The Yaris may be an economical car at its core, but the GR Yaris is a different animal altogether. With its 300 horsepower and all-wheel drive, it can play in the same category as the larger Corolla GR, equipped with the same 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine. For the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota made the Yaris even sexier by placing a more powerful powertrain behind the seats. Yes, this Yaris has a mid-engine.
Toyota has installed a new engine instead of the small “G16E-GTS” unit in the GR Yaris, GR Corolla and Lexus LBX Morizo RR. The turbocharged “G20E”, currently in development, has four cylinders and a displacement of 2.0 liters. The Japanese brand calls it an “underdeveloped” powertrain, which suggests it’s part of the “game-changing” new engine family that Toyota is developing. It is unclear whether the GR Yaris M Concept is rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Photo: Toyota
Photo: Toyota
Logic tells us that Toyota is unlikely to sell a mid-engine GR Yaris. The setup would make more sense for a dedicated sports car. After all, the Japanese manufacturer has made allusions to the return of the MR2. Furthermore, we might see the four-piston engine in other sports cars from the Gazoo Racing brand, perhaps the reborn Celica we always hear about. Furthermore, Toyota is committed to keeping the Supra in the lineup after the current generation retires.
In the meantime, Toyota will test the GR Yaris M by entering the pocket rocket in the Super Taikyu Series. The small efficient machine will be “ driven repeatedly until it broke down, then repaired in the extreme conditions of racing ».
