Toyota to Revive Starlet Mini Hatch With Rally-Ready GR Model: Report

The Toyota Starlet may not be as famous today as it once was, but to the old heads, the Starlet may as well be synonymous with motorsport. The lightweight, sometimes rear-wheel-drive hatch was a lively little thing when you threw any power at all at it, and it's still respected around the world. The Starlet may soon return to fame though, because Toyota is reportedly working to revive the classic hatch—and already has a GR performance model in development.

The Starlet's comeback is forecasted by Best Car Web, which accurately leaked multiple details of the GR Supra and GR Corolla before their releases. The outlet reports that the Starlet was originally supposed to arrive this season to replace the Toyota Passo subcompact, and ride on the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) platform. But Daihatsu's engineering is being audited following its crash safety scandal, so the Starlet has now reportedly been delayed until 2026. And when it does arrive, it'll supposedly bring a Gazoo Racing hot hatchback with it.

The Toyota GR Starlet (or GRlet as some will call it) will reportedly be a featherweight with a targeted mass of under 2,200 pounds. This will reportedly be achieved by keeping hybridization out of the equation, which will make the GR Starlet one of a diminishing number of non-hybrids in Toyota's lineup by that point.

Toyota will reportedly widen the GR Starlet's track by 2.4 inches, and house its wider tires under fender flares. It'll feature bigger brakes, a roof spoiler, and of course, a turbocharged three-cylinder based on the one used in the GR Corolla and GR Yaris. But in the GR Starlet, it'll apparently be downsized from 1.6 liters to 1.3, and will make around 150 horsepower. It'd seem Toyota is turning down the boost at a minimum, if not de-stroking the engine, which would reduce torque but could lift the 7,200-rpm redline. Extra revs would be a solid consolation prize.

For transmissions, the GR Starlet will reportedly feature either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic, mirroring the updated GR Corolla. It'll break with other GR hatches from there though, as the GR Starlet will reportedly be just front-wheel-drive. That may be related to