toyota corolla 101 0y52
Feann Torr12 Apr 2018
NEWS

Toyota Corolla GR hot hatch mooted

Toyota's motorsport division may be crafting a red-hot Corolla to rival the VW Golf GTI by 2020

Can you imagine a rip-snorting 200kW turbo version of this year's new-generation Toyota Corolla, sporting a race-bred chassis, track-ready brakes and barking twin exhausts?

Well, you may not be the only one…

One of the most senior executives within Toyota Australia, vice-president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley, didn’t mince his words when quizzed over whether he reckons a tyre-frying Toyota Corolla hot hatch could be successful in Australia.

"Absolutely I do," he said.

He said that it was a matter of when, not if, a Gazoo Racing or GR-branded performance car arrives in Australia.

"We're in the infant stages of launching the Gazoo Racing brand into Australia and we'll start doing that through our association with Harry Bates and ARC [Australian Rally Championship]. We'll continue that launch through the brand with WRC [World Rally Championship] later this year," said Hanley.

The brand-new 2018 Toyota Corolla is already pretty sporty... imagine a hot hatch version!

He conceded that the hot hatch market was "very competitive" in Australia, but said: "…we see in the future -- it's not impossible we could get a really nice Corolla or other type of car, and if that opportunity arose through our Gazoo Racing development we would put our hand up for it."

There's already a high-performance version of the Toyota Yaris available in Europe, but Toyota Australia has no plans to offer it Down Under.

An apex-hunting Toyota Corolla GR hot hatch is a more likely prospect for this country, playing in a much larger segment with more sales opportunity.

Consider that the new 2018 Toyota Corolla, which comes to Australia in August, is based on a new architecture (TNGA) that improves the car's torsional rigidity by a whopping 60 per cent and a hyperactive Toyota Corolla GR starts to make sense.

Factor in a lower centre of gravity and Gazoo Racing has a solid platform to work with.

Timelines are hazy, but Hanley hinted that we may see something in three years' time -- around 2020.

Standard 2018 Toyota Corolla cars get a six-speed manual with rev-matching -- so what would the hot hatch employ?

"I’d like to see it as soon as possible," he grinned, "but in the next three years I wouldn't rule out the possibility or probability of something coming under the Gazoo Racing brand.

"We're excited about GR and the possibility it brings in terms of product offerings in the future," added Hanley.

Is it really possible that Toyota and its motorsport division Gazoo Racing are working on a hot hatch to rival accomplished models like the Volkswagen GTI, Hyundai i30 N and Renault Megane RS?

Given that Toyota's global boss, Akio Toyoda, is a genuine rev head, green-lighting projects like the new Toyota Supra, it wouldn't be surprising if he sanctioned a high-performance version of the brand's best-selling car.

Indeed, more than 45 million Corollas have been sold to date and having a hero model seems not only logical but well overdue.

Throw in some red highlights, contrasting stitching, a flat-bottom steering wheel and Bob's yer uncle!

It's clear that Gazoo Racing is going to play a more significant role in the development of high-performance Toyota passenger cars, representing a belated replacement for the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) brand here.

"So as long as the development of that car is appropriate, any performance cars are going to be coming to Australia with a GR badge, not TRD," Toyota Australia product PR boss Orlando Rodriguez told motoring.com.au.

What do you think of the idea of a hot Toyota Corolla GR with a high-performance turbo engine, aggressive body kit, stiffer suspension, bigger brakes and sporty seats? Have your say in the comments section below.

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