Here’s another exciting piece of news from Toyota for motorsports fans. In addition to the pair of electric AE86s, Toyota also revealed the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 Concept and two special editions Toyota GR Yaris RZ, the GR Yaris RZ “High-performance Sébastien Ogier Edition Concept” and GR Yaris RZ “High-performance Kalle Rovanperä Edition Concept”.
First, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 Concept. Based on the GR Yaris, it is a 4WD rally motorsport study model developed by Toyota, for the first time in 20 years, to compete in the WRC.
The concept is much lighter than the production vehicle (obviously) and is outfitted with rally-specific equipment, including the mandatory roll cage, an upgraded engine paired with a sequential transmission, specially tuned suspension and brakes, a rear wing, and more – all of which are in compliance with FIA regulations relating to Group Rally2 and WRC.
Under the hood, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 Concept is powered by a 1,618cc in-line 3-cylinder direct injection turbocharged engine, mated to a manual 5-speed gearbox. It is unclear how much horsepower this little guy puts out but whatever the number is, it is put to good use on all four wheels through a mechanical differential. It is a rally race car and so it is natural that the suspension is adjustable to suit tarmac and gravel grounds.
That’s all we know about the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 Concept for now.
Meanwhile, to further its commitment to the WRC, Toyota Gazoo Racing also introduced two special editions of GR Yaris models, the GR Yaris RZ “High-performance Sébastien Ogier Edition Concept” and GR Yaris RZ “High-performance Kalle Rovanperä Edition Concept”, developed under the supervision of TGR WRC Team members Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä.
For those who don’t already know, Ogier won the driver’s title in 2021 and Rovanperä bagged the title last year, in 2022.
Both models feature vehicle settings that match input from each rally driver and discerning attention paid to both their interior and exterior.
More details about these vehicles, including availability, will be announced later. Meanwhile, if you read Japanese, you can pick up more details HERE (you can also use auto-translate if you are using Chrome browser).
All images courtesy of Toyota [JP].
