Toyota GR Corolla teased ahead of 1st April unveiling

Since their inception, it would seem as though the Toyota Gazoo Racing division never sleeps, never takes its foot off the gas, and continues to impress us with astounding cars writes Ryan de Villiers.

From the rally-bred 3-cylinder GR Yaris to the upcoming GR86, as well the controversial GR Supra, the next addition to the GR lineup has been a long time coming – it is of course a significantly beefed-up version of the rather ordinary Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Brace yourselves for the Toyota GR Corolla…. 

The unveiling of the car will happen on the 1st of April at 15h30. To watch the live unveiling, click here.  

The high-performance Corolla has been teased for quite some time and during an American promotional video for the GR86, a few students show off the front end of the upcoming performance Corolla. The second sighting happened after an image was posted on social media, lurking in the background the highly anticipated and mysterious Toyota GR Corolla. 

Concrete power figures and more details of the car’s inner workings will likely be announced when the car is unveiled but for now, it is safe to assume that the Corolla will inherit the little but very capable-1,6-litre 3-cylinder engine from the GR Yaris. This motor produces 198 kW and 360 N.m in the GR Yaris but previous information suggests that it could have a power output of around 199 kW in the GR Corolla. If the power figure speculations are correct, this 1 375 kg hatchback could be transformed into a formidable hot-hatchback. 

 

The Toyota GR Corolla has been labelled as a competitor to the Golf GTi and Honda Civic Type R. Based on speculated power figures, the upcoming corolla could have a better power-to-weight ratio than the Golf GTI and will come close to eclipsing the power-to-weight ratio of the Honda Civic Type R, too. Aside from the similar power plant, the Toyota GR Corolla will include other platform elements from the GR Yaris, such as a four-wheel-drive system and limited-slip differentials on the front and rear axles. 

Visually the GR Corolla appears to have a more aggressive body design than the base model. Based on the videos and images, a few intake vents, a more aggressive front end, and a host of other aero design elements will feature. 

Fingers crossed that this isn’t an April fool’s joke…

 

Words: Ryan de Villiers

The post Toyota GR Corolla teased ahead of 1st April unveiling appeared first on CAR Magazine.


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