Toyota already has the Supra and Hilux in its GR Sport range and now looks set to welcome the Yaris to the local family.
The WRC-inspired hot hatch churns out a whopping 200kW and 360Nm via its turbocharged 3-cylinder, 1.6-litre engine. All that power is sent to all four wheels via a GR-FOUR permanent 4WD system. Making the package even sweeter is the presence of a 6-speed manual transmission.
The body has also been lightened and this translates into a low kerb weight of just 1 280kg. This near perfect power-to-weight ratio allows the hatch to accelerate to 100km/h in under 5.5-seconds with a top speed of 230km/h. It very much creeps into VW Golf R territory.
South Africa’s Toyota Gazoo Racing website shows the Yaris marked for launch alongside the existing Supra and Hilux models. They also wet the appetite of many by giving petrolheads a short glimpse on social media of the latest performance offering to come out of Japan.
Any sort of local introduction will most likely take place as of next year.