Fernando Alonso Reviews Toyota GR Yaris (2020)

The new GR Yaris is a pure performance car, born from Toyota’s title-winning experience in the World Rally Championship. Forged from success in the heat of competition, it brings motorsport technology and design directly to the world of the road car, true to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s ethos for making ever-better cars that are intrinsically rewarding and fun to drive.

Positioned at the top of the all-new Yaris range, the GR Yaris is a unique model that benefits from the design and engineering skills of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and Tommi Mäkinen Racing, Toyota’s partner in the WRC. As well as serving as the official homologation model for development of the next Yaris WRC car, it also has all the attributes required for owners looking to compete successfully in local rally competitions. Scheduled for launch in the second half of 2020, it will follow the GR Supra as Toyota’s second global GR model.

Presenting the GR Yaris at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon, GAZOO Racing President Shigeki Tomoyama said: “One of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s commitments is to use motorsport to refine its knowhow and its personnel, with the aim of launching world-class production sports cars. While the new GR Supra is a sports car developed through track racing, the GR Yaris has been devised through our participation in rallies – something that many of our fans have been waiting for.”

Every aspect of the car has a performance focus: an all-new platform and engine, new suspension, lightweight construction and aerodynamic styling and a new GR-FOUR permanent all-wheel drive system. With high power and low weight, it has all the credentials for competition success, and for delivering exhilarating performance as a super-hot hatch for the road.



Heritage

The new GR Yaris is Toyota’s first genuine all-wheel drive sports car and its first homologation model for World Rally Championship competition since the end of production of the Celica GT-FOUR in 1999.

Across two generations and three models, the Celica GT-FOUR featured in Toyota’s most successful WRC campaigns, a golden age of rallying that brought the company 30 rally victories, four drivers’ championship titles and one manufacturers’ championship. In a reference to its illustrious predecessor and its all-wheel drive technology, the GR Yaris features a GR-FOUR logo on its tailgate.

As a homologation model, the GR Yaris will support the development of a new competition car for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team’s WRC campaign. Since rejoining the championship in 2017, Toyota has won both the manufacturers’ championship, in 2018 and, with Ott Tänak, the drivers’ championship in 2019.



Development Priorities

The WRC-skilled team of designers and engineers at Tommi Mäkinen Racing focused on perfecting the aerodynamics, weight distribution and light weight of the new car – the three qualities essential to achieving the best performance and drivability.

A lower roofline improved the car’s ability to cut through the air, while positioning the new 1.6 turbo engine further back towards the centre of the car and locating the battery in the boot helped produce a better chassis balance for improved handling, stability and responsiveness.

The three-door body shell is made from lightweight materials including carbon fibre polymer and aluminium, to deliver an impressive power-to-weight ratio, while the new platform allows for a wider rear track and new double wishbone rear suspension system. The team also devised reinforcements beneath the side members to ensure the suspension’s performance potential can be realised.

Видео Fernando Alonso Reviews Toyota GR Yaris (2020) канала Motorward