- Toyota already had an experimental mid-engine Yaris concept racing in Japan, but now it’s back with coupe-style bodywork.
- It’s still only a prototype, but it looks quite a bit like the company’s 2027 WRC effort.
- One of the drivers who will be racing it is Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda.
In the world of Pokemon, every pocket monster has several forms it can evolve through in order to reach its final powerful form. So, you start with something that looks like a spicy salamander and eventually end up with what’s basically a dragon. In Japan’s Super Taikyu series, Toyota appears to be racing something in the middle form of a Yaris evolving into an MR2, as spotted by CarBuzz.
It’s called the Yaris M concept, and it’s a further developed prototype of the car of the same name that Toyota showed off at last year's Tokyo Auto Salon. Formerly just a Yaris hatchback shell with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine where the rear seats should be, the new Yaris M features full-on coupe bodywork with massive rear flares.
The silhouette isn't a complete surprise, as it’s a near match for Toyota’s 2027 WRC concept, which was spotted testing in Portugal this past spring. This Super Taikyu racer looks to be the tarmac version of that prototype.
