Toyota has taken the Tokyo Auto Salon by storm by revealing three Yaris models built for pure excitement. The standout of this trio is the Yaris M Concept, a car featuring a mid-mounted engine.
According to Toyota Gazoo Racing, the purpose of this mid-engine hatch is to explore the potential of the GR Yaris. The 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder turbocharged engine will power the hot hatch as TGR competes in the Super Taikyu Series.
The intriguing part is that TGR wants to drive this GR Yaris until failure over and over again. This way, they can make repairs under the “extreme conditions” of racing. They can also receive feedback from professional racers and Chairman Akio Toyoda, aka Master Driver Morizo.
Toyota did not provide the full look at the all-wheel-drive Yaris M Concept during the Tokyo Auto Salon, an event built for the Japanese auto industry. After all, the hatch had a wrap designed to disguise some of its features.
However, Toyota Gazoo Racing showed off the turbocharged engine that replaces the 3-cylinder, 1.6-liter turbo from the front-engine models. According to Forbes, Toyota said that the Yaris M Concept’s engine generates over 400 horsepower. The race-spec version generates over 600 horsepower.
Toyota revealed two other special Yaris concepts
The Yaris M Concept was the biggest draw of the Toyota Gazoo Racing lineup, but it was not the only hot hatch in attendance. TGR also revealed two other race-inspired models.
The GR Yaris Aero Package is a concept vehicle built on collaboration between TGR and professional race car drivers. It has six performance aerodynamic parts built to address issues on the track.
TGR did not reveal all of the aerodynamic parts on the GR Yaris Aero Package. However, the automaker confirmed the concept car has a consumer-favorite vertical handbrake and a variable rear wing.
The other hatch on display was the GR Yaris (NÜR 24h). This is a car that TGR will use to enter the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. This hatch features the Direct Automatic Transmission that Toyota put in the GR Corolla for the new model year.
Morizo and professional drivers put in extensive time working to prepare this GR Yaris for the upcoming endurance race in June. TGR says that they drove this hatch on a variety of roads in Japan and around the world. They also took it to the Nürburgring circuit as part of the testing process.