Lighting the wick: Toyota to introduce the GR Yaris locally in mid-2021

12/01/2020 Africa, Sports, Technology, World

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• Introduction in South Africa planned for mid-2021.

• It will join GR Supra in Toyota’s GR product portfolio.

• Fir treest turbocharged AWD Toyota in SA history.

• For more motorsports stories, visit www.Wheels24.co.za

After many spy photos, rumors and questions, Toyota South Africa announced that it would bring the GR Yaris to the local market in mid-2021. The car draws heavily from Toyota Gazoo Racing’s WRC (World Rally Championship) program. It is the first fully Toyota sports car and the company’s first homologated model for WRC competition since the Celica GT-Four in 1999.

Toyota says the GR Yaris brings motorsports technology directly to the road car through a combination of its motorsport engineering and design expertise.

The GR Yaris is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine producing 200kW and 370Nm. This engine is the most powerful three-cylinder engine in the world and is mated to a new permanent GR-Four all-wheel drive system. Thanks to an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 156 kW / ton, the car can go from 0 to 100 km / h in 5.2 seconds. The maximum speed is 230 km / h.

A six-speed manual gearbox sends power to the wheels.

Performance credentials

Toyota says the lightweight and compact 200kW turbo engine adopts motorsport technologies to provide an exciting driving experience, including multiple oil jet piston cooling, machined intake ports and large-diameter exhaust valves. It is also equipped with direct and in-port fuel injection, high-speed combustion, a single-scroll ball bearing turbocharger, an aluminum oil cooler, and a large-capacity water pump and air filter.

The GR Yaris has a new dedicated platform that combines the front of the Toyota GA-B platform (Yaris) with the rear of the GA-C platform (Corolla). This accommodates a new suspension design and the GR-Four all-wheel drive system, while also aiming to contribute to the car’s stability and handling. Driver-selectable AWD settings are Normal (directing 40% of available torque to the rear wheels), Track (50% to the rear wheels), and Sport (70% to the rear wheels). The system will adjust the torque split automatically based on the driver’s actions, vehicle behavior, and road or track conditions.

According to Toyota, all elements of the new fully independent front and rear suspension setups have been optimized for performance, including the highly responsive dampers. MacPherson struts front struts are stiffer than the Yaris five-door hatch with newly developed knuckles and stiffer bushings for maximum control and stability.

Local introduction is currently planned for mid-2021, says Toyota SA. Detailed specs, pricing, and model range information will be released closer to the time of presentation.