Facelifted GR Yaris launched at Singapore Motor Show

Fans of Toyota's motorsport exploits have new reason to rejoice - the facelifted GR Yaris has now reached our shores, and now is offered with an automatic gearbox. 

The GR Yaris' raw, rally-born DNA was made clear when it was first introduced - three pedals, a 1.6-litre engine sending 257bhp to all four wheels, and razor-sharp handling delivering a riotous hot hatch experience. 

Previously only offered with a six-speed manual, the GR Yaris is now available with an eight-speed automatic transmission too

With its facelift, the big news is the availability of an 8-speed GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission, said to have been put through its paces by the Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team drivers on a variety of road surfaces. The new eight-speed transmission has close gear ratios that allow it to best make use of the engine's power band, and anticipatory software optimises gear selection based on driver input. 

Power from the 1.6-litre engine has also been bumped up to 272bhp, while the torque figure now stands at 390Nm. This allows the car to sprint from zero to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds. 

The cabin has also been updated. The driver's seating position has been lowered by 25mm, while the front dashboard lowered by 50mm. The position of the car's gear lever is also said to have been raised to bring it closer to the steering wheel, and automatic variants will still sport a conventional hand brake. Also new is a 12.3-inch full-colour digital gauge display. 

With its facelift, the GR Yaris has gotten a steel mesh lower front grille and larger intakes, as well as a trendier single housing for its rear upper and lower lamps

On the outside, there is now a steel mesh lower front grille, while the intakes on either side have been enlarged. The upper and lower lamps at the rear have also been consolidated into a single housing.

Sgcarmart understands that fewer than 10 units of the automatic GR Yaris are slated to be offered in Singapore, and could be priced at $237,000 before COE. The manual transmission model will also eventually be offered at a later date.