This Thursday, the U.S. will get its first real look at the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla. It won’t be hidden in an ad for another car this time. They’ll just show us the thing.
Hiding Just Off-Frame Until Now
Toyota has been teasing the arrival of the GR Corolla for at least six months now. At least, we say, because we can’t be sure anyone has found the car’s first appearance in a Toyota ad. No one noticed the October appearance until last December.
Toyota cheekily hid the hatchback GR Corolla in the background of ads for other cars throughout late 2021. But, if you hope to sell a car, you have to eventually admit that it exists.
A Few Details
That will come Thursday, Toyota tells us. For now, we get a few teaser shots showing aspects of the car in close detail — too close to really get a feel for what it looks like.
The shots include a closeup of an air vent behind a front fender. It appears to be a functional one — automakers have famously slapped fake vents onto the sides of some faux sports cars in the past — that would actually serve to cool brakes. Brake cooling can be necessary for high-performance cars, where frequent braking into hard corners can overheat them.
The other shot shows a side skirt labeled “GR-FOUR.” That’s a big clue — it’s the terminology Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division uses to describe its 4-wheel-drive (4WD) system.
The Rest is Rumors
So, we know the GR Corolla is a quick little hatch with grip from all four corners and high-performance brakes. Rumors say it will use a new version of the turbocharged 1.6-liter 3-cylinder engine found in the GR Yaris hot hatch overseas — perhaps tuned to more than 300 horsepower. A 6-speed manual transmission is likely and nearly mandatory for a hot hatch.
We expect to know more on Thursday the 31st when we finally see the car head-on.
