Toyota GR Yaris MORIZO RR: When the Chairman Personally Refines the Track Performance
Toyota Gazoo Racing spared no effort in making a statement at the Tokyo Auto Salon, rolling out the GR Yaris MORIZO RR—a machine born from the vision of none other than Akio Toyoda, Chairman of the Board. This was no mere marketing gimmick; Toyoda, who competes under the pseudonym "Morizo," put his personal signature on a car forged in the dust and fuel fumes of the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours. The result is a treat for enthusiasts, proving that even an automatic compact car can conquer the "Green Hell" and leave a smile on the driver’s face.
The foundation of the project lies in a suspension and aerodynamic package honed under the brutal conditions of the Nürburgring. At Morizo’s insistence, the car was fitted with a carbon fiber rear wing as a direct legacy of the endurance race car, while the dampers were optimized to ensure the tires maintain constant contact with the asphalt even when track conditions feel more like an unplowed field. Engineers went as far as replacing the standard gravel settings with an exclusive “MORIZO” mode, which splits torque 50/50 between the axles to offer a level of precision and control that a standard GR Yaris simply cannot match.
Visually, the Morizo RR leaves no room for doubt about its pedigree, as the car is finished in the Chairman’s favorite shade of “Gravel Khaki” to bridge the gap between daily city life and wild racing aesthetics. Matte bronze wheels provide a striking contrast, complemented by brake calipers finished in Morizo’s signature bright yellow. This yellow theme carries into the interior, accenting the stitching on the suede-wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, serving as a constant reminder of the man whose personal preferences shaped the cockpit’s design.
While the technical core remains true to its roots, the controls have been updated with parts sourced directly from the Rally2 competition car, including a smaller steering wheel and dedicated switches to ensure flawless ergonomics even when adrenaline levels are peaking. This luxuriously ascetic package is available only to a select few, as Toyota limited production to just one hundred units for the Japanese and European markets combined. Furthermore, a thick wallet alone was not enough to secure one; the lucky owners were chosen via a lottery system, turning this Yaris into an unattainable relic before the engine was ever started for the first time.
