The Toyota GR Yaris has been welcomed by enthusiasts, but Toyota may soon take steps to help it appeal to even more drivers. Early next year, at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the brand will reportedly unveil a version of the hot hatch equipped with an automatic transmission. The GR Yaris is currently offered exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission. However, Toyota has been working on a new eight-speed transmission that it calls the GR-DAT, or “Direct Auto Transmission,” which it believes will offer drivers an engaging enough experience.
Already in use in a prototype GR Yaris
racecar, no less a source than Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda called it a
“game-changer.” Japan’s Mag X reports that it will soon be installed in a
production model called the GR Yaris RZ-H, which will be revealed at the Tokyo
Auto Salon, which runs from January 12-14.
Billed as a gearbox that bridges the gap
between the engaging but hard-to-learn manual, and the easy-to-use but
imprecise automatic, Toyoda said the transmission helped shave enough time off
his laps that he was able to keep up with professional drivers like Hiroaki
Ishiura, who was also given the opportunity to test the technology.
