Mexico Proves It Loves Cool Cars Again As The GR Yaris Sells Out Faster Than The Jimny

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Image for article titled Mexico Proves It Loves Cool Cars Again As The GR Yaris Sells Out Faster Than The Jimny
Photo: Toyota

Well, that didn’t take very long. The GR Yaris sold out in Mexico in just under one day, according to a report from Autocosmos. Pre-orders for a limited quantity of the GR Yaris model sold out same-day on April 15 after Toyota launched a surprise order period.

Drivers were asked to put down $20,000 MXN, or about $1,010 USD, as a deposit for a GR Yaris, and they were snapped up. This doesn’t mean all 300 of these already have owners. Toyota Mexico has to confirm the validity of the preorders, according to another report from Motorpasion, but I’m betting most are on the up-and-up.

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Image for article titled Mexico Proves It Loves Cool Cars Again As The GR Yaris Sells Out Faster Than The Jimny
Photo: Toyota
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This feels a little like a repeat of the Suzuki Jimny pre-orders in Mexico, and I will come to the defense of my favorite little truck. Yes, the new Jimny took 72 hours to sell out, but it’s important to note that there were 1,000 of the little off-roaders available, which took 3 days to sell out.

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You could read that as just over 333 Jimny pre-orders per day, comparable to the figure for the GR Yaris of 300 in one day.

In any case, it means that Mexican drivers wasted no time reserving their own example of these awesome cars. And how could they? The GR Yaris starts at $699,900 MXN, which is barely over $35,000 USD. That’s 35 large for what is almost a rally car, and what is arguably one of the most exciting releases from Toyota since the Supra squeezed through the Bavarian wringer and came out the other side with too much roundel for a lot of drivers.

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To be fair, I am not one such driver. Yes, very much because I’m a bee-emm fanboi, but mostly because BMW knows inline-six engines well, and collaborative efforts like that of the new Supra ideally produce better machines. Two marques are better than one, I would hope.

Image for article titled Mexico Proves It Loves Cool Cars Again As The GR Yaris Sells Out Faster Than The Jimny
Photo: Toyota
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The GR Yaris on the other hand is all Toyota. It’s Gazoo through and through. It’s a roadgoing version of the cars Gazoo Racing developed for competition in the WRC. This is the one us mere mortals can actually aspire to, powered by a three-cylinder 1.6-liter engine that makes 268 horsepower.

The hatch is outfitted with Toyota’s GR-Four traction system, which may be all-wheel drive but is nonetheless rear-biased. And all of that power is mostly yours to control with a manual transmission. This little car is going to be a classic and I just might squeal when I see one in South Texas.

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Image for article titled Mexico Proves It Loves Cool Cars Again As The GR Yaris Sells Out Faster Than The Jimny
Photo: Toyota