Welcome to America.
The land of shittier cars and out-of-control markups. It truly is one of the worst places - in the developed world - for car enthusiasts. Historically, we always got screwed out of good cars. This tradition continues with the lack of GR Yaris.
All of the stereotypes are basically true. We can’t have nice things because we are fat and lazy. We love big Mustangs with automatics. It is what it is.
BTW, I’ll be doing what you’ve done, but in reverse. My wife is Thai and we plan on staying there more often. So I’m looking to buy a GR Yaris in Thailand. Granted, the Thai import tax is insane, but I’m willing to buy once, cry once in this case.
If the GRC lives up to the hype, I’ll own one. Hell, maybe two if it’s spectacular. But I’m not holding my breath.