Toyota Europe teases Yaris GR-4 ahead of launch

KUALA LUMPUR: Toyota Europe has teased a car dubbed as Yaris GR-4 by its official Twitter handle. The high-performance Yaris is going to be launched on 17th November at the upcoming Rally Australia as per the tweet.

Though the spec-sheet is a complete mystery at the moment, reportedly, it will come as a rally specific all-wheel-drive Yaris hot hatch. Reports also suggest that it will debut as a prototype, same as GR Supra’s arrival at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Moreover, Toyota Gazoo Racing also posted a Tweet.

It was expected at the time when in September, Toyota and Subaru agreed on a new capital alliance. It was also declared then that we can expect new products from the merger. During the announcement of the new capital alliance, Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota, said: “I, myself, am a rallyist, and, through my experience of training hard in an Impreza, I have felt in my veins the wonders of Subaru’s AWD technologies.”

The teased Yaris GR-4 is based on the European-market Yaris, which is the successor to the GRMN. However, comparatively, it will come with more aggressive aerodynamics and a wider rear track. Furthermore, according to a source, Yaris GR-4 will be Gazoo Racing’s entry for the 2020 World Rally Championship, which is a valid reason why Gazoo Racing has also posted the tweet.

The name GR-4 may be implying that the car will contain a four-cylinder engine in place the regular three-pot mills. Maybe the extra power is for the sporty intentions of the vehicle. However, the standard model, on which Yaris GR-4 is based, comes with 1.0- and 1.5-litre three-cylinder engines along with a hybrid version of the larger one.

As for now, no further information is available. Stay tuned with Zigwheels for the latest update on the Yaris GR-4.

Also Read: Say hello to new 2020 Toyota Yaris