Toyota Unveils GR Yaris Special Edition Models to Celebrate its WRC Success

Aside from the carbon-neutral Toyota AE86 concepts, Toyota’s show at the Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) 2023 also sees the marque unveiling a pair of GR Yaris concepts that celebrates its success in the World Rally Championship (WRC).

Based on the GR Yaris RZ model, both concepts will be named after two of Toyota’s most recent WRC champions, namely Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera. Dubbed as one of the greatest rally drivers ever, Sebastien Ogier is an eight-time WRC champion, who won his last title in the 2021 season, where he competed under Toyota’s works team – the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT. 

The flying Finn Kalle Rovanpera, on the other hand, is the current WRC champion who clinched the title for the first time ever in the 2022 edition last year.

Starting-off with Ogier’s special model, the GR Yaris Sebastien Ogier Edition dons a matte silver body paint, featuring Toyota Gazoo Racing’s (GR) black decals on both its doors. The GR-labelled brake pads are painted in striking blue hue, while the wheels sport some commemorative decals, including a French flag that denotes Ogier's motherland.

The French element continues inside this car, as the cabin is draped with blue, white and red elements, including contrasting red stitchings around the upholstery. Also featured inside the cabin is a special commemorative plaque, mounted on the central console.

Meanwhile, the GR Yaris Kalle Rovanpera Edition boasts a much more striking exterior finish, which includes the WRC-inspired livery and decals, finished in red, white and grey. The brake callipers are finished in signature GR red instead of blue, while a special bodykit that includes a more pronounced front splitter and a large rear wing really make this concept truly resembling the WRC-winning GR Yaris Rally1.

The Rovanpera Edition cabin also comes with a special plaque, while its upholstery features contrasting blue and silver stitchings, which are meant to represent the colours on the Finnish flag.

The Toyota GR Yaris RZ that both concepts are based on, is a Japan-only (JDM) variant of the standard GR Yaris, which by itself, is a special homologation model built by Toyota for competing in the WRC. The RZ-spec car harnesses the same 1.6-litre 3-cyl turbocharged mill that has been garnered a different state-of-tune compared to the standard GR Yaris, granting it  268 HP and 390 NM.

While the Japanese automaker still keeps both the release date and launching prices for both models under the wraps, Toyota said that customers will be bestowed with some add-ons, as well as a certain degree of customisation. These include features like the accelerator, all-wheel-drive system, as well as bespoke steering tune that caters to the owners’ driving styles.