It's one of the most anticipated performance cars of the year, and overseas details place us one step closer to knowing its local pricing.
Revealed in January, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris looks set to raise the bar for pint-sized supermini hot hatches. Its little-but-big 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder is one of the most powerful ever produced, making 200kW of power and 370Nm of torque in its European designation.
Unlike most of its rivals based on size, the Yaris sends that power to all four wheels — making it the brand's first four-wheel drive sports car since the Celica GT-Four.
Overnight, GR Yaris pricing in Germany and the UK was confirmed. In Germany, it'll start at €33,200 ($59,169 on current exchange rates) and in the UK it'll start at £29,995 ($61,226). The UK also gets a Circuit Pack edition, which is priced at £33,495 ($68,832).
In other words, the Yaris shouldn't be expected to play in the same pricing sandpit as the likes of Volkswagen's $38,490 Polo GTI or Ford's $35,490 Fiesta ST. Instead, it's much more likely to be knocking on the door of the $59,990 Honda Civic Type R and Renault Megane RS.
Read more: Four-wheel drive Toyota GR Yaris hot hatch confirmed for NZ market
Those who sit there fawning over power figures will see this as counter-intuitive from Toyota. Not only are the Civic and Renault (and the i30 N, Golf GTI and co) much more practical vehicles, but they're also more powerful — albeit by only 28kW and 4kW respectively.
What makes the Yaris a bit different is just how bespoke it is compared to its standard cousin. The Type R and Megane RS have tweaked platforms compared to their standard variants, too, but the don't compare to the differences in the Yaris. Its platform is a hybrid of two different sets of TNGA architecture, and a lot of its pumped-up body is constructed out of carbon fibre. Not to mention, unlike the Honda and Renault, it is four-wheel drive.
We asked Toyota New Zealand about whether local pricing was available, and unsurprisingly it's still a little too far out for that to be confirmed. A spokesperson did however suggest that it'll be revealed sometime in mid-2020.
“This new addition to the Yaris range will live up to Akio Toyoda’s promise to build fun-to-drive cars,” said Toyota New Zealand Chief Operating Officer, Neeraj Lala, in January.
“We can’t wait to get it here at the end of this year. With TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s input into the development and testing of this new GR Yaris, it is an exciting addition to our small car line-up.”
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