The new Yaris GRMN is an authentic, full-blooded and highly tuned hot hatch, inspired and influenced by Toyota’s return to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2017 with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and the Yaris WRC after a 17-year break from the competition. The WRC is the pinnacle of the sport and is sure to provide Toyota with new challenges and opportunities to further develop its people, explore new technologies, and experience various road conditions around the world, helping it in its pursuit of making ever-better cars.

The motorsport influence is displayed in dedicated performance features that broadcast the car’s special qualities, both in its exterior styling and its driver-focused interior. It also sports unique paint finish – white with red and black flash detailing on the bonnet and sills, echoing the livery of the thoroughbred rally car.

Toyota called on its European teams to design the Yaris GRMN and develop its engine and interior, while responsibility for the chassis and braking system fell to colleagues in Japan. Production will be handled by Toyota Motor Manufacturing France’s plant in Valenciennes.

Although successful GRMN performance models have previously been sold in Japan, the Yaris GRMN is the first to be marketed in Europe, on sale from early 2018.

Supercharged engine

The Yaris GRMN is unique in the European hot hatch market in being powered by a supercharged engine. This highly responsive 1.8-litre unit will produce more than 210 DIN hp, driving the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission and enabling best-in-class times both for the sprint from nought to 100 km/h and acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h in fourth gear.

Chassis and suspension

To ensure the engine’s prodigious power is translated into a genuinely rewarding drive, the Yaris GRMN has a reinforced chassis with additional bracing, including an extra bar between the front suspension towers.

It benefits from suspension tuned through extensive testing on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife with significant input from Toyota GAZOO Racing’s motorsport activities, plus a Torsen limited-slip differential for better traction and handling. Shorter springs allow the car to hug the ground more closely and these are teamed with dedicated shock absorbers developed with Sachs and a larger diameter front stabiliser bar.

The car is also equipped with highly efficient performance brakes, with large ventilated discs and four-pot front callipers.

Sports styling

The Yaris GRMN’s performance credentials are clearly broadcast in its styling. Offered exclusively in three-door form, it rides on BBS 17-inch multi-spoke alloys and is fitted with a bespoke, black wing-type rear spoiler.

The features included dedicated front and rear bumper designs, a rear diffuser and a distinctive centre exhaust tailpipe.

The cabin is an equal expression of the Yaris GRMN’s performance focus, with front sports seats designed specifically for the car by Toyota Boshoku, providing the best-in-class body holding and support.

The authentic performance details include a small-diameter, leather-wrapped steering wheel – shared with the GT86 – that incorporates a centre line mark to help the driver with accurate car positioning. There is also an aluminium sports pedal set and a redesigned combi meter that reflect the car’s special sporting character.