Toyota City, Japan, Mar 21, 2024 - (JCN Newswire) - TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) announced today that sales of its evolved GR Yaris are to start on April 8 through Toyota vehicle dealers across Japan. It also announced the start today of accepting applications in its purchasing lotteries for the GR Yaris RZ "High performance・Sébastien Ogier Edition" (Ogier Edition) and the GR Yaris RZ "High performance・Kalle Rovanperä Edition" (Rovanperä Edition)―two evolved GR Yaris special editions supervised by TGR World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) members Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä―limited to 100 units each through GR Garage locations nationwide.
The GR Yaris RZ "High performance" (6-speed manual transmission) (left) and GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID
The GR Yaris RZ "High performance・Sébastien Ogier Edition" (left) and GR Yaris RZ "High performance・Kalle Rovanperä Edition"
Ever-better motorsports-bred cars
TGR has continued to compete in various motorsports following the debut of the GR Yaris in 2020. It has been implementing "driver-first car-making" through repeated "breaking and fixing" in extreme environments and reflecting feedback from professional race drivers and evaluation drivers, as well as from Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman and Master Driver Akio Toyoda, a.k.a. Morizo. This time, under the slogan of "Thanks for breaking it" directed at the drivers who pushed the vehicle to its limits, and while continuing to take on challenges in the face of failures, TGR reflected drivers' opinions not only in the evolved GR Yaris' power unit but also in its body, interior, exterior, and elsewhere to comprehensively enhance vehicle performance.
For the development story of the evolved GR Yaris, please see: https://toyotagazooracing.com/jp/gr/yaris/challenge_stories/ (in Japanese)
Main features of the evolved GR Yaris
Based on Morizo's desire to provide the fun of driving to as many people as possible and expand the base of motorsports, the 8-speed GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission has joined the GR Yaris lineup. Also, recognizing that the cockpit plays a key role in delivering high-level driving performance, efforts were made with the help of professional race drivers to achieve an ideal sports car cockpit. In addition to reviewing the driving position, the control panel and display have been tilted 15 degrees toward the driver, with Super Taikyu Series and Japanese Rally Championship race cars serving as a motif, and visibility and operability have been refined, such as by positioning switches for ease of use even when the driver is harnessed to the seat.
For more information, visit https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/toyota/40543680.html.