For many years, the Toyota Yaris was the small hatchback nobody cared about, bought only for its low price and supposed reliability. But two cataclysmic events changed all that, and this odd test mule is related to one of them.
In Europe, the Yaris got noticed last year when the GRMN model came out. It's a super-expensive limited edition model with the only 1.8-liter supercharged engine you'll find outside of Lotus. Toyota put it together as part of its ambitious sports model expansion, which features everything from body kits for the Corolla to the unique Century GRMN that the company president drives.
The other cataclysm is the recent changes in the company's American lineup. During the last days of Scion, the Yaris iA was launched as a re-branded version of the Mazda2 sedan. And earlier this month, a hatchback was also revealed, also based on Mazda hardware.
But yesterday, Toyota took to the Nurburgring with this prototype. it features flared out fenders, so many believe it's this is the mule for a next-generation Yaris tailored to the European market. But actually, everything points towards another crazy GRMN project. It's one of those totally awesome creations that make you say "wait, why did they make this?"
The color of the camouflage is the first clue, being the same one that the Supra wore during its development. Also, the fender flares make room for extra-wide tires on 18-inch wheels, which a normal next-gen Yaris wouldn't need. And at the back, we see a new dual exhaust system, hinting that Toyota sees untapped potential in the supercharged engine or maybe has something completely new (less likely).
According to older reports, the new Yaris will come out as a Vitz model in Japan at the Tokyo Motor Show this October. Meanwhile, the European model, which is expected to be bigger than before, will take until late 2020 to develop.
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. Full profile
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