Toyota's big plan for the crazy Yaris M Concept and its 450bhp engine
The Yaris M Concept is the test bed for Toyota’s next-generation sports car engine
Right now Toyota seems like a company with its hands in some very different pots. All-electric family cars like the Urban Cruiser and bZ4X Touring have arrived alongside a new RAV4, but bringing some excitement to the fore is the Toyota Gazoo Racing brand, not just with the incredible GR GT supercar - but also plans for a mid-engined road car, too.
We got our first glimpse of a mid-engined Toyota when the Toyota Yaris M Concept was revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2025 with a new 2.0-litre high-performance engine. Widely interpreted as a test-bed for a new MR2, with its mid-engined layout, Toyota has since taken the car testing in the Japanese race series Super Taikyu.
Although the testing is being done on the track, the turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which is expected to produce around 450bhp and up to 600bhp in certain applications, seems likely to power a new Toyota sports car.
Speaking to Auto Express about the Yaris M Concept, Gazoo Racing marketing manager Mikio Hayashi said the company is “making this car better every day,” further adding that; “all the knowledge and feedback through training this car in motorsport - it’s going to be translated into something else in a road car or mass production car in the future, possibly. We are continuing this path.”
As for whether the sports car could revive the MR2 name, Hayashi simply smiled and said: “‘thank you for your suggestion”.
GR project general manager Hiroyuki Yamada told Auto Express last year that the required four-wheel-drive layout adds another level of complication when developing the mid-engined sports car. Those familiar with the concept have claimed that it’s even more agile to drive than the already highly regarded GR Yaris hot hatch.
In 2025, Tomoya Takahashi, president of Toyota Gazoo Racing said, “We’re a bunch of oddballs who love a challenge,” it appears the team are indeed grasping the opportunity. The Yaris M Concept came first in its class in Super Taikyu’s most recent endurance race in Motegi, Japan, beating Subaru’s High Performance X Version II concept.
Yamada said Toyota has looked at the Porsche Cayman as an example of a sports car with a mid-engined layout. “Putting the engine in the middle has really transformed it, it’s a completely different story,” added Bart Eelen, head of TGR and Motorsports.
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