It’s been a busy start to 2025 for the Toyota GR Yaris, and it’s about to get busier. This is the ‘Aero Package Prototype’ previewed by Japanese automaker at its recent Kenshiki event. It gains small improvements in a bid to try and help this rorty hot hatch find even more pace.
That new rear wing is manually adjustable and helps pile on some extra downforce as and when required, and the bulgier hood gets a deep inlet to provide more cooling for the 1.6-liter turbo three-cylinder. In fact, there are lots of extra inlets scattered around the body, like behind the front wheel arches and along the lower side of the rear splitter.
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The other big addition is a vertical handbrake. If you’re unfamiliar with vertical handbrakes, they’re ideal for locking the rear wheels to prompt a bit of sideways going... as if the Yaris needs any more encouragement to wag its tail.
No changes are mentioned to the output, so it makes 276hp, 390Nm , a 0-100kph time of around 5.2s and a top speed of 230kph. That means the Aero Package likely won’t make it any faster in a straight line, rather, aim to find tenths in corners.
In other news, Toyota has confirmed it’s using the ‘M Concept’ it previewed earlier this year as the test bed for its new 2.0-liter turbo-four engine. We’ve no idea how much power it produces, but combining a bigger powertrain and these aero modifications to the already brilliant GR Yaris recipe makes for a mouthwatering prospect.
Toyota is also prepping the Yaris for an assault on Japan’s Super Taikyu series and a run out in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, using motorsport as a means of refining its new Direct Automatic Transmission system. Supposedly, it delivers even snappier downshifts than either the six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearboxes currently on offer.
Exciting times to be a GR Yaris, we thinks.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
