--- title: "Is This Mid-Engine Toyota GR Yaris Actually a Test Bed for a New MR2?" date: "2025-01-10" modified: "2025-01-10" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/is-this-mid-engine-toyota-gr-yaris-actually-a-test-bed-for-a-new-mr2" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Toyota News" tags: - "GR Corolla" - "Hatchback" - "sports car" - "Toyota" --- # Is This Mid-Engine Toyota GR Yaris Actually a Test Bed for a New MR2? ![]() *\Toyota\* For over a year, Toyota fans have been energized by the possibility of a [new mid-engine sports car](). Just exactly [what form that performance model will take]() is still very much up in the air (as is the possibility of [an electric one, maybe?]()), but it's certainly *not* this subcompact hatchback that was cobbled together by Toyota's motorsports team while nobody was looking. No—this is just an old-fashioned race car. ![]() *Get a load of those widened rear fenders! *Toyota** Built to compete in the Super Taikyu Series (an [endurance racing series]() and [frequent test bed for the company's experimental powertrains]()), the GR Yaris M Concept, as it's called, is powered by a mid-mounted, turbocharged four-pot. Beyond that? To say that Toyota Gazoo Racing has offered little detail regarding this prototype would be severely underselling it. Here's the blurb from the company's Tokyo Auto Show release in its entirety: To further explore the potential of the GR Yaris, TGRR plans to compete in the Super Taikyu Series in the GR YARIS M Concept, which features an underdevelopment, midship-mounted, 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder, turbocharged engine. The team aims to implement "driver-first" carmaking, in which cars are repeatedly driven to failure and then repaired in the extreme conditions of racing and in which feedback from Morizo, professional drivers, and gentleman drivers is thoroughly incorporated. ![]() **Toyot*a* We can say a few things for certain. For starters, the engine configuration and displacement are, at minimum, curious. The current [GR performance cars]() (Yaris and Corolla alike) employ a turbocharged *three*-cylinder engine, so this engine isn't just pushing more air—it actually has a bonus cylinder. By itself, a larger engine in a race car is a mere curiosity, but it just so happens that [Toyota is rumored to be testing a brand-new, two-liter, four-cylinder performance engine]() to succeed the 2.0- and 2.4-liter offerings currently standard in some rear-wheel-drive Toyota and Lexus models (the base Supra, for instance, utilizes the 2.0). Does that make this a Supra-powered Yaris, or does it mean a Yaris engine will power the next Supra? We don't know for certain, but it will be fun to argue about in the meantime. *Got a tip? Send it in: tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()