Toyota has been promising for some time to unleash a
hot-hatch version of the Yaris. The time will finally come at the 2017
Geneva Motor Show just a couple of months from now.
This is the forthcoming
Yaris hot hatch, accompanied by one salient detail: it'll pack over 210
horsepower, putting it in prime position to dice it with the likes of the
Renaultsport Clio 200 and the 189-hp Volkswagen Polo GTI.
Unlike those five-door models, the hot Yaris
will pack three doors, and naturally feature other visual and performance
upgrades. As you can see, those will include upgraded rolling stock, enhanced
aero, and some splashy graphics reminiscent of the Japanese automaker's racing
livery.
The hot hatch will appear on Toyota's stage at the
Swiss auto expo alongside the new WRC-spec rally car that's set to debut at the
Monte Carlo Rally next week.
While Toyota's European division was releasing these
preliminary photos and details, its global headquarters revealed other
revisions to the Vitz (as the model's known in the Japanese Domestic Market).
Bearing subtle cosmetic modifications inside and out, the Vitz will now be
offered with a hybrid powertrain, just like the Yaris Hybrid offered in Europe.
Toyota will distinguish this
model from the Aqua (Japan's version of the similarly updated Prius C), we
don't know. But the 99-horsepower hybrid option will be offered in front-drive
form only, joining the 1.0- and 1.3-liter conventional powertrain options that
can be had with front- or all-wheel drive.