Toyota hot hatch coming

When Toyota returns to the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2017 with a weapons-grade motorsport Yaris, it will likely spawn a road-going pocket rocket.

That's the take from a recent interview with Toyota's chief engineer for sports vehicle management, Tetsuya Tada, who says the world's largest car maker needs a bona fide hot hatch.

It would seem logical for Toyota to develop a go-fast Yaris to help promote its return to the WRC, and Tada doesn't disagree.

"We need a real hot hatch for the brand, because we are returning to WRC in 2017. What do you think of the Yaris?" he quizzed.

There is already a turbo Yaris available exclusively in Japan, called the Vitz GRMN Turbo (pictured) which Tada referenced. That vehicle generates 112kW and 206Nm from its 1.5-litre turbo engine, but the new hot hatch model is likely to be far more potent – and, crucially, available globally.

"My job is to create a really exciting hot hatch," he said, hinting that it could be closer to reality than any of the other high-performance models he's working on, including the next-generation Supra.

"There is an order from [Toyota CEO] Akio-san. Rally is the priority," said Tada, who noted that Akio is a strong supporter.

It's not clear what engine will power the new Yaris hot hatch, but it will need to pump out at least 140kW to be competitive with the current compact hot hatch kings, the Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen Polo GTI. And the man who created the runaway success that is the Toyota 86 says the engine "is the most important part".

Tada-san confirmed he has driven the Fiesta ST and agreed it was the benchmark to beat. "I think so

Expected to be offered with uprated suspension, body work and a beefed-up turbo engine, the high-performance Toyota Yaris will not use a small turbo, laughed the chief engineer. "No. A big turbo!"

Although Tada-san wouldn't give away too many details on the new hot hatch project, joking that he always gets complaints from Toyota's internal affairs after talking to Australian journalists, he speculated that all-wheel drive was unlikely.

Toyota's engineering guru indicated that high-performance cars from the company could be promoted under a new sub-brand in future, much as Hyundai has 'N' and Holden has HSV. However the TRD name was "not powerful enough" for Toyota's new generation of fast and fun machines, he said.

Whatever unfolds over the next two years, Toyota appears very serious about developing a proper hot hatch for global markets to celebrate its return to WRC, and if Tada-san's plans work out, we could be looking at a new benchmark hot hatch.