‘Japan-only’ status for GRMN’s impressive wild child not necessarily a closed door.

SIGNATURE Class might logically provide the sole portal for securing the ultimate edition of Toyota’s hotshot GR Yaris hatch - and even that’ll likely be a long shot.

 Unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2022 today alongside a motorsport-aimed Gazoo Racing GT3 coupe Toyota NZ is making positives noises about, the long-awaited Yaris GRMN – for Gazoo Racing Meisters of Nurburgring - has stomped in as a mega-banzai bauble costing up to twice as much as the model sold here.

Also three-door but dressed even more wildly than the current car and thought to be more accelerative, due to having more torque and altered gearing, it’s also even more exclusive.

Just 500 are to be built, of which 50 will be in an ultra-special Circuit Pack. Alternately, buyers can dress one of the 450 into a Rally Pack.

Production begins soon and all cars will be out by the end of the year. 

It’s a big effort. Sadly, not one for the whole world.

The unexpected spin is that despite it being a model developed intensively by Gazoo’s international team, which is based at the namesake racetrack in Germany, availability appears restricted to Japan. With keen customers going into a ballot to achieve ownership.

So it’ll be a rare sight, even in the country where it will only be seen. 

That conceivably doesn’t rule out New Zealand’s chances, however.

Though it has not offered specific comment about the potential of securing this car through its authorised pre-owned vehicle channel, Toyota New Zealand has previously reminded that Signature Class offers opportunity to secure models that were not factory-assigned for global dissemination, not just in pre-owned state but also in as-new condition.

Enthusiast interest in the GRMN would undoubtedly be high, as the GR Yaris has become a hot item, with TNZ having sold just over 100 units since it released a year ago.

More have come in as used imports, delivered outside the national operation’s own programme. Because there is a waiting list for the factory-supplied cars, some imports have carried stickers well about the official $54,990 recommended retail.

The GRMN stands a hefty premium over the ‘mainstream’ model. In entry format, the tag equates to $NZ93,500. This climbs to $108k for the Circuit Pack. The Rally Pack is slightly cheaper, by a few hundred bucks. 

That’s all for good reason.

THE GRMN very much earns the right to be identified as the ‘ultimate’ version of a road-legal model designed for an unrequited purpose of being the basis of a second-gen World Rally Championship contender for the 2021 season, the last year before transition to a new hybrid formula. (Covid put paid to the motorsport ambition; the team instead continued with the original and the new car never ran in anger – though it was, thankfully, released for public play).

To remind. The vital statistics of a GR Yaris are a 1.6-litre petrol turbocharged three-cylinder making 200kW and 370Nm, driving through a six-speed manual and all-wheel-drive. The model is 3995mm long, 1455mm high, 1805mm wide and has a 2558mm wheelbase. It rides on 18-inch alloy wheels.

This upgraded model has the same drivetrain, and power is identical, but torque climbs by 20Nm. It gets stiffer and lower suspension, vents in the front wheel arches, canards, and a large rear wing; the enhanced body is no higher, but is 35mm longer and 10mm wider. The wheelbase grows by 4mm. It’s also a bit lighter – dropping to 1250kg in one form - and stiffer (there are extra welds in the body structure) and the box achieves shorter ratios. plus there are dual mechanical limited slip differentials.

As expected, the interior loses the rear seat – which effects a 20kg weight saving. In place of that there’s a big brace.

Toyota says the idea is to create “the ultimate in lightweight sports AWD by applying a wide range of technologies and parts developed through motorsports to focus on weight reduction and enhanced body rigidity.

“The close-ratio gear transmission and a low final gear set has been refined in the field of motorsports. For gear ratios, close-ratio 1st to 4th gears makes efficient use of the engine power band, and low final gears for optimised driving force have been combined.”

Does that make it sound track-ready? Toyota suggests it should. The media comment makes specific mention of the transmission being reworked “to improve reliability during endurance races and other situations.” It says improvement to body rigidity “contributes to a significant improvement in circuit times.”

The bonnet, roof, and rear spoiler are in lightweight high-rigidity carbon (twill weave CFRP.

As with the GR Yaris, production will be carried out on a dedicated production line at Toyota’s Motomachi Plant.

Meantime, there’s also the GR GT3 Concept (above) to think about. Developed to evidence Gazoo Racing’s commitment to accelerating customer motorsport activities, this model is “aimed at more experienced customers participating in GT3 events, the pinnacle of customer motorsports.” 

The model has not yet been absolutely confirmed for availability, but potential of that happening seems high, given that Toyota Gazoo’s spokesman here is already seemingly thinking about how it might fit into the burgeoning national GT3 scene.

“The GT3 concept vehicle is an exciting step forward for TGR product,” says Andrew Davis, Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand general manager.

“As we have seen with the success of the Toyota 86 championship in New Zealand and the release of the GR Yaris , customers who race on the weekends want a car that can challenge their driving skills and is ultimately fun to drive.

“The GT3 race class provides a higher level of performance and is continuing to gain momentum in New Zealand motorsport, so we are excited to see this concept be revealed.” 

TGR says it intends to use feedback and technologies refined through participation in various motorsports activities to develop both GT3 and mass-production cars and further promote ever-better motorsports-bred cars.

Davies is also impressed by the GRMN Yaris, saying it will “… offer Japanese customers the enjoyment of race-car like continuous improvement by achieving real-time car evolution for each race through an update programme. 

“It will be interesting to see how the concept goes in Japan and how we may be able to apply any learnings into other motorsport activity both globally and locally.”

Also unveiled at Tokyo today was the bZ4X GR Sport Concept (above), based off Toyota’s first all-electric model, the bZ4X crossover that will on sale here around year-end. The bZ4X GR Sport Concept delivers “an elevated level of environmental performance and driving pleasure.” Large-diameter tyres, sports seats, and matte black exterior body panels are among the highlights of this concept vehicle.

Toyota’s upmarket Lexus marque, meantime, showed off an offroad styling styling of the plug-in hybrid NX 450h crossover and a ROV concept; basically a small Baja style buggy fuelled by hydrogen.

Lexus says the vehicles encapsulate its efforts to realize a carbon neutral society, expand customer choices, challenge to suggest diversifying and expanding lifestyles, and provide new values that exceed expectations. The aim is to balance the refined lifestyle and driving pleasure that cars provide our customers, while living in harmony with nature.

The NX PHEV Offroad Concept’s beefed up body styling “inspires an adventurous lifestyle with its lifted platform, off-road running all-terrain large diameter tires and beautifully finished customized bronze and matte black paint scheme.”

The ROV Concept, meanwhile, “goes beyond traditional on and off-road driving along with its compact body and aims to provide a driving experience in nature unlike any passenger vehicle.”