Based on the extremely low Yaris sales in the US, Toyota would be hard-pressed to justify the outlay for aftersales service that the GR Yaris would require.

As a low-volume homologation special Toyota is pretty certain that, with customers falling over themselves to fork out $37,000 to secure a GR Yaris, demand will outstrip supply. So, it makes sense to sell them into markets that already support healthy sales of the Yaris – unfortunately, the US is not one.

According to the online sales tracker, Good Car Bad Car, Toyota only managed to sell 21,916 Yaris’ in the US in 2019, down more than 50% from the most recent high of 44,380 in 2017. By comparison, in 2019, 224,368 Yaris’ (including hybrids) were sold in Europe.

Looking at these numbers it’s easy to understand why Toyota would be hesitant to set up the aftersales structure to support sales that would probably not even register in the triple digits.

But it’s not only the Gazoo GR Yaris that Toyota has kept from the US, over the years there have been several special-builds that also never made it to America’s shores.

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The Reason Why Toyota Chose Not To Sell These Specials In The US

Toyota GR Yaris And Celica GT-Four Never Sold In The US
Via: diariomotor.com

In 1965 Toyota built the 2000GT as the ultimate Japanese sports car intended to take on the Jaguar E-Type. As in the GR Yaris’ case, the 2000 was built in such low numbers that the car was snapped up by, mostly, the home market and Europe.

In 1965 cars produced in Japan were also not deemed as exciting or collectible as those from Europe and indeed the US, so the demand would also have been questionable.

The rally-inspired 6th-gen ST205 Toyota Celica GT4 of the early '90s also never made it to America. Although previous versions of the Celica All-Trac were sold in limited numbers in the US, the ST205 GT4 never was. At the time, rallying was not as popular in the US as it was in Europe and other parts of the world.

So, once again, as with the GR Yaris, the US market sold a few ‘vanilla’ Celica All-Tracs but missed out on the limited ST205 Celica GT4, largely based on a poor sales forecast.

Probably the strangest reason Toyota has offered up for not selling a special in the US, was that the company didn’t want customers profiting from the sale of the super rare Lexus LFA. A year before the hypercar, with its screaming naturally aspirated V-10, went on sale the Japanese automaker said the LFA would only be available to customers in the United States by lease.

The rationale behind the decision was that Lexus didn't want customers to turn around and sell the limited series model for a profit to another buyer. Only after the two-year lease was up could they buy the car outright. Whether this was only aimed at the American market is not clear, but it may very well have prompted Ford’s controversial ‘no sale’ clause that accompanied the Ford GT.

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Here’s Why Toyota’s Decision To Not Sell The GR Yaris In The US Is Disappointing

Toyota GR Yaris Wont Come To The US
Via: Fourways Review

Perhaps even more than the other Toyota specials that never reached America, this little hot hatch, specifically designed and engineered to allow the Yaris to compete in the World Rally Championship, is perhaps the most focused driver's car you can buy right now.

For the uninitiated wondering what all the fuss is about – after all the Toyota Yaris is hardly anything special. The GR Yaris has nothing in common with the rebadged Mazda 2 subcompact hatchback sold in the U.S. as a Yaris.

In fact, it also has little in common with the Toyota-designed and -developed XP210 Yaris launched in Japan, Europe, and Australasia during 2020. The only parts the GR Yaris shares with the XP210 are its front and rear lights, exterior rearview mirrors, and roof antenna.

In keeping with its WRC roots, the GR Yaris sits on a unique architecture that uses the front section of the GA-B platform from the XP210 Yaris with a rear section adapted from the GA-C platform that underpins the Corolla and C-HR crossover.

While the front suspension is a typical MacPherson strut setup, the rear is a bespoke multilink design. There are massive disc brakes at each corner; the 14.0-inch front rotors are larger than those on the GR Supra, whilst the rear rotors measure 11.7-inches.

The engine specifically developed for the GR is a turbocharged, 12-valve, 1.6-liter three-cylinder that puts out 257 hp at 6,500 rpm with 265 lb-ft of torque from 3,000 rpm to 4,600 rpm. The little hatch bristles with features usually only found on competition engines. These include oil jets to cool the pistons, large exhaust valves, and a turbocharger whose turbine spins on ball bearings.

If Toyota doesn’t sell the GR Yaris in the US, enthusiasts and collectors of this hot hatch will have to rely on the 25-year import rule that allows any foreign car to be legally imported into the United States after 25 years.

NEXT: These Are The Weirdest Cars That Were Never Sold In The USA