This Toyota Yaris is a rally-ready super-hot hatch!

The new GR Yaris is Toyota's first genuine all-wheel drive sportscar and its first homologation model for World Rally Championship competition since the end of production of the Celica GT-Four in 1999.

As a homologation model, the GR Yaris will support the development of a new competition car for the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team's WRC campaign.

Toyota says a lower roofline improved the car's ability to cut through the air, while positioning the new 1.6 turbo engine further back towards the centre of the car and locating the battery in the boot helped produce a better chassis balance for improved handling, stability and responsiveness.

The car’s three-door body shell is made from lightweight materials including carbon fibre polymer and aluminium, helping it attain better power-to-weight ratio.

In a reference to its illustrious predecessor -- the Gelica GT-Four -- and its all-wheel drive technology, the Toyota GR Yaris features a GR-Four logo on its tailgate.

The dashboard layout is the same as that of the latest Yaris complete with an infotainment touchscreen and analogue instrument dials.

Although meant for rally driving, the GR Yaris does not have a roll cage, or five-point racing harnesses. The seats get GR badges while the steering wheel gets some contrasting red stitching.

The performance braking system features large, 356 mm grooved front discs with four-pot callipers, engineered to withstand abuse on race track and special stage driving.

The Toyota GR Yaris' engine is a three-cylinder turbocharged unit that uses multi-oil jet piston cooling, large-diameter exhaust valves and a part-machined intake port. The 1.6-litre engine produces a maximum 261 horsepower and 360 Nm of torque.

Its power-to-weight ratio of 4.9kg per horsepower helps the GR Yaris dash from 0-100 kph in less than 5.5 seconds and hit an electronically limited top speed of 230kph.

The Toyota GR Yaris has a double wishbone suspension set-up, with a MacPherson strut system used at the front.

The GR Yaris has a new, dedicated platform that combines the front end of Toyota's GA-B platform with the rear of the GA-C platform. This allows for a new suspension design and accommodation of the GR-Four all-wheel drive system.