Launched: 2025 Toyota GR Yaris 8AT – RM325,600

MW Toyota Motor expanded its performance car line-up this week by announcing the availability of the 2025 Toyota GR Yaris 8AT variant earlier today.

In conjunction with the season opener of the 2025 Toyota Vios Challenge series held last weekend at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit (SIC), UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) seized the opportunity here and introduced two new high performance model variants.

Now available in Malaysia are both the 2025 Toyota GR Yaris 8AT rally-bred hot hatch and the GR Supra Track Edition. We’ll detail the latter sports coupe separately and focus on the former hot hatch offering specifically for this report.

The new 8AT variant's arrival follows up from the initial face-lifted 2025MY version's launch back in Jan this year, which only saw the 6-speed manual (6MT) transmission available then.

Whilst UMWT already launched the face-lifted 2025MY Toyota GR Yaris locally back in Jan this year, it saw the hot hatch arriving in 6-speed manual (6MT) form only then. This new 8AT variant was already promised then, and now the firm is delivering on that.

As a refresher, the new 8-speed automatic transmission primed in this variant was the leading change incorporated into the refreshed 2205MY GR Yaris. The Japanese automaker also famously said this transmission’s development was driven by chairman Akio Toyoda himself.

Called 'Direct Automatic Transmisison' (DAT), this 8-speed automatic box's development was driven by Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda.

Called ‘Direct Automatic Transmission’ or ‘DAT’, it promises to make the GR Yaris much friendlier car for the daily and, at the same time, make it a more accessible performance car.

Said transmission is paired with a rally-honed and proven 1.6-litre 3-cyl turbo petrol mill outputting 300 PS and 400 NM, and an enhanced GR Four all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Present too is a variant-specific Launch Control feature that sees 0-100 KM/H dashes done in 5.2 secs.

Notably, GR Yaris 8AT units offered by UMWT all come primed with a standard cooling package that adds sub radiator, intercooler spray, as well as a combined water-cooled and air-cooled ATF cooler.

Notably, the 2025 Toyota GR Yaris 8AT units offered by UMWT comes equipped with a standard cooling package. This adds a sub radiator, intercooler spray, as well as a combined water-cooled and air-cooled ATF cooler, all suited for the Malaysian climate.

New transmission choice aside, little else has changed on board. In other words, you’ll find this variant sporting the revised “driver-first” cabin layout design first seen in its global debut that brings greater accessibility and vision.

Deletion of clutch pedal and newly added steering wheel paddle-shifters aside, no other changes to report with the cabin - it sports the revised, "driver-first" layout redesign seen during its global debut.

Aptly, the only difference inside this this 8AT variant’s cabin is its deletion of the clutch pedal and addition of steering-mounted paddle-shifters.

Additionally, GR Yaris 8AT units offered by UMWT also come equipped with the Toyota Safe Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0) advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) package. This brings enhanced Pre-Collision and Radar Cruise Control systems, plus Lane tracing Assist.

A special 'Expert Mode' present on board allows drivers to completely disengage all assists and stability systems - perfect for trackdays.

We’ll also highlight that the TSS 3.0 suite in the GR Yaris 8AT features an added ‘Expert Mode’ that fully disengages all assists and stability systems to deliver more dynamic control – essentially, this is the mode for avid trackday warriors.

Available through select GR Garage dealerships, the 2025 Toyota GR Yaris 8AT is priced at RM325,600 – just RM10,000 more than the 6MT variant launched prior. A 5-year, unlimited mileage warranty is included in said price.