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All-New Toyota Yaris Spied at the Nurburgring in Hybrid and Sport Forms

Back in April, Toyota engineers took to the Nurburgring with a Yaris prototype so wild that we believed it to be a more hardcore version of the GRMN hot hatch. However, these latest spyshots suggest the company really was working on an all-new generation, which has been captured at the same track in two configurations.
All-New Toyota Yaris Spied at the Nurburgring in Hybrid and Sport Forms 28 photos
Photo: SB-Medien
The shape of this new car is quite striking, designed unlike any other supermini launched in the past decade or so. It looks like the body size is roughly the same as the older model, but with the wheels pushed out to each corner. We haven't seen this type of super flared out fenders since the Clio RS 197.

One of the models is supposedly called the Yaris Sport. It's wearing the trademark camouflage of the GRMN brand, as well as some bold golden wheels. Its bodywork is quite aggressive, with creases and intakes all over the place. However, it has no visible exhaust pipe, so it's probably not a hot hatch in the traditional sense.

The other model is supposedly the new Yaris Hybrid. Although its fenders are just as flared out, the rest of its bodywork is more conventional. Considering how popular the older generation was in Europe, we wouldn't be surprised if this is the model they focus on the most.

This feels like Toyota is trying to give its supermini a new identity, a bit like how it's done with other TNGA-based products such as the Corolla. However, its impact in Europe is probably still going to be limited because its rivals are better established. When it comes to overseas markets, this could be sold as the Vitz in Japan, even though Asia has another separate Yaris model. Meanwhile, America is a no-go, as they just got a hatchback version of the Mazda2-based Yaris.

Engine-wise, we expect only two configurations, namely the 1.2-liter turbo and the 1.5-liter hybrid, with a CVT being optional on one and standard for the other. As you can probably tell, this matches perfectly with the two body styles we see in our spyshots.

The interior was also briefly captured in by our Nurburgring carparazzi and shows a big screen tacked onto the top of the dash, much like you get in the RAV4 or Corolla.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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