Toyota Just Built a Mid-Engine GR Yaris, and It Might Be Hinting at Something Bigger

"We're a Bunch of Oddballs Who Love a Challenge"

There are a bunch of questions that can be answered with "why not?" We didn't need to go to the moon, nor did we have to explore the oceans. In Toyota's case, it didn't really have to move the engine of the GR Yaris from the front to the middle.

But that's exactly why the folks at Gazoo Racing did. The result of that experiment is the TGRR (Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing) GR Yaris M Concept, and it was first shown at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon way back in January. Now, it has just made its competition debut in the Super Taikyu series and even managed a podium finish in its class.

Morizo's Blessing

Tomoya Takahashi, president of Toyota Gazoo Racing, admitted that the company's fun side wouldn't have been reborn without Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, also known as Morizo.

"In the 2000s, we had what was known as the 'global master plan,' and Toyota had become a company that only built cars that made money. Since midship models don’t sell in large numbers, they naturally fell by the wayside."

"If we were the old Toyota, I think the response to this project would have been, 'What are you talking about? Forget it!' But under Chairman Akio Toyoda’s presidency, the company came to embrace new challenges," said Takahashi.

Mid-Engine Over Front-Engine Any Day

To oversimplify the reason for making the car mid-engined, Toyota wanted to build an even better race car out of the GR Yaris. It's already an accomplished platform in motorsports — whether on the track or rally stages. Moving the engine towards the rear gives it better balance, sharper turn-in, and more even tire wear at racing speeds.

Turns out, the chairman abhors understeer, too. "Morizo describes the moments during cornering when understeer renders the car uncontrollable as 'time to pray to God'," chronicled by Toyota Times, the automaker's official magazine.

An Important Test Bed

But aside from the fun part, the mid-engined GR Yaris has a hugely important purpose. It also serves as the test bed for Toyota's new turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. Dubbed the G20E, it'll soon make its way to more of the company's products in the coming years. So, what better way to put it through its paces than in endurance racing?

Toyota admits that some work still needs to be done. While it has the power, the company says it needs to be a more efficient cooling system to keep it reliable. It's not an easy task, as mid-engined vehicles need a barrage of scoops to suck in as much air as possible.

The world's biggest automaker is also looking at the big picture. It aims to commercialize the project in some way. That makes us wonder whether the TGRR GR Yaris is a test mule for a possible MR2 revival. Of course, Toyota is keeping its cards close to its chest at the moment, but the thought of a mid-engined sports car with a turbo-three and all-wheel drive in showrooms is an exciting prospect.

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