GR BRAND TO EXPAND

Yaris and Supra are the hot ones but less extreme GR models are on the way

Having established its credentials through genuine high-performance vehicles, Toyota is poised to launch a new range of milder machines wearing the “GR Sport” name.

The GR Sport models won’t be anywhere near as hardcore as GR hero cars such as the Supra and turbocharged GR Yaris but they will have sporty styling cues and modified suspension.

It’s a similar approach to the one Ford takes with its ST and ST Line cars and Hyundai takes with the N and N-Line range.

The rear-drive Supra and all-wheel-drive pocket rocket Yaris will be joined soon by an all-new Toyota 86 wearing GR badges, promising driving thrills for budget buyers.

A larger GR Corolla rumoured to share the GR Yaris’s all-wheel-drive hardware could be a worthy alternative to the likes of Volkswagen’s Golf R.

But the next chapters won’t be quite as exciting. The first of its GR Sport models is a lightly warmed-over C-HR baby SUV that takes visual cues from the GR Yaris. It was previewed at Toyota New Zealand’s media launch for the go-fast Yaris this month.

Riding on 19-inch wheels with low-profile tyres, the C-HR GR Sport benefits from firmer suspension, sports seats and minor trim changes in addition to its butch new front bumper. But it has the same hybrid engine as regular front-drive C-HR models, a non-turbo 1.8-litre unit with 90kW of power backed by frugal 4.3L/100km fuel use. There’s a good chance the GR Sport treatment will feature on other popular models such as the RAV4 and Hilux.