Should Toyota Build a GR Yaris Cross Sporty CUV, and Could It Look Like This, Please?

With mere hours before the Japanese automaker finally unleashes the first images and details pertaining to the popular mid-sizer that will brawl with powerful foes like the newly standalone D41 Nissan Frontier, the all-new Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon siblings, or the recently introduced US-spec for the 2024 Ford Ranger and Ranger Raptor, you would think that no other Toyota is on our radar.

Well, truth be told, we actually agree for once that the Rising Sun carmaker has focused a bit too much on the American side of the Atlantic Ocean with new introductions like the S235 sixteenth-generation Crown, now a crossover-style sedan, the Prius 'Hybrid Reborn,' including in plug-in hybrid Prime form, the drop of the little C-HR in favor of the larger Corolla Cross Hybrid, the arrival of the 2024 Grand Highlander family-oriented three-row crossover SUV, or the impending introduction of the adventurous Trailhunter trims.

Meanwhile, things couldn't be staler on the Old Continent as the latest model introduction comes from early March, and even that one was merely the new Aygo X Undercover special edition! Still, they cannot complain too much as deliveries surged by 2.5% during the first quarter of the year for Toyota Motor Europe. However, that's kind of feeble, so maybe they should start thinking about improving sales even better. In case they consult with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, one possible solution would be to reveal a new high-performance hero.

Remember America's recent focus on the Corolla Cross? Well, across the big pond, there is also a smaller Yaris Cross to keep it company in the city. And Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, has recently taken up the task of revealing an unannounced sporty CUV - in CGI. Dubbed the 2024 or 2025 Toyota 'GR Yaris Cross,' this is obviously a Gazoo Racing series expansion based on the popular Yaris Cross sprinkled with GR Yaris hot hatchback DNA.

And, frankly, it would not be illogical to assume that it might have an even more significant appeal than the three-door GR Yaris if it ever becomes available. After all, the latter is confined to diehard enthusiast circles where all that matters is the GR-Four AWD, the turbo three-cylinder with over 260 ponies, and the exact corner carving enabled by its go-kart dimensions. Meanwhile, a GR Yaris Cross could expand the appeal to passionate folks with families – who would probably love to take the kids to school and practice during the week and their significant others, plus a couple of friends, to the track or for a canyon-carving session during the weekends.