2024 Toyota Yaris GR revealed and it now comes with an auto! VW Polo GTI rival gains more power and torque, and a refreshed interior

After launching exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox, the prayers of some hot hatch fans have just been answered.

The 2024 Toyota GR Yaris has just been revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon and among a number of key changes, the ballistic baby hatch will now be offered with the option of an eight-speed automatic transmission.

For those that like doing things themselves, the Yaris GR will continue to be offered with the slick-shifting six-speed manual 'box when it eventually goes on sale.

Read More About Toyota GR Yaris

When can we have it? 2024 Toyota Yaris updated with more power, clever tech and a new variant Missed out on a 2021 Toyota GR Yaris? Hyundai i20 N, Subaru WRX and other performance cars you could spend $50k on instead! Toyota GR Yaris sold out! Brand stops taking orders as pocket-rocket demand outstrips supply

According to a Toyota release, production for the Australian market doesn’t start until late 2024, so it could be 2025 before it sprints into dealerships.

Toyota says the new auto was developed through “hardcrore” use in motorsport, specifically testing during the Japanese Rally Championship and Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally Challenge, and has been built using “highly heat-resistant friction material” in the clutch.

As well as the new transmission, the refreshed Yaris GR gets a bit more punch than before from its 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.

The multimedia screen is integrated into a restyled fascia angled towards the driver by 15 degrees.

Power has increased from 200kW to 224kW, while torque is also up by 30Nm to 400Nm. Not bad for a three-pot!

Beyond that, the all-paw hot hatch gains a new drive mode select system that adjusts functions such as the air conditioning, power steering and powertrain settings depending on driver preference.

As well as undisclosed safety and tech updates, the Yaris GR gains a new dashboard design that is more in keeping with other current Toyota models.

The ballistic baby hatch will now be offered with the option of an eight-speed automatic transmission.

In the outgoing model the multimedia screen sat above the centre stack, but now everything is integrated into a restyled fascia angled towards the driver by 15 degrees.

More details including specification and pricing will be revealed closer to launch, but it’s likely to get a price uptick over the current model that starts at $51,390, before on-road costs, before climbing to $56,390 for the Rallye.