Toyota Gazoo Racing has revealed footage from the recent debut of a rally-tuned GR Yaris hatchback in Tokyo. Aside from Jari-Matti Latvala, the leader of the Toyota Racing Team, the company’s 65-year-old CEO, Akio Toyoda, also showed off his driving skills.
Named the GR Yaris Rally1 WRC, the prototype still wears camo and has undisclosed technical parameters. From what we can see, however, it sports new air intakes, a body kit and a giant rear wing.
Jari-Matti Latvala was the first to drive the prototype, but he was later accompanied by Toyoda in a road-legal Yaris. After a few laps, Latvala returned to the track and accompanied Toyoda for a while as they drifted and burned some rubber side by side.
The Toyota GR Yaris premiered in early 2020 with the world’s most powerful three-cylinder turbo rated at 272 PS (268 hp / 200 kW). It repeatedly claimed the title of the Car of the Year in various shows and from various media celebrities, including ex-Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson.