We are only days away from the Tokyo Auto Salon 2022 and Toyota couldn’t be missing from the teaser party. The Japanese automaker teased not one but two very cool premieres – the highly rumored hotter variant of the GR Yaris plus a new racing-dedicated concept car that is called the GR GT3 Concept.
Starting with the GR Yaris, we are
probably talking about the track-focused variant which has been spied testing
at the Nurburgring several times in the past year. Toyota describes it as “the
fully tuned model of the GR Yaris” but it is likely that we are talking about a
production version. From the teaser, we can see a vented hood, a large rear
spoiler, and a redesigned bumper with canards and a prominent splitter. Other
additions could include intakes on the front fenders, lighter wheels, and a new
rear diffuser.
Toyota is coy on details but the tuned hot
hatch could be fitted with a more powerful version of the turbocharged
1.6-liter three-cylinder engine, which in stock form produces 257 hp or 268 hp, depending on the market. Reports from Japan were talking about
the addition of a hybrid system, inspired by the electrified GR Yaris Rally1
that will be racing in WRC starting this year. The GR GT3 Concept is quite
mysterious since it appears to be different from the GR Supra racecars. Its
proportions tell us that it could use a front-engined RWD layout, with a long
bonnet, fender intakes, a sloping roofline, and a large rear spoiler. We can
also see part of the LED lighting units which look like no other Toyota model.
Toyota describes it as a “racing-dedicated
concept car that incorporates the knowledge and refined technologies Toyota
Gazoo Racing has gained in the field of motorsports” so it will likely be a
one-off design study for show purposes. Having said that, we shouldn’t rule out
the possibility of inspiring future production models, both in terms of styling
and technology. The tuned Toyota GR Yaris and the GR GT3 Concept will premiere
together on January 14 which is the press day of the Tokyo Auto Salon 2022.
Then they will be exhibited for the public at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City,
between January 15 and 16, alongside Toyota GR racecars from different
championships (WEC, Super GT, Japanese Super Formula, JRC, etc). Toyota will
also show the 2022 lineup of GR Heritage Parts that have already been announced
for the Supra A70/A80 and the AE86 Corolla Levin / Sprinter Trueno.
