Toyota working on hot hatch to pay tribute to the late Hiromu Naruse

August 10, 2010 Omar Rana Compact Cars, Hatchbacks, Sports Cars, Toyota GRMN Hot Hatch Concept

Move over Volkswagen Polo GTI, Toyota has started working on a hot hatch that will be affordable and will be rear-wheel-drive. According to AutoCar, Toyota is building a low-cost, rear-wheel-drive, high-performance hatchback in a tribute to the company’s chief test driver, Hiromu Naruse, who was recently killed in a road accident involving the Lexus LFA near the Nurburgring.

The new model will be based on the GRMN Hot Hatch Concept and will offer a more affordable performance experience than the upcoming Toyota FT-86.

Why doesn’t Toyota do a special-edition Lexus LFA to pay tribute to Naruse? Because a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive model for the youth was said to be the baby of Naruse and his team.

The Toyota GRMN Hot Hatch Concept, which is based on the Toyota Aygo, uses an existing engine and other parts to keep costs down.

Check out a video of it after the jump.