It’s official: Toyota GR Yaris is coming to the Philippines

After months of rumors, the cat’s finally out of the bag.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), through Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines, officially announced that the GR Yaris is arriving in the country. The all-wheel-drive hot hatchback will soon be making its way in showrooms and sold through the brand’s various dealerships across the country. With its arrival confirmed, all we have to do now is wait.

Apart from confirming its arrival, TMP did not disclose any information about the hot hatch just yet. There’s no word yet when the GR Yaris will debut, or what specs the local GR Yaris will have. However, according to our sources, who also gave us the price range, it will debut sometime in the 2nd half of 2021.

There is no final pricing yet. But as we reported earlier, the price ranges around PHP 2.7 to 2.9 million per the allocations offered to a few individuals.

Before you get sticker-shocked, do note that PHP 2.7-2.9 million for a GR Yaris is still more affordable compared to our neighboring countries. Over in Thailand, it retails for THB 2.69 million or roughly PHP 4.2 million when converted, while it costs MYR 299,000, roughly PHP 3.5 million in Malaysia.

What else can we expect from the GR Yaris? It uses a 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbocharged motor producing 272 HP and 360 Nm torque. A 6-speed manual then sends power to all four wheels. Depending on the variant, we could also get 18-inch forged wheels, larger brakes, and even Torsen limited-slip differentials for the front and rear. Want to know more? We got an up-close and personal look at it at last year’s Osaka Automesse, which you can read here.

So if you’ve been waiting for official the GR Yaris, here it is. Want to have one in your garage? Better head to a Toyota dealership soon (after ECQ 2). Ask around, they might just offer you an allocation already.