
''What Car?'' is a British monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Huntingford and published by Haymarket Consumer Media. Other team members include deputy editor Darren Moss and test editors Will Nightingale, Neil ...
'' magazine. ''What Car?'' awarded the GR Yaris five stars out of five in its review of the car.
The GR Yaris was awarded the 2021 UK Car of the Year, as well as winning the Best Performance award.
Production
The GR Yaris went into production in September 2020 on a dedicated assembly line in the
Motomachi plant
This list comprises Toyota's manufacturing facilities worldwide, as well as others that are jointly owned by the company or run under a contract.
Toyota manufacturing facilities
Asia Japan
There are a total of sixteen Toyota-owned factories in ...
, that Toyota calls the "GR Factory" and is staffed by master craftsman team members.
On 30 July 2021, the production of GR Yaris would be extended for two years due to strong demand for the vehicle.
References
External links
* (GR Yaris)
** (GRMN Yaris)
{{Modern North American Toyota vehicles
GR Yaris
The is a performance-oriented variant of the XP210 series Yaris supermini/subcompact hatchback, in a segment commonly called the hot hatch. The vehicle is manufactured by Toyota with assistance from the company's Gazoo Racing (GR) division an ...
Cars introduced in 2020
Subcompact cars
Hot hatches
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Vehicles with CVT transmission