Toyota GRMN Yaris in development with 221kW, two seats – report

Buyers not content with the speed offered by the rally-bred 2021 Toyota GR Yaris could soon be presented with a solution, overseas reports suggest, in the form of the 2023 Toyota GRMN Yaris.

The first vehicle wearing Toyota's flagship GRMN (Gazoo Racing Meisters of the Nurburgring) badging since 2019, Japan's Car Sensor reports the GRMN Yaris is being considered for launch within the coming years as a more hardcore, track-focused version of Toyota's rally-bred GR Yaris hot hatch – already no slouch around a race track.

Prototypes of the GRMN Yaris have already been spied testing on Germany's Nurburgring circuit, with exterior upgrades over the standard GR Yaris said to include front canards, a larger front splitter, aerodynamic elements in front of the wheel arches, and a cooling vent behind the front wheels.

There's a tall rear wing towering over the tailgate, likely intended to reference Toyota's World Rally Championship efforts.

Car Sensor also suggests that a carbon-fibre bonnet could be offered to save weight – joining a carry-over carbon-fibre roof, and aluminium doors, bonnet and tailgate – while a rear-seat delete could also be on the cards, making the GRMN model a two-seater.

Under the bonnet, the Japanese publication reports the regular GR's 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol three-cylinder will be retuned to develop 221kW – matching the rumoured output for the upcoming, larger GR Corolla, and breaking the record set by the standard model for the world's most powerful production three-cylinder engine.

A torque output isn't quoted by the website – nor is a 0-100km/h time – though it's fair to speculate the former to nudge 400Nm (up from 370Nm), and the latter to break the five-second barrier (passing the 5.2-second time of the GR Yaris).

A six-speed manual transmission and manual handbrake are likely to be retained, according to Car Sensor, if only in a 'base' RS variant that would "make it easier to take part in Gymkhana".

The Japanese report also references the possibility for the standard GR's bespoke GR-Four all-wheel-drive system to be dropped in favour of the RAV4 SUV's 'e-4WD' setup, replacing a rear driveshaft with an electric motor on the rear axle.

However, the development costs required to develop a unique hybrid system for such a low-volume, non-exotic model makes this speculation unlikely.

Car Sensor doesn't provide a launch date for the Toyota GRMN Yaris – and goes some way to suggest the project has yet to be green-lit for production – but the frequency of Nurburgring spy shots (and the extent of the upgrades) suggests it isn't too far away.