Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has confirmed that the GR Corolla is heading to SA, announcing that a limited number of units will be available on local shores.
“We can safely say Toyota’s philosophy of building fun-to-drive cars is clear to see. With the GR brand’s motorsport DNA, the new GR Corolla promises to deliver on just what driving enthusiasts’ really want – high-performance, turbocharged power, agile and dynamic handling, and of course, the looks to match,” said Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing at TSAM.
As a reminder, like its compact hot-hatch sibling, the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla is equipped with Toyota’s 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine. The petrol unit produces 221 kW and 370 Nm of torque — available from 6 500 r/min and 3 000 r/min, respectively) — sent to the firm’s “rally-developed” GR-Four all-wheel-drive system via a six-speed manual transmission.
The GR-Four set-up allows for several torque-distribution settings, which include a 60:40 split, 50:50 split and 30:70 split. The GR Corolla’s broad bodywork is underpinned by Toyota’s GA-C platform, complete with reinforcements specifically developed for the hot hatch at the manufacturer’s Motomachi production facility — the birthplace of the Supra A80 and iconic Lexus LFA, and where the GR Yaris is built — in Japan.
The fourth GR model in TSAM’s portfolio will be available only at GR-focused dealerships. Pricing, detailed specification and the model line-up will be revealed closer to launch timing.
