Currently reading: Litchfield upgrades Toyota GR Yaris with power boost, better ride
Hampshire tuning firm will offer a range of modifications for the new four-wheel-drive hot hatch

Litchfield is gearing up to unveil a bespoke tuning package for the new Toyota GR Yaris that could up the hot hatchback's power from 257bhp to around 300bhp. 

The Hampshire tuning firm, known for its upgraded takes on the Alpine A110, BMW M2, Ford Focus RS and other performance models, said it "hasn't experienced such strong customer anticipation for aftermarket tuning products since the launch of the third-generation Ford Focus RS".

With its engineers having "unanimously agreed" that the rally-bred GR Yaris was a suitable candidate for further development, the company took delivery of two production cars late last year, before beginning an extensive programme of engine and chassis testing.

Litchfield will shortly make available a full range of aftermarket parts for the GR Yaris, including performance exhaust systems, a bolt-in roll cage, a new intake system, an ECU tuning package, an uprated intercooler, polyurethane bushes and race seats. 

 

 

The company predicts that its GR Yaris suspension upgrade package will deliver "the most transformative improvement," having worked with Oxfordshire suspension firm Nitron to develop a pair of new "high-performance" chassis set-ups. The upgrades are said to offer a lower ride height and improved ride quality without compromising the factory-specification car's dynamic characteristics. 

Development on the ECU tuning package for the GR Yaris is still ongoing, but initial tests suggest a 16% increase in power output to 300bhp is possible. Litchfield is now refining the software tweaks to ensure "smooth, consistent" power delivery. 

Prices and release dates for the modifications have yet to be confirmed, but Litchfield hopes to offer them from later this month or February. 

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Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: News and features editor

Felix is Autocar's news editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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carrera phwoar 13 January 2021

"the Hampshire tuning firm"? Have Litchfiled moved from Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire?