Face-Lifted Toyota GR Yaris Previewed at KLIMS 2024 – Debut Soon?

Making a silent public appearance at KLIMS 2024 is the newly-updated Toyota GR Yaris rally-hatch. Launch imminent?

While both the new Toyota Corolla Cross Facelift and Camry made headlines at UMW Toyota Motor’s (UMWT) booth for the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show 2024 (KLIMS 2024), it appears yet another new model has also made its first public debut, namely the facelifted Toyota GR Yaris. This newly-updated, rally-homologated hot-hatch is said to make its official market entry sometime later in 2025, with its appearance at KLIMS 2024 merely serving as a preview.

For the 2024 update, the GR Yaris has controversially gained a new two-pedal 8AT option, which is offered alongside the three-pedaled, six-speed manual option. The new 8-speed direct automatic gearbox is said to be developed in-house by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing team themselves, so perhaps things aren’t that entirely bad for this hot-hatch.

However, given that the display unit is locked tight, we can’t exactly confirm whether this is the 8AT of the 6MT model.

What’s good is that aside from the new drivetrain option, the 2024 GR Yaris also gets an uprated version of Toyota GR’s proprietary 1.6-litre 3-cyl turbocharged engine, which now outputs a whopping 300 HP and 400 NM – that’s 30 HP and 30 NM more than its predecessor. Other than that, this hot-hatch still comes with the rally-developed GR-Four all-wheel drive (AWD) system, which has also been updated to include a new torque split selection of 53:47 for Gravel mode, on top of the standard settings such as 50:50, 60:40, and 30:70.

Not to forget, the updated GR Yaris also gets some chassis upgrades, including 13% more spot welding points and a greater number of fastening bolts for the suspension dampers.

Visual changes are quite minimal for the facelifted GR Yaris, as the only notable changes are the newly-designed front bumper that incorporates larger air intakes, as well as the addition of an LED strip that connects both sides of its LED taillights. Onboard change is more dramatic for the new GR Yaris, as it gets a new, rally-inspired front dash setup comprising a larger 12.3-inch digital meter cluster that features more driver-centric information displays.

As we mentioned earlier, the newly-updated Toyota GR Yaris is expected to make its official market entry sometime later in 2025, so you might have to wait a while before filling out your checkbooks or loan application forms for one. Should you decide to have one, would you opt for the new 8AT version or stick to the original, three-pedaled 6MT form?