Like so many new hatchbacks, Toyota’s
latest is just begging for the hot-hatch treatment. And that’s just what we
have here – albeit in speculative form.
Published by X-Tomi Design is a rendering of what
the new Auris could look like were it to be given the GRMN workover like the
smaller Yaris has. It’s festooned with a more aggressive aero package, bigger
wheels, and special graphics. And we have to say that it rather looks the part.
What would sit underneath it all, of course, we
don’t know. This is just a rendering. For what it’s worth, the new Auris
revealed in Geneva last week will be offered with either a 1.2-liter turbo rated at 114 horsepower, or two hybrid
powertrains: a 1.8 good for 120 hp, or a 2.0 with 178.
A full-on performance version would likely need a
2.0-liter turbo four delivering at least 220 hp if it were to take on the
Volkswagen Golf GTI – 300 if it were to challenge the Golf R. But we’re just
speculating here, as much as the rendering is.
