First Toyota Corolla hot hatch makes a brief but important appearance in new GR 86 promo
In a blink and you’ll miss it cameo, a camouflaged version of the Japanese giant’s upcoming hot hatch can initially be seen lurking in a dark and empty GR storefront at the 3:30 mark as an 86 fangs about a deserted shopping centre.
There’s no mention of the GR Corolla before this point and the all-paw hatch isn’t seen again until the closing seconds of the video when it’s alluded to that there’s a third model being added to the US GR portfolio.
“You do need three cars to do thus ‘flying V’ situation,” a pessimistic executive tells the hyped-up marketing duo, who proceed to look at each other and smirk – for reference, the Toyota GR Yaris isn’t offered in the US, meaning the American GR portfolio only consists of the GR 86 and the GR Supra coupes.
But while the even-hotter new Toyota GRMN Yaris will be a Japan-only model and unavailable in either the US or Australia, and the new 86’s local release has been delayed to the second half of 2022, the first GR Corolla is expected to bring the number of models in Toyota Australia’s Gazoo Racing stable to four in 2023.
Anyway at this point, the camera cuts away to the back of the previously seen GR store just as the Corolla fires into life, giving us literally our closest look yet at the world’s biggest car-maker’s looming performance hatch as well as our first live action experience.
Previous reports and industry sources have tipped the first Corolla hot hatch to be powered by the same turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder as the pint-size GR Yaris limited-edition, except with the outputs considerably dialled up to around the 225kW/400Nm mark.
The engine of Toyota’s answer to the Hyundai i30 N, Volkswagen Golf GTI and the new Honda Civic Type R and Subaru WRX certainly sounds that angry as it fires into life with lumpy, raspy thrum indicative of the presence of a ticked-up triple.
Time it right with the pause button and squint hard enough and you might notice the roof is devoid of the elaborate camouflage seen in previous teasers.
Instead, the camo only encompasses the front fascia, bonnet and rear-end, indicating the GR Corolla is gearing up for its long-awaited global reveal, which is expected around mid-year.
While it’s been a long and drawn-out process, the Toyota USA marketing team has done a mighty fine job with the hot Corolla’s teaser campaign, which has included cameos, subliminal hints, codes and even straight-up censored photos of camouflaged pre-production vehicles.
This latest appearance and the video it’s contained within takes the cake though.
A four-minute advert is probably the last thing any YouTube surfer wants to click on, but Toyota’s American marketeers managed to make four minutes feel like two-and-a-half with a captivating, tongue-in-cheek sequence of stunts and dialogue, not to mention the obvious GR Corolla sneak-peek.
But we doubt Toyota Australia will be as daring when the time comes, since car advertising standards are stricter than an old maths teacher Down Under. There is no way an advert showing one – let alone three – cars sliding, jumping and smoking their way round a shopping centre would be allowed here.
Australian ad standards prohibit any vision of a vehicle being driven in a manner that could be deemed as unsafe and were ultimately the reason Aussies weren’t permitted to see the locally-developed Ford Ranger Raptor getting some serious air time in a promotional video leading up to its global reveal last month.
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Keyword: WATCH: Toyota GR Corolla bursts into life