Is Toyota working on a Lexus-influenced extreme Yaris?

Filed under: Motorsports, Budget, China, Hatchback, Toyota, Racing



This could be something or it could be nothing, but it's got us curious and we have no idea what it is. A site in China found what appear to be renderings of a three-door Toyota Yaris wearing an as-yet-unseen body kit and a Lexus-shaped grille. The changes are thorough, and alterations like the bulging fenders front and back and the deep skirting all-round indicate that they aren't taken casually. Of particular note is the spindle grille lifted from the Lexus design book and what looks like an aero element around the rear glass.

Theories so far are that it is a concept for an upcoming Chinese auto show, a sportier Yaris production model that will be added to the lineup, a factory-installed kit or a tuner kit. Or it could have something to do with Toyota's return to the World Rally Championship. A company source has already cited the Yaris as the car that "makes sense," with Autoweek reporting it will be a "Yaris-based" entry even though the Yaris is too short according to the WRC regulations. One issue with that, though, is that the tiny, split-twin exhaust pipes make no sense for a WRC car; the Mini WRC car runs its pipes the same way, but they're huge. We will look out for more information on whatever kind of Yaris this might be.Is Toyota working on a Lexus-influenced extreme Yaris? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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