Toyota is reportedly working on a hotter version of its already spicy Yaris GR. Reputable Japanese magazine Best Car has it on good authority an updated variant of the high-performance subcompact hatchback will be unveiled sometime this fall with a more potent engine. It’s also said to receive styling tweaks compared to the current model unveiled in early 2020. Production is reportedly slated to commence at the beginning of next year.
Sources close to Toyota have told Best Car the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine will be massaged to deliver precisely 300 horsepower while torque is going to be rated at 272 pound-feet (370 Newton-meters). That would give it a 28-hp advantage over the Yaris GRMN unveiled at the beginning of 2022 as a Japan-only special edition capped at 500 units. This rumored GR Yaris would still be down on torque by 15 lb-ft (20 Nm) compared to the full-fat GRMN that had 287 lb-ft (390 Nm).
This apparently isn’t the only change planned by Toyota as the 2024 GR Yaris is said to receive a newly developed eight-speed automatic transmission. That would hardly be a surprise as a prototype was showcased back in March 2022 at the Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally Challenge. The report states it’ll come with paddle shifters and a new “lock-up system,” so it’ll be a torque-converter automatic.
Additional hardware changes will include revisions to the suspension and brakes, along with even greater body rigidity. The revised model will go through a nip and tuck with new bumpers and a bigger rear spoiler. Inside, an updated screen borrowed from the larger GR Corolla is planned.
Naturally, all these goodies will come at a cost as pricing is said to go up in Japan where Toyota also sells a watered-down GR Yaris RS with just 118 horsepower, front-wheel drive, and a CVT.
