Toyota GR Corolla 2023: three quarters of 8600-strong global allocation bound for the US

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Toyota plans to make the new GR Corolla hot hatch an exclusive car, so much so that it has said it will only build 8600 cars for the world in 2023. 

That is a small amount of GR Corolla to be enjoyed by the entire global population. To compare, the third-generation Ford Focus RS sold just over 34,000 cars between 2015 to 2018. 

Speaking to Carscoops, a Toyota spokesperson said that there would only be limited allocation for each country and that the US would gain the most cars. 

The US will receive two grades of GR Corolla with 1500 units planned for the top-spec Circuit in 2023 while the Core will receive the bulk of the allocation with 5100 cars planned.

Australian buyers will receive a single fully-loaded grade (similar to the GR Corolla Circuit) but if the report is to be believed, our allocation will be drawn from the remaining 2000 vehicles that will be distributed globally among other major markets including Japan and Europe. 

This news comes after the related Toyota GR Yaris surpassed the nine-month mark of having paused orders in Australia for the AWD hot hatch. 

Pricing is yet to be confirmed by Toyota for this spicy new hot hatch but the GR Corolla will likely cost around $65-$70k to compete with cars such as the new Volkswagen Golf R hatch which is priced from $65,990 before on-road costs. 

What else do we know about the GR Corolla?

The brand new Toyota GR Corolla will go on sale in Australia between October and December 2022, so considering how fast this year is progressing, that isn’t too long to wait at all for those Toyota hot hatch fans out there. 

We also know that the GR Corolla will be more powerful than the current GR Yaris hot hatch however it will utilise the same engine and all-wheel drive system. The GR Corolla will produce a considerable 220kW/370Nm from the 1.6-litre turbocharged triple. 

That power advantage will be important considering the GR Corolla will weigh a significant 195kg more than the Yaris thanks to a larger five-door body and more sophisticated front end.

What are some of the cool features on the GR Corolla?

The GR Corolla will feature several interesting features to keep the Toyota fanboys excited 

Apart from the high performance three-pot engine, the GR Corolla will also have some interesting features such as a full carbon-fibre roof to help keep weight down, a multi-plate clutch system which can distribute torque to the rear up to 70 percent and front and rear torsen limited-slip differentials.

The GR Corolla will also sport a unique three-pipe exhaust system with two smaller pipes on each side and one larger pipe in the middle. The split system is designed to reduce back-pressure losses at high RPM as well as give the GR Corolla a more characterful engine note. 

A six-speed manual transmission will be the only transmission offered at launch, however Chasing Cars understands that a eight-speed torque converter automatic could follow in 2024.

The GR Corolla keeps the hot hatch game ticking along at a time when pure analogue drivers’ cars are getting harder and harder to find. 

Cars such as the original Volkswagen Golf R32 and Ford Focus RS paved the way as cars of significant influence in the hot hatch market, and while we have hyper hatches now such as the Mercedes-AMG A45 S and Audi RS3, these point and shoot straight line weapons prove that the times are a’changing.

Stay connected with Chasing Cars to hear all the updates on the new Toyota GR Corolla and our upcoming first drive of the car sometime around November 2022.