Toyota Speeds Up Eight-Speed Auto Development For GR Yaris

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About a month ago, we heard Toyota was working on a new eight-speed automatic gearbox for the GR Yaris as an alternative to the available six-speed manual transmission. It seems that the Japanese company is accelerating development of a new three-pedal gearbox and is already testing a prototype at the Toyota Gazoo Rally Racing Challenge in Japan.

Local media reported that Toyota had appointed Shigeru Hayakawa, the company’s vice chairman, as the development test driver. The goal is to reproduce the driving style that most GY Yaris customers expect to use. The automaker previously used professional rally pilots but Hayakawa is said to have a more “honest” driving style.

During a previous cycle test of the GY Yaris equipped with an eight-speed automatic, Toyota ran into a few problems. During the run, the test driver downshifted from third to second gear but was unable to accelerate sharply after that. The gearbox was then recalibrated for the next round, which proved to be more successful.

Interestingly, Toyota is reportedly developing a new shift logic for the automatic transmission when driven in manual mode. In a conventional Toyota, if you pull the lever towards the seat, the AT will shift down, and if you push it back the box will slide up. In the GR Yaris, however, the automaker will most likely integrate reverse logic and it is said that this decision came because of advice given by one of the company’s most experienced test pilots.

With the weather still not as hot as summer, Toyota will continue testing procedures for the new automatic transmission for at least a few more months. Manufacturers will reportedly evaluate it during the rally in the warmer months to make sure it can cope with the higher temperatures and see if the cooling is working properly. Keeping that in mind, we don’t expect to see it debut before the third or fourth quarter of this year

Recently, Toyota also presented a hydrogen-fueled prototype GR Yaris with a combustion engine.

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