Toyota develops compact IL4T for hybrid GR models

Toyota is priming a new hybrid powertrain for its GR models in an era of strict emissions regulations.

At its core is a new 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This is undergoing testing in the mid-engined GR Yaris M Concept.

The new engine will find use in both plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid set-ups. It has a shorter stroke than Toyota’s current engines, making it smaller and lighter.

The upshot is that a hybrid powerplant could be fitted with little weight penalty. Toyota will implement the engine in both motorsport and passenger cars. It is all about more fuel-efficient GR cars. Despite that, it should output 300kW in Toyota’s GR road cars.

It also means a second-generation GR Yaris can be sold in areas like Europe amid strict emissions regulations.

A UK spokesperson for Toyota said that motorsport-derived trickle-down technology like this is vital for the brand and how it fares.

Meanwhile, the mid-engined set-up in the GR Yaris M Concept is currently under consideration for production use. In the concept car, the GR Yaris 1.6T engine up front makes way for the new compact 2.0T unit mounted behind the rear seats. But there’s plenty of development needed yet. The concept becomes unstable during weight shifts in long corners, a scary trait that needs rectifying.

While it might serve as a second-gen GR Yaris development car, the concept is also a test prototype for the expected MR2 revival.

Toyota EVs will take on more familiar names

And in other Toyota news, the company will use recognised names for incoming electric models. It is a pleasing move away from the hard-to-remember bZ4X alphanumeric. 

It shouldn’t be because bZ references ‘Beyond Zero’ (emissions), while ‘4’ refers to medium size and ‘X’ to its crossover status.

However, names for upcoming EVs will come from car models that are recognised by customers. 

Like, for example, what was initially known as the bZ3X has become the C-HR+ EV (above), despite being unrelated to its hybrid namesake. Toyota wants to leverage the equity of existing names to hike EV sales.

Its new entry EV, the Urban Cruiser, resurrects a name last used in a small crossover in the noughties.

However, it will not rename the bZ4X. Incoming EVs include a pick-up truck, a fastback and an SUV, the latter the production version of the LandCruiser Se concept.

The message is clear: Toyota wants to “avoid this inflation of nameplates for the simplicity of the consumer”.

No Yaris EV just yet

And in other Toyota electric news, the strong selling Yaris will not get an electric counterpart until the end of the decade, at the earliest, given other EVs are launching in better selling categories, like CHR+, facelifted bZ4x and electric Hilux. Besides, its Suzuki-made Urban Cruiser crossover fills the city car space better.

Yaris is Toyota’s best seller in the UK and second best in the EU. But the popularity of the Renault 5 EV shows that there is an appetite for a small city-oriented EV.