Toyota has brought a substantially revised GR Yaris M Concept to the Super Taikyu round at Okayama. Its experimental mid-engined, all-wheel-drive racer now wears a low, wide coupe-shaped body rather than the familiar hot-hatch silhouette. The engineers have also revised its aerodynamic layout, while information released over the race weekend confirms a switch to a six-speed manual gearbox.
The concept is part of Toyota's practice of developing unusual powertrain layouts in endurance competition. Instead of the road-going GR Yaris's front-mounted three-cylinder engine, the prototype carries a turbocharged 2.0-litre G20E four-cylinder unit mounted ahead of the rear axle. That arrangement changes the weight distribution as well as the car's exterior appearance.
Japan's Car Watch reported on 23 October that the development team had reshaped the body to lower the centre of gravity and produce more effective rear downforce with less aerodynamic drag. Earlier tests had exposed a tendency for the rear tyres to lose grip abruptly in fast cornering. Suspension geometry adjustments alone had not fully addressed the behaviour, so the team undertook more extensive structural work. The wider body and lower coupe roofline are therefore functional changes rather than simply a styling exercise.
A report the following day brought a further detail: the previous eight-speed GR-DAT automatic has been replaced by a six-speed manual. The car is also left-hand drive, a configuration Toyota says was chosen with broader development applications in mind. Akio Toyoda, racing under his Morizo name, returned to the wheel of the prototype during the Okayama weekend.
The striking shape has prompted comparisons with a possible future Toyota MR2, but the company has not announced a production model on this basis. Officially the entry remains the GR Yaris M Concept, even as its exterior moves ever further from the hatchback. For now, the purpose of the car is to test the rear-mid-engine package, all-wheel drive and revised chassis behaviour under racing conditions.