Updated GR Yaris with Automatic debuts at Tokyo Auto Salon

Matador

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So.... The GR Yaris will no longer be fielded in next years WRC. With the covid 19 pandemic and debut of new Rally 1 regulations in 2022, it seems that it's not practical to concurrently develop this season's car, the GR WRC car for 2021 and the 2022 Rally 1 car.

This effectively renders the GR Yaris a homologation car that will never turn its wheel in anger at top level WRC competition, while also simultaneously making it probably the last ever rally homologation special (Rally 1 cars will not only be hybrid, but also be able to be built as prototype cars, not requiring them to be built from a road car).

I sincerely hope Toyota will be persueing an R5 program for the GR Yaris. While thankful to have the road car, it would be a downright shame for it to never see WRC competition.
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The way I understand it the GR Yaris will of course compete at the top level. Just in 2022 instead of 2021 which makes sense. They got rid of the unnecessary step of introducing a new car for a single year and then having to change it again the following year. Instead they are doing both things together now in 2022. The current car is still very competitive after all so there is no rush on that front.
 

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The way I understand it the GR Yaris will of course compete at the top level. Just in 2022 instead of 2021 which makes sense. They got rid of the unnecessary step of introducing a new car for a single year and then having to change it again the following year. Instead they are doing both things together now in 2022. The current car is still very competitive after all so there is no rush on that front.
That's what I thought at first, however, if you take a look at the regs for 2022, you'll realize what I'm saying is correct. It will likely look very much like a GR Yaris...... but it will also be far removed from one.
 

Galerion

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That's what I thought at first, however, if you take a look at the regs for 2022, you'll realize what I'm saying is correct. It will likely look very much like a GR Yaris...... but it will also be far removed from one.
But that was always going to be the case. The road car is just a base for the racing version to be built on. It still will be closest thing that you can buy to a modern Rallye car for the street though.

Here is also another video of a fun drive in a prototype.

 

Matador

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But that was always going to be the case. The road car is just a base for the racing version to be built on. It still will be closest thing that you can buy to a modern Rallye car for the street though.

Here is also another video of a fun drive in a prototype.

2022 cars are going to be space frame cars. This is a world away from actual homologation type cars and their racing counterparts.

That being said, yes, of course it will be the closest thing to a modern rally car you can buy for the street (as that concept slowly fades into history)
 

KahnBB6

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That concept should never just fade into history. Even when rally cars are no longer powered by gasoline the FIA, WRC, etc. should design their rules to encourage the production of homologation rally specials. *Should*.

Personally this represents my favorite style and class of racing and to see it all go the way of NASCAR in terms of the similarities between the race cars and road car model names upon which they are ā€œbasedā€ bring nonexistent makes me sad.

Seeing archived videos of Group B races and growing up with 1990ā€™s FIA and WRC races on TV I find it a hard passion to shake.

Iā€™m glad Toyota got to engineer another true production rally car and spiritual successor to the Celica GT-Four. I really hope the Yaris GR-Four and Corolla GR-Four arenā€™t the last from Toyota.
 

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That concept should never just fade into history. Even when rally cars are no longer powered by gasoline the FIA, WRC, etc. should design their rules to encourage the production of homologation rally specials. *Should*.

Personally this represents my favorite style and class of racing and to see it all go the way of NASCAR in terms of the similarities between the race cars and road car model names upon which they are ā€œbasedā€ bring nonexistent makes me sad.

Seeing archived videos of Group B races and growing up with 1990ā€™s FIA and WRC races on TV I find it a hard passion to shake.

Iā€™m glad Toyota got to engineer another true production rally car and spiritual successor to the Celica GT-Four. I really hope the Yaris GR-Four and Corolla GR-Four arenā€™t the last from Toyota.
I suppose you can take solace in the fact that this will only be for Rally1 (WRC ) class cars, and Rally2 (R5) cars should still follow the ld school format?
 

KahnBB6

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I suppose you can take solace in the fact that this will only be for Rally1 (WRC ) class cars, and Rally2 (R5) cars should still follow the ld school format?
Hey, Iā€™ll take it. Itā€™s something. Although WRC is a much bigger and more popular class than R5.

Donā€™t get me wrong. I will still keep an eye on the WRC class but it will be a *little bit* more like F1 if there will no longer be a direct relationship between a companyā€™s road cars and their competition rally cars.

Even during the nearly unrestricted Group B era there seems to still have been this direct relationship between the road cars and even the most heavily modified competition versions of those same cars. And F1 is exceptional in its own right because of the bleeding edge of technology that is developed into those cars.

Itā€™s just far more exciting when the cars being raced are sold in somewhat attainable road going versions for general public consumption.
 

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A few new videos from Japan have arrived. Most of them don't show that much stuff we haven't seen before but this one is interesting.





Starting at 4:50 he showcases a version that has a bodykit, decals and a different exhaust installed. Might be purchasable in the same way Hyundai does it with the N-parts.


This video is also the first one where we see one on actual streets and not on closed off race tracks or events


 

Galerion

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I just ordered mine. High Performance version in Pearl White. Non-committal delivery date is April 2021 so yeah it will still probably be a while until I actually get it but I was rarely so excited about a new car. Pretty much everything I like about a car united in one package.
:dance:
 

Galerion

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A slew of new stuff to see

First it looks like Rocket Bunny got something planned for the car too

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You can now also take a look at all the official upgrade parts that Toyota will produce for the GR Yaris. A video showing all the stuff is also available. Right now everything is in Japanese but at least translating the first site is no problem.


https://toyotagazooracing.com/jp/gr/yaris/customize/
https://toyotagazooracing.com/pages/contents/jp/gr/assets/pdf/gr_parts.pdf


Prices are decent too. I know other manufactures who would ask a lot more for all of this.
There will also be an online event on September 16th as a celebration to the GR Yaris launch.

 
 




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