The all-wheel drive Toyota GR-4 Yaris, an all-new, rally-inspired sports car, will make its world debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon on January 10th.

Plucked straight out of the World Rally Championships (WRC), the GR-4 Yaris has been slightly de-hooned to make it road legal, but still benefits from advanced technologies, knowledge and experienced acquired in the WRC under the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) banner.

It will be the second pure sports car to be launched globally by TGR, following the return of the legendary Toyota GR Supra. The ‘4’ in the name denotes all-wheel drive.

For the Japanese market, an AWD version of the Yaris is already offered. It has a more sophisticated multi-link suspension than the front-wheel-drive European model. The teaser video above confirms the new model will have four-wheel drive; footage of a full-throttle launch showed all four wheels gripping the surface.

The GR-4 Yaris has completed its final development stage and a prototype was recently pushed to the limits by Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s global president, under his TGR Master Driver codename ‘Morizo’ (how cool is THAT?).

In 2017, TGR returned to the FIA World Rally Championship with the Yaris WRC, going on to post five victories and secured the manufacturers’ title the following year. Its success has continued in 2019, with the team claiming both the drivers’ and co-drivers’ championships.

Further details of the new Toyota GR-4 Yaris will be announced in due course.