The hotly anticipated Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch appears to have leaked, both images and details, hours ahead of the April 1 official reveal.
The shots were posted on GR Corolla Forum, and are clearly legitimate. They have since been widely circulated across social media.
They show a wild-looking hot hatch with flared arches and wider track, aggressive front bumper and rear diffuser, and a roof spoiler. Its appearance is more Honda Civic Type-R than Volkswagen Golf R, in other words.
Interesting centre tailpipe design…
Leaked US-market information posted from a discovered Toyota US ‘staging’ page confirms it will use the GR Yaris’s three-cylinder turbo, making around 224kW (300hp) of power and 370Nm (273 foot-pounds) of torque, using a six-speed manual gearbox.
That’s up on the GR Yaris’s 200kW output.
The GR Corolla is expected to come with an all-wheel drive (AWD) system that can send up to 70 per cent of torque to the rear wheels, with various driving modes. Expect Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.
An US-market Launch Edition is set to offer a forged carbon-fibre roof, vented hood, matte-black 18-inch wheels, and upgraded Ultrasuede synthetic leather-trimmed seats. It’ll also get the GR Yaris Rallye’s front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials.
Toyota USA has been actively promoting the GR Corolla as it’ll be their first hot hatch in just over 30 years. The GR Yaris isn’t sold in North America and there are no plans to introduce it there.
Full official details and Australian plans will be revealed on April 1.
