Toyota has been teasing the new rally-inspired Yaris GR-4 for some time now. The automaker's new hardcore hot hatch will be the second vehicle launched under the Gazoo Racing banner following the GR Supra, so our expectations are high.
Originally, the Yaris GR-4 was going to debut on November 17 in Australia, but the country's catastrophic wildfires have delayed the launch. Toyota announced this week that the Yaris GR-4's official debut has been rescheduled to January at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon. Unfortunately for Toyota, however, the Yaris GR-4 has leaked in all its glory ahead of its debut, as Wheels has obtained photos of the hot hatch completely undisguised in Australia posing for a photoshoot.
While the regular Toyota Yaris Hatchback adopts a practical three-door layout, the Yaris GR-4 features a three-door layout. It looks significantly more aggressive than the regular Yaris thanks to its flared fenders, a wider grille, and beefy brake calipers with GR branding. A roof-mounted spoiler and dual exhaust tips also set it apart from the regular Yaris. It even has rally-style mud flaps. The production car also appears to be riding on either 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in performance tires.
Wheels also managed to snap some photos of the interior. Enthusiasts will be pleased to find a manual gearbox and an old-school handbrake as well as sports bucket seats. This isn't the first time Toyota has sold a sportier version of the Yaris. Limited to 400 units, the Toyota Yaris GRMN weighed only 2,502 pounds and was powered by a 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder engine producing 209 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels via a six-speed manual, enabling the hot hatch to accelerate to 62 mph from a standstill in 6.4 seconds.
In contrast, the Yaris GR-4 will have an all-wheel-drive system. This will add more weight, but the car's more powerful engine, expected to be a four-cylinder turbo, should make up for this. Unlike the Yaris GRMN, which was limited to 400 units, the Yaris GR-4 probably won't have a production cap.
According to Wheels, the Yaris GR-4 will be generously equipped with front and rear parking sensors, seat heaters, lane-keeping and distance for radar-guided cruise control, satellite navigation, dual-zone climate control, a JBL sound system, heated steering wheel, and auto high beam assist, so it won't be cheap. Sadly, the Toyota Yaris GR-4 probably won't be coming to America, which means we'll be deprived of yet another great hot hatchback.