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Toyota shows how GR Yaris is made, hints at more GR cars


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Toyota shows how GR Yaris is made, hints at more GR cars

source: https://uk.motor1.com/news/429886/toyota-gr-yaris-factory-video/

 

Toyota wanted an assembly line that could mass produce sports cars of a consistently high quality.

The Toyota GR Yaris seems like a fantastic, little hot hatch. In a recently released video, the automaker shows the assembly line that builds the GR Yaris and would probably handle assembly of future performance vehicles, too.

The dedicated GR production line is at Toyota's Motomachi factory. The automaker set it to move assembly through various cells that allow for more work by hand than a standard vehicle at this plant. As the company describes the strategy in the video, the goal is to have a place that can "produce millions of sports cars without any difference in quality."

A GR Yaris is not just the standard model with a few different parts. For example, there's an additional 11 metres of structural adhesive and 200 extra welds in an effort to boost rigidity. Technicians handle adjusting the alignment on each car.

2020-toyota-gr-yaris.jpg

2020-toyota-gr-yaris.jpg

2020-toyota-gr-yaris.jpg

"With its new manufacturing methods, the GR facility is capable of handling multi-type, small-volume production, without compromising productivity," Toyota writes in the description for this video. While the statement is hardly definitive, it lends further credence to the idea that the GR Yaris is not a one-off undertaking. After making the investment to set up this production line, abandoning the effort so quickly wouldn't make much sense.

The rumors are that the Corolla or the C-HR are most likely to be the next vehicles to get the GR treatment. Either of them could be fun with the GR Yaris' turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder making 257 bhp and 266 lb-ft. Plus the hot hatch has a three-mode, all-wheel-drive system that lets owners select the torque split.

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I am very fascinated that the current CEO of Toyota is also their race driver for 24 Hours Nürburgring under the name of Mr Morizo. He understand the spirit of motorsports and how it will evoke the feeling of people buying cars.

I hope that the next Toyota 86 will have a GR edition too. it will be interesting under the GRMN hands.

 

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(edited)

It's rare to see change in Toyota to build sporty vehicles compared to the boring ones that they used to build.

Even with their current TNGA platforms in their B&B cars I felt there are already significant changes to the handling and grip.

This GR Yaris seems to focus more on traction given the 3 modes of AWD. Looks to be an interest drive if the AWD system allows the driver to put more power to the rear wheels.

Edited by Watwheels
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1.3L 3 cylinder producing 256bhp is impressive. Manual transmission only with 4WD and is a WRC homologation special. Reminds me of the Celica GT-Four ST205.

But Toyota should abandon the WEC having already won as a champion last year. It's pointless to continue in this 1 horse race with Toyota being the only factory LMP1 team after Porsche, Audi, Nissan left WEC.

They should consider going back to F1 starting as an engine supplier like Honda next year, especially in this era of 1.6L turbo Hybrid engine format. Then when the new F1 regulations kicked in during 2022, they can consider taking over a back-marker team just as Mercedes took over Brawn GP in 2009. 

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Toyota previously entered F1 with a blank sheet of paper, doing everything from scratch. They didnt buy over an existing F1 team like other manufacturer would do. So they wasted a lot of effort and money trying to play catch up and never came close to rival with the top teams. 

They are never in the game right from the start. If you ask them to be engine supplier I think no team will want to take up the offer.

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1 hour ago, Watwheels said:

Toyota previously entered F1 with a blank sheet of paper, doing everything from scratch. They didnt buy over an existing F1 team like other manufacturer would do. So they wasted a lot of effort and money trying to play catch up and never came close to rival with the top teams. 

They are never in the game right from the start. If you ask them to be engine supplier I think no team will want to take up the offer.

Also, they made the mistake of having their expensive F1 operations in Cologne Germany rather than in UK. The bulk of F1 expertise is still within the UK (except Ferrari at Maranello). 

I think with their endurance racing experience from Le Mans, it should give them quite a fair bit of advantage in building a decent / reliable F1 hybrid engine. Afterall, they've been racing with hybrid powertrains for at least 4 years at Le Mans. 

But with the economic uncertainty in the near future, I doubt a conservative company like them will want to re enter F1 again unless there's a huge marketing/branding perspective for them to sell even more cars. Even with the new budget cap rules across all teams starting 2022, I think it's still a no-go for Toyota having been there and done that before. Although I wish to see more manufacturer teams coming back into F1...

 

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5 minutes ago, Lethalstrike said:

Also, they made the mistake of having their expensive F1 operations in Cologne Germany rather than in UK. The bulk of F1 expertise is still within the UK (except Ferrari at Maranello). 

I think with their endurance racing experience from Le Mans, it should give them quite a fair bit of advantage in building a decent / reliable F1 hybrid engine. Afterall, they've been racing with hybrid powertrains for at least 4 years at Le Mans. 

But with the economic uncertainty in the near future, I doubt a conservative company like them will want to re enter F1 again unless there's a huge marketing/branding perspective for them to sell even more cars. Even with the new budget cap rules across all teams starting 2022, I think it's still a no-go for Toyota having been there and done that before. Although I wish to see more manufacturer teams coming back into F1...

TTE located in Cologne mah.

Current WRC contender will be used until 2021.

 

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Turbocharged
2 hours ago, inlinesix said:

BM 20 unit all sold.

Malaysia got 200 units. Singapore got 20 units. Borneo Motors really 👎

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2 hours ago, Kia7200 said:

Ok lo. 240k can get faster n better looking car

Erm...can go faster...can be better...but this one is WRC homologating...so shiok but only listening to the exos sound

 

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1 hour ago, Dxyong said:

Erm...can go faster...can be better...but this one is WRC homologating...so shiok but only listening to the exos sound

 

The interior n exterior dont look like a $240k car. 

 

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