been led by Toyota Europe, as opposed to all previous generations that had been designed so far in Japan. Toyota claims to have improved ride comfort, quietness at high speed, and the feeling of the interior, among other changes. Facelift (2017) On 12 January 2017, a second facelift version of the Vitz was launched in Japan. It was also offered with a hybrid drivetrain. The second facelift version of the Yaris has been available in Europe and Australia since March 2017 and in South Africa and North America since June 2017. The North American version was revealed at the April 2017 New York International Auto Show. The South African models were later replaced by the facelifted XP150 series Yaris hatchback. Vitz/Yaris GRMN The Vitz/Yaris GRMN (Gazoo Racing, tuned by the Meister of the Nürburgring) is a limited-production high-performance variant of the Vitz/Yaris. There are two variants of these limited-production Vitz/Yaris. The first variant was launched in August 2013, this model is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre 1NZ-FE Turbo engine (similar engine that powered the previous generations Vitz RS/Yaris T-Sport Turbo). This engine produces at 6,000 rpm and of torque at 4,000 rpm. Only 200 examples of the Vitz GRMN Turbo were made and only available for the local Japanese market. The second variant was launched in September 2017. This version is powered by a Lotus-tuned, supercharged 1.8-litre 2ZR-FE engine (shared with the Series 3 Elise) that produces at 6,800 rpm and of torque at 5,000 rpm. It has a claimed acceleration in around 6.3 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of . 150 units were built for Japan and 400 units were built for Europe. It was later succeeded by the mass-produced, four-wheel drive variant of the GR Yaris. Sales Suzuki Celerio-based model The "Vitz" nameplate is reused in 2023 for a rebadged third-generation Suzuki Celerio for African markets. References External links (Japan) (Europe) Vitz Cars introduced in 1999 2000s cars 2010s cars 2020s cars Subcompact cars Hatchbacks Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Hybrid electric cars Partial zero-emissions vehicles ANCAP superminis Euro NCAP superminis