The company revealed a simple R logo a few weeks back, and rumors were rife it might find its way onto a next-generation Supra sports car. Then the second teaser image was released, looking suspiciously like the front corner of the Yaris hatchback.
Now, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R concept is confirmed, featuring racing car technology in a humble hatchback body.
The concept will be a far cry from the production Toyota Yaris Hybrid we drove in Amsterdam last year. That car used a drivetrain much like that of the Toyota Prius C sold in the U.S, with a 1.5-liter Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine and eCVT powertrain.
On our test drive, we averaged more than 60 mpg from the little Yaris, but with under 100 horsepower it was no ball of fire to drive.
Now imagine the same car with four times the power--and you'll have something similar to the Hybrid-R. Using technology similar to Toyota's TS030 Hybrid race car, the Hybrid-R pairs a 1.6-liter 'Global Race Engine' powerplant with two electric motors, turning the Yaris into an all-wheel drive hyper-hatchback.
Like the race car, power generated under braking is stored in a supercapacitor to deliver maximum power in a short space of time.
Toyota will also use the Frankfurt show to update us on the latest status of its fuel cell technology. The company still intends to launch its first production fuel cell vehicle in 2015.
The Hybrid-R and latest fuel cell updates will make their debuts at the Frankfurt Auto Show on September 10.
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