Yaris Hybrid-R Concept: Toyota's 300kW city car

No, that’s not a typo in the headline. This Toyota Yaris – a tiny city car – has 300kW.

And technology gleaned from Toyota’s TS030 Le Mans racing car. And something called a ‘super-capacitor’.

Officially it’s called the Yaris Hybrid-R Concept – a bonkers design study built to preview Toyota’s ability to produce high-performance hybrids that actually involve the driver.

Not just boring ones like the Prius.

Essentially a quasi-racer, the Hybrid-R uses a Toyota Motorsport-designed 1.6-litre petrol engine, tied to two electric motors that shift the power to all four wheels.

Like Toyota’s Le Mans racer, hitting the brake pedal sees the Yaris store the spent energy in a ‘super-capacitor’, which is then syphoned back into the power train to give extra grunt.

Toyota will officially unveil the Yaris Hybrid-R Concept at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show.