New Toyota GR Yaris M Concept revealed: will this be the beginning of a new MR2?

• New Toyota GR Yaris M Concept revealed
• Mid-engined hot hatch with rear-wheel drive
• Uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine
• Could precede a future MR2…
• …which has been previously teased in a Toyota cartoon series

This is the Toyota GR Yaris M Concept, a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive hot hatch which could pave the way for a new MR2 in the future. It features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, and the whole car will be tested to destruction multiple times during its development to make sure it’s as durable as possible.

New Toyota GR Yaris M Concept engine and mechanicals

Mid-engined hot hatches are pretty few and far between, with the last known example being the Renault Clio V6 of the late 90s and early 2000s.

The GR Yaris M Concept uses a mid-mounted 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine powering the rear wheels, although there are no details around power or performance just yet. You can expect a healthy increase over the standard GR Yaris though, which uses a 1.6-litre three cylinder engine with 280hp.

This concept will also be developed in the same way as the facelifted GR Yaris, meaning it’ll be a “driver-first” process. This essentially involves thrashing the car around in harsh conditions until something breaks, then stripping it down to find the failure point and improving it.

Why is Toyota doing this?

You may not think there is much of a market for mid-engined hot hatches at the moment outside of harcore enthusiasts, and you’d probably be right. Rumour has it though that the GR Yaris M Concept could be a test mule for a new MR2, something which was teased by Toyota last year.

It released a short series of anime cartoons called “Grip”, and during one episode you see a whiteboard in the background with “mk4 MR2” written on it alongside “Supra mk6”, “Celica mk8”, “GR86 mk3” and “GR GT3”. The latter of those cars has been spotted testing before, so a new MR2 could also be on the cards almost 20 years after the last one died out.

A brief history of the MR2

MR2 stands for Midship (mid-engined) Runabout 2-seater, and the nameplate first debuted in 1984 on the so-called W10 model. It was available with either a 1.5 or 1.6-litre engine, and a supercharged version came along in 1986.

In 1989 the mk2, or W20, MR2 was revealed. Gone was the 80’s wedge styling and in its place you got a much more smooth and sleek-looking sports car, although the engine was still in the middle. A choice of 2.0-litre and 2.2-litre engines were available, and there were also turbocharged versions which had a reputation for being pretty lively through the corners.

The MR2 took a different turn for the third generation in 1999, because it was only available as a soft-top convertible. The basic recipe was the same though: mid-engined, rear-wheel drive and lightweight. Power came courtesy of a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine.

If a new one does come to fruition, don’t expect to see it for a few years yet. There’s a lot of development work to do yet.

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