Toyota Hints It Will Have Something Like GR Yaris for Americans

• Toyota said that it has a plan to bring something like the GR Yaris to the North American market.
• We don’t know exactly what it’ll be, but our best bet is a version of the Corolla hatchback powered by the GR Yaris’s engine.
• That engine is a 268-hp 1.6-liter inline three-cylinder paired with a six-speed manual transmission and available all-wheel drive.

The most powerful three-cylinder engine in the world could make its way to the U.S. soon. Toyota’s executive vice president of sales, Bob Carter, told reporters at an event on Thursday that Toyota has “an answer” for the GR Yaris for the North American market.

It’s not going to be the GR Yaris, though, because Toyota doesn’t sell that version of the Yaris in the U.S. That “answer” Toyota was talking about will likely be a version of a car it already offers in the States—we hope it’s the Corolla hatchback—powered by the three-cylinder engine found in the GR Yaris.

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That engine is a 1.6-liter inline three-cylinder that produces 268 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, and it’s paired with a six-speed manual transmission with a standard rev-matching system. An advanced all-wheel-drive system is also available with Torsen limited-slip differentials front rear and an electronically controlled center differential.

Toyota’s answer for the North American market could be anything, but we sure hope it’ll be a version of the Corolla hatch with this awesome engine-and-transmission combo. When we pitted one against a Honda Civic, we said: “The manual’s involvement factor notwithstanding, the Corolla simply underdelivers on its sporty appearance no matter how it’s equipped.” We think a GR Corolla hatch would be a great answer for the U.S.