New Toyota GR Yaris Morizo Selection Will “Evolve With Driver” Thanks To Software Updates

BY Sebastien Bell | June 7, 2021June 7, 2021

Toyota has launched the GR Yaris “Morizo Selection” in Japan, which it says will be a performance car that “evolves with its driver”. The idea is that Toyota will provide the car with constant software updates to make it perform better via its Kinto subscription subsidiary.

The car itself features a number of visual tweaks from the factory and will also come with regular performance updates starting in 2022. These, says Toyota, will improve the “driving, turning, and stopping” of the GR Yaris Morizo Selection thanks to optimized software and technological innovations.

Although the updates will be covered by the cost of the Kinto fees, owners will still have to go to the dealership to have some of them installed. Toyota also says that they will be tailored to individual owners based on customer driving data and will lead to “cars that evolve in tune with people.”

From the factory, the GR Yaris “Morizo Selection” will be based on the RZ “high performance” trim which comes with a cooling spray intercooler, Pilot Sport 4S tires, and limited-slip diffs, and sport visual modifications inspired by ROOKIE Racing, an independent racing team that uses GR Yarises in competition. It will be finished in one of three colors (Platinum White Pearl Mica, Emotional Red II, or Precious Black Pearl) and will feature ROOKIE Racing-inspired colors in the seat stitching, coil springs, and shock absorbers.

It will also get ROOKIE Racing logos on the wheels and the door switch bases and a Morizo emblem on the windshield. That name, meanwhile, comes from company president Akio Toyoda’s alter ego, race car driver “Morizo”, who has driven for ROOKIE Racing in the past.

Kinto payments start at 54,340 yen ($497 USD) per month and come on a three-year term. So far, the product is only available to Japanese buyers and will be pilot tested with a selection of cooperating customers first. As with other subscription services, the fee covers insurance, leaving drivers with only gas and parking to worry about.