“If I don't improve my driving skills, I won't be able to handle this car.”
“It’s the perfect partner to take me to the next level.”

Morizo was inspired to make these comments by the untapped potential of the GR Yaris M Concept. Toyota Times News followed its development behind the scenes for three years.

The “M” in M Concept stands for “Morizo,” but it also represents “Midship,” referring to the car’s layout. The engine, which is normally mounted at the front of the car, is located nearer to the middle, behind the driver’s seat.

As the engine is the heaviest part of a car, placing it in this way moves the center of gravity to the middle of the vehicle, improving cornering performance. Sportscars often employ this layout.

With the original GR Yaris, when steering around corners at high speed, there was a moment when the car would not turn as intended. Morizo called this weakness “prayer time.”

Development of the M Concept started in 2023 with a midship and 4WD layout designed to fundamentally eliminate this weakness. The engine itself was also updated.

However, it was not all smooth sailing. During the prototype stage, the team came across more issues, with comments such as, “it doesn’t have enough power,” “it bounces too much,” and “It’s not even at the level where we can evaluate it.” The car even burst into flames at one point.

Even so, the development team kept making improvements and strived for good performance. Finally, the M Concept entered the 24-hour race at the third round of the 2026 Super Taikyu Series at Fuji Speedway. Toward the end of the program, our cameras go behind the scenes at this grueling race, following the development team as they refined the car during the actual race.

Be sure to see this full account of the team’s three-year quest to build ever-better cars.