Toyota Glanza Gets All-New Rally Car Makeover

The Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) Starlet rally vehicle has been introduced in South Africa, and it has all-wheel drive (AWD) and a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, in addition to the standard rally-spec improvements. Former South African National Rally Champions Guy Bottrill and Simon Vacy-Lyle drove the car in the Cape Overberg Rally on May 20 and 21 through the region around the town of Bredasdorp.

The GR Starlet is essentially a rally-spec Toyota Glanza from the previous generation. The Toyota Glanza, based on the Maruti Baleno and manufactured in India, is marketed in South Africa as the ‘Starlet.’ The rally vehicle, which is based on the previous-generation Starlet, is wholly made in South Africa and fulfils FIA safety criteria. The exteriors of the GR Starlet have been updated with a wide-body kit and white-painted rally-spec wheels.

The interiors of the road-going Starlet have been stripped, and rally equipment such as a roll-cage, spare wheel, and fire extinguisher has been installed. In contrast to the right-hand drive norm in South Africa, the driver’s seat is located on the left-hand side.

Its 3S-GTE 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which powered famous cars like the Celica, was once a popular unit in Toyota’s global line-up. The engine produces between 184 and 259 horsepower in its original configuration. A sequential gearbox sends power to all four wheels in the GR Starlet. All of the electronics are controlled by a Motec engine control unit, and the car also has Reiger dampers and Alcon brakes.

In South Africa, the current-generation Starlet is in its second generation and is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine mated to a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.

The Toyota Glanza hatchback is currently in its second generation, after the introduction of the first version in 2019. Maruti builds the vehicle and sells it to Toyota for both home and international markets.

Under the Gazoo Racing banner, Toyota runs motorsport campaigns in the Dakar Rally, World Rally Championship, and World Endurance Championship. Under the GR moniker, the automaker sells more powerful versions of their conventional road vehicles in several countries. To put it another way, GR is to Toyota what M and AMG are to BMW and Mercedes-Benz, respectively.

Toyota was thinking of bringing the GR performance brand to India in 2020. However, it is unclear whether or not Toyota would bring GR-tuned automobiles to India. The Fortuner GR-S was recently introduced in India as the new top-of-the-line Fortuner model, with a starting price of Rs 48.43 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Cosmetic upgrades and a retuned suspension are the sole changes to the GR-S.