This Is The 205bhp, Supercharged Toyota Yaris GRMN

GRMN. Not exactly a snappy name for a hot hatch, is it? It stands for Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring apparently, a term that predates the new hot Yaris it’s just been slapped on - Gazoo being Toyota’s motorsport division.

But we’ll forgive the spicy new Yaris for having a name that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, because it’s packing a supercharger. A supercharger! Remember those?

New, forced-induction performance cars that don’t feature turbochargers - aside from things over in ‘Muria-land with HEMI or GM V8s - aren’t exactly in abundant supply, so the supercharger is an attention grabber. It’s strapped to a 1.8-litre, inline four-cylinder engine, helping it put out 205bhp, a smidge more than the new Ford Fiesta ST.

Toyota hasn’t given performance figures just yet, but has said the Yaris GRMN will have “best-in-class times both for the sprint from nought to 62mph and acceleration from 50 to 75mph in fourth gear.” So expect 0-62mph in the low 6s.

The supercharged 1.8 powers the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and a Torsen limited-slip differential. The car sits lower on Sachs-developed dampers, has a thicker anti-roll bar, and beefier brakes with four-pot callipers at the front.

The exterior is nicely smartened up by a set of 17-inch BBS wheels, new front and rear bumpers plus a surprisingly sizeable rear spoiler. On the inside meanwhile you’ll find sportier seats, aluminium pedals and steering wheel pinched from the GT86.

Want one? I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little while. The car won’t be on sale until “early 2018”. For now though, you can see it in the metal at the Geneva Motor Show.