One of the most surprising concept cars of this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show is, without a doubt, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R Concept. On the face of it, this looks like a Yaris with a body kit that’s too big for it. But underneath that ungainly body it has a 400bhp hybrid powertrain.

The Yaris Hybrid-R uses the same sort of high-performance hybrid technology Toyota uses in their TS030 endurance race car. It consists of a 1.6 liter Global Race Engine (GRE) internal combustion engine and two electric motors. As is the case with such systems, the car is all-wheel-drive, with each of the units powering one of the axles.

What’s more, the Hybrid-R boasts a racing-grade regenerative braking system that captures the energy of braking in form of electricity, and uses it to provide the powertrain with an extra boost feature.

The idea of using such a heavy-duty hybrid system in a car like Yaris is quite outlandish. However, Toyota tells us that this setup is suitable for sports cars of the future. So, is it possible that someday we see a hybrid version of the GT86? Only time will tell.