The Toyota GR Yaris arrives in Singapore

Borneo Motors has announced the launch of the all new Toyota GR Yaris right here in Singapore.

Unfortunately, with only a limited number of the car available for sale locally, the GR Yaris has sold out even before people even had the chance to view it in the local showrooms.

All through this month, the lucky handful of new GR Yaris owners will be driving home their brand-new hot hatch, and experiencing the exhilaration of the drive for themselves.

To commemorate the event, the local GR Yaris owners also got to witness their very own GR Yaris unveiling, and drive away with a GR Yaris Owners' plaque, limited edition Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team Jacket, and a numbered car cover as part of the owners' kit.

The Toyota GR Yaris was built with feedback taken from the world of rallying. The hatchback utilises a high-rigidity body, specially developed to offer supreme balance while also forming the base for optimised front and rear suspension geometry.

The upper body of the GR Yaris sees extensive use of aluminium for the hood, trunk lid, and door panels, and a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic roof panel in order to save weight.

The GR Yaris utilises a turbocharged 257bhp in-line 1.6-litre three-cylinder direct-injection engine. Newly developed, it is said to be a compact and light unit while providing abundant torque over a wide range of engine speeds.

This was achieved using lightweight moving parts and extensive optimisation of the turbocharger and intake and exhaust system. The engine is combined with a six-speed Intelligent Manual Transmission.

And putting all that power on the road is an also newly developed in the GR Yaris is a 'GR-FOUR' sports four-wheel drive system. It utilises a multi-plate clutch to transfer power to all four wheels with minimal loss, while allowing free distribution of driving force between the front and rear wheels, making possible delicate control that matches road surface conditions.

This article was first published in sgCarMart.