Toyota South Africa has told TopAuto that it requested its parent company to introduce the recently-unveiled GR Corolla locally, “however this has not been confirmed as yet,” it said.
If the hot hatch does come to South Africa, there is a good chance it will be in limited numbers.
This is because the roll-out “will most likely be in a staggered fashion, as per GR Yaris, with limited allocation dependant on market,” said Toyota South Africa.
For those unfamiliar with the matter, the GR Yaris was launched in the country in mid-2021 in a limited run of 190 units and sold out almost immediately – with the last of the vehicles arriving in October, roughly five months after its debut.
This led to “second-hand” models with low kilometres being listed online at a premium – in certain cases up to 26% more.
GR Corolla specifications
The new Toyota GR Corolla is based on the Corolla Sport hatchback and employs a strengthened 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine, the same one as the GR Yaris, alongside a six-speed manual gearbox.
In the Corolla, the combination generates a substantial 224kW and 370Nm and sends power to all four wheels via the GR-Four selectable 4WD system with variable torque delivery.
Toyota tuned the car’s system to better accommodate the larger body by adding pillow-ball bushings and reworking the springs, shock absorbers, and wheel alignment.
In addition, body rigidity was increased compared to the Corolla Sport thanks to new underbody braces, and weight is reduced to 1,475kg – partly through the use of a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic roof.
At a length of 4,410mm, width of 1,850mm, and height of 1,455mm, the GR Corolla is also slightly larger than the hatchback it is based on – with 20mm-wider front fenders and 30mm-wider rear fenders.
The front track is 60mm wider, too, while the rear track grew by a total of 85mm.
An athletic look is then brought by a triple-exhaust outlet, sizeable front air intakes, front fender and hood air outlets, and 18-inch alloy wheels.
Toyota has not yet revealed the market-specific features or performance figures of the GR Corolla.
For the GR Yaris, 0-100km/h is completed in 5.5 seconds and top speed is pinned at 230km/h.
Keyword: Toyota wants to sell the GR Corolla in South Africa