Toyota's GR performance roll-out continues, with a fire-breathing Corolla coming to take on cars like the Hyundai i30 N and Honda Civic Type R.
The big question, though, is when? And our friends in Japan has today shed a little light on that very subject, revealing an expected launch date after coronavirus-related delays wreaked havoc on the original schedule.
According to Japan's Best Car Web, the GR Corolla was expected to launch in 2021, but production delays have seen that schedule blow out, with the bonafide hot hatch now schedule to appear around June 2022.
It means there's at least 12 months left to wait, but the GR Corolla should prove worth it...
Reports have so far pointed to the GR Corolla packing the same turbocharged 1.6-litre engine as its GR Yaris sibling, only with the grunt dialled up from that car's 200kW to a whopping 220kW, reportedly thanks to a re-tuned exhaust system. Torque is expected to remain unchanged, at 370Nm.
It will also adopt the GR Yaris' 4WD system - with the option of channelling up to 70 per cent of the power to the rear tyres - and will be roughly 20mm wider than its donor vehicle.
Reports also point to the GR Corolla being a more road-focused machine than its rally-bred sibling, which makes sense given the extra practicality on offer.
We also know that the GR Corolla is pretty much a sure-starter for Australia, with the brand having already trademarked the name here, and pointing to the obvious market for hot hatches Down Under.
"If the business case stacks up, and the numbers stack up, then for sure," a Toyota spokesperson told CarsGuide. "We know that there is a market for performance hatches in that segment."
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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