Toyota will build more than 8500 examples of the GR Corolla hot hatch in its first year of production… but more than 6500 of them are headed for the USA.
A Toyota spokesperson has confirmed to CarScoops there will be 8600 examples of the GR Corolla built for the 2023 model year, of which 6600 will head to the USA.
The remaining 2000 will be sold in the rest of the world, including Australia.
A drip feed of cars has been part of the Toyota GR playbook in Australia since day one. The GR Supra was initially sold through a lottery, and our GR Yaris allocation has been released in batches due to tight supply.
With the GR Corolla, Toyota has made no bones about the fact it doesn’t want to flood the market.
Speaking with Road and Track at the car’s launch, Toyota vice president of marketing Mike Tripp said it will produce “one too few” cars to meet demand.
“I wouldn’t say the limiting factor on these vehicles is our ability to produce them,” he told Road and Track.
“It’s being very careful to make sure that we maintain the niche credibility.”
The GR Corolla packs a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine – that’s right, a 1.6 – with 220kW of power and 370Nm of torque. That’s some serious punch from such a small power plant.
Peak power comes on tap at 6500rpm, and peak torque is available between 3000 and 5500rpm.
It’s all sent to the road through a GR-Four all-wheel drive system, and the only transmission option is a six-speed manual.
An electronic multi-plate clutch is used to control the torque split between the axles, and there are Torsen limited-slip differentials on both axles. The rear axle can take up to 70 per cent of the engine’s torque.
