When was the last time you saw a mid-engined Toyota? The ghost of the legendary MR2 echoes in the now battle-tested Toyota GR Yaris M concept, which has run its first race at the 2025 Eneos Super Taikyu Series.
The results of the endurance race have yet to be released, but the track debut of the mid-engined GR Yaris M may open the doors for future midship Toyota models—especially amidst reports about the MR2’s revival.
Engineers and Toyota Gazoo Racing, as well as company chairman Akio Toyoda—known as Morizo on the circuit—were prompted to “fundamentally change” the behavior of the GR Yaris in order to give the driver more control over the car. What was produced was a 4WD midship hot hatch dubbed the M concept—standing for ‘midship’ and ‘Morizo.’
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Now racing with better weight distribution, the GR Yaris M has significantly optimized tire efficiency while reducing understeer when cornering.
Tucked in the back is Toyota’s relatively new G20E powerplant. It’s a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine that makes 395hp, but has likely been modified to push out up to 600hp in this race series. Still, the road-legal 395hp is much peppier than the 276hp in the locally available GR Yaris.
The M concept was first unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year, with buzz circulating around a full production plan. For the uninitiated, cars entering the Super Taikyu Series need to have production models, either currently available or in development. With the 2025 Japan Mobility Show this week, Toyota could surprise everyone with a new mid-engine hot hatch.
