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Rally · Hot hatches

Toyota GR Yaris

Toyota Gazoo Racing · 2020

A rally car that had to become a road car—so Toyota built it by hand, not on a line.

Worth your time?4.5/5Yes.Drive the whole thing.What works, what does not, who it is for ↓
9:44in productionCh. 1 · Not a badge job/ 9:44 · ceiling 15 min
4 chapters · 9:44Ceiling 15:00

The brief is written and checked. The video joins this page when it is cut.4 chapters · 1 min read · 9:44 planned

Read the brief

The GR Yaris is a rally-homologated, three-door hatchback built by hand at Toyota’s GR Factory in Motomachi since September 2020. It uses a bespoke 1.6L turbo three-cylinder engine and was produced in volumes exceeding WRC requirements. It is sold globally except in North America.

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Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:21
    Not a badge job

    It is Toyota’s first in-house GR production car, built at the dedicated GR Factory inside Motomachi.

  2. 2:32
    Built to race, sold to comply

    It exists because Toyota needed 25,000 units to homologate a WRC car—not because the market asked for it.

  3. 4:09
    No conveyor belts. No compromises.

    Its G16E-GTS engine is Gazoo Racing–built, and its assembly begins in September 2020 at Motomachi’s station-based GR Factory.

  4. 5:49
    Global, but not universal

    It launched at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon and sells across Europe, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, and the Middle East—but not in the US or Canada.

1 more chapterFewer chapters
Worth your time?

Yes. Drive the whole thing.

4.5/ 5
What works
  • wrc-homologation-integration
  • bespoke-engine-deployment
  • station-based-assembly
What does not
  • north-america
  • all-wheel-drive-everywhere
  • mainstream-availability
Drive it if
  • rally-enthusiasts
  • driver-focused-buyers
  • manual-assembly-appreciators
Skip it if
  • us-canada-buyers
  • track-day-only-drivers
  • brand-badge-collectors
Who should drive it, and who should skipHide who it is for
The written brief1 min read

What the car is and where it came from

The Toyota GR Yaris is a sport compact car manufactured since 2020 by Toyota with assistance from Gazoo Racing, launched as the second GR-branded car and the first produced by Toyota.

How it works, in terms someone would actually use

It is a three-door hatchback with a bespoke 1.6L turbo three-cylinder engine, built for rally homologation and assembled manually at stations in the GR Factory.

What it gets right

It gets right the integration of WRC engineering into a road-legal hatchback: lightweight body, bespoke engine, manual assembly, and purpose-built layout.

What it does not

It does not offer all-wheel drive in every market; it does not exist in the United States or Canada; it does not share its platform or powertrain with any other Yaris.

What it changed

It established Toyota’s first in-house GR-branded production car and redefined what a factory-built hot hatch could be: rally-derived, not track-tuned, and assembled without a conveyor belt.

Who it is for, and who it is not

It is for enthusiasts who want a rally-homologated, driver-focused hatchback built by experienced technicians—and not for buyers expecting mainstream availability, AWD as standard everywhere, or North American dealer support.

Is it worth your time

Yes—if you value a compact, rally-bred hatchback built by hand to meet WRC rules, and you live outside North America.

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9:22
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12:37
Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185Toyota · 1989The ST185 is the second generation of the Celica GT-Four, built from September 1989 to September 1993 as the road-going base for Toyota's WRC cars. It carries a turbocharged 3S-GTE engine and a full-time 4WD system, and the homologation GT-Four RC followed in 1991. In rallying it won the Drivers' Championship in 1992, and the Manufacturers' and Drivers' titles in 1993 and 1994.
10:00
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