The hot hatch market will soon receive more heat when Toyota introduces its GR Corolla to the local market.
The GR Corolla will be the fourth Gazoo Racing (GR) model in South Africa, joining the GR Supra, GR Yaris and GR86.
"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,” says Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing at TSAM.
What is different?
For starters the secret is under the bonnet where a 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo-charged engine with a whopping 221 kW nests. Mated exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission, the GR Corolla employs the GR-Four all-wheel-drive system developed through Toyota’s involvement in the World Rally Championship.
This engine is also the one found in the smaller GR Yaris, but with a tweak it delivers 221 kW against the 198 kW of the Yaris.
The GR Corolla is built on Toyota’s GA-C platform with enhanced frame reinforcements developed specifically for the GR Corolla at the Motomachi plant in Japan. The Motomachi facility is the birthplace of legends such as the Lexus LFA and Supra A80 and is now home to the first GR production line, where the GR Corolla and GR Yaris are assembled.
Pricing, specs and launch:
Pricing, detailed specification and model line-up for the GR Corolla will be confirmed closer to the launch date in the second quarter of this year.
TSAM also confirms that this model will be offered in limited quantities and that distribution will only be via GR-focused dealerships.
Heinie Boshoff’s (main photo) automotive career turned a full circle when he became the co-owner and a director of the Benba Motor Group in the Western Cape a couple of years ago. And he has never looked back after taking an opportunity presented to him after school and making the most of it.
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