Toyota’s hot-hatch plan
Performance division Gazoo Racing to produce hot Corolla, C-HR Power will come from petrol turbo triple seen in GR Yaris
TOYOTA’S Gazoo Racing division is lining up a product blitz over the next three years. And it could see the number of performance models in the Japanese brand’s line-up doubling between now and 2023.
Hot versions of the Corolla hatchback and C-HR crossover are among the projects under consideration, as the skunkworks sports division, created 13 years ago by current Toyota president Akio Toyoda, tries to build the brand’s reputation for fun-driving cars.
The key to Gazoo Racing’s plans is the new three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that features in the recently launched GR Yaris. Codenamed G16E-GTS, the motor is the world’s most powerful three-cylinder unit, with up to 268bhp on tap in Japanese editions of the baby hot hatch.
However, in developing the engine for the GR Yaris, Gazoo’s engineers have had an eye on installing it elsewhere – not least because the company wants to recoup the intensive costs involved. Crucially, a senior Gazoo Racing executive has told Auto Express that the unit “can be used in other applications” and that it “can be offered in more than one state of tune”. He also conceded that this was “not an engine that had to be built” for the GR Yaris to exist – a hint that it will indeed go on to have a wider range of applications.
Auto Express understands that the next model to get the GR treatment is likely to be the C-HR crossover. It’s unclear whether this project will be squeezed into the life cycle of the current car, or form part of the second generation, which is due by the end of 2021.
The decision to build a high-performance small SUV (previewed by our exclusive image) will anger purists. But such a model will give Gazoo Racing a foothold in an increasingly important performance car market. Volkswagen recently launched the 296bhp T-Roc R, Hyundai’s N division is readying its take on the Kona crossover and Ford is lining up an ST version of its new Puma.
Soon after the C-HR will come a model that should appeal to hot-hatch enthusiasts: a GR Corolla (previewed by our images). Well placed sources suggest that such a vehicle is likely to target the more restrained hot hatchbacks, becoming a rival for models such as the Ford Focus ST and Hyundai i30 N instead of the full-house Honda Civic Type R and Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy.
Even so, even a mildly detuned version of the Yaris’s engine could give the GR Corolla around 250bhp – and again, the smaller model’s six-speed manual would likely feature. As with the C-HR, the Corolla’s basic TNGA architecture, including multi-link suspension, would give Gazoo’s engineers a solid base for a hot hatch.
Toyota is in a good position to expand its performance line-up, just as most other brands are rationalising theirs. Its long-term devotion to hybrid powertrains across its range has made it relatively safe from the threat of any fines for not meeting EU targets on fleet-average emissions. Further hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure-electric models are planned between now and 2025, awarding Toyota additional leeway, especially given the relatively small volumes likely to be involved in GR products.
Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Toyota’s European President and CEO Johan van Zyl admitted that the GR Yaris has indeed been facilitated by the strong level of hybrid mix elsewhere in the range. “Is GR Yaris really a volume contributor? No,” he said. “It’s not going to be. But does it help with the positioning of your cars – more fun, excitement? Yes, it helps. And if you add it to the mix and calculate the impact to our CO2 averages in g/km, we can accommodate that.”
One model that is unlikely to get the Yaris’s turbo motor, however, is the next generation of GT86, set to be called GR86. The rear-drive sports car, which is focused on fine handling more than outright pace, is only able to have a successor because of a continued manufacturing and development tie-up with Subaru. Engineers believe that the existing solution – a low-mounted ‘boxer’ engine – remains the ideal configuration for the GR86’s key parameters, so the model is likely to be powered by an updated version of the existing Subaru-sourced motor.
“Even a mildly detuned version of the Yaris’s engine could give the GR Corolla an output of around 250bhp”