Toyota gr yaris m concept

Is the Bonkers Mid-Engine Toyota GR Yaris M Concept a Preview of the New MR2?

Somnath Chatterjee
By Somnath Chatterjee - News

Published:

Readtime: 3 min

Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here.

  • The Toyota GR Yaris M Concept has debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon.
  • The hot hatch features a larger four-cylinder inline turbo-petrol engine than previous models.
  • Toyota has not confirmed when and if the concept will be made commercially available.

You might have heard of mid-engine supercars but a mid-engine hatchback? Believe it or not, there have been a few over the years (just look at the wild Renault Clio V6), and if the new GR Yaris M concept is anything to go by, Toyota intends to rekindle some of that madness. At the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this month, the Japanese carmaker gave us a fascinating glimpse at the future of its Gazoo Racing sub-brand and let us be the first to say—the future is looking good.

Now, we all know that the GR Yaris is a feisty hot hatch with a 1.6-litre turbo three-cylinder unit stuck at the front, but this concept is a bit different. The folks at the Gazoo Racing Division have plonked in a larger four-cylinder inline turbo-petrol and shifted the placement to the middle. This is intended to give the Yaris GR M a better balance and make it an even more potent performance car.

Toyota GR Yaris M Concept unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon | Image: Toyota
Toyota GR Yaris M Concept unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon | Image: Toyota

According to Toyota, the reason for the change is, somewhat unsurprisingly, motorsport. The concept is expected to compete in the Super Taikyu endurance racing series later this year, with the automaker noting that it will be “repeatedly driven to failure and then repaired in the extreme conditions of racing, with feedback from Morizo and professional drivers incorporated”.

Not much has been spilled regarding the specifications, but you can expect a lot more power than the current 280 horsepower, and weight seems to have been stripped off with a roll cage being added in. With less weight to lug around and more power along with the newfound mid-engine poise, the GR Yaris M could turn out to be an entirely different driving experience altogether.

Toyota GR Yaris M Concept unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon | Image: Toyota
Toyota GR Yaris M Concept unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon | Image: Toyota

Toyota says it wants to explore the GR Yaris’s potential further by using its ‘driver-first’ carmaking, where cars are repeatedly driven to destruction and then repaired in extreme conditions. This is not the first time that Toyota has dabbled with the idea of a mid-engine hot hatch; in 2008, it made the equally bonkers Toyota Aygo Crazy, with the engine plucked from a Celica, no less.

We hope this mid-engine Yaris GR M will not just remain a concept, and a limited production run in the future would be a tantalising prospect. In this case, it could also be Toyota previewing its new mid-engine MR2 which is rumoured to also have the same new 2.0-litre turbo petrol unit. The new generation MR2, due in 2026, would also have an all-wheel-drive system and a more exotic styling theme. All in all, it seems that Toyota has plenty in store for the enthusiasts, with a bevy of exciting metal coming our way in the years to come.

Somnath Chatterjee

Contributor

Somnath Chatterjee

Somnath Chatterjee is an experienced car journalist and current automotive editor of ABP News Live. His supercar reviews, interviews and industry features have appeared in global publications such as Upscale Living, Robb Report and Yahoo Lifestyle Asia. Somnath specialises in ...