SPY PICS: Toyota Corolla Apex arrives in Oz

A sexier version of the Toyota Corolla has popped up in Australia, but before anyone gets too excited let’s cut to the chase.

No, it’s not the rally-bred Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch, which we’re now unlikely to see before 2023.

While Toyota has confirmed it is working on a range-topping GR version of the world’s top-selling mall car – similar in concept to its turbocharged, all-wheel drive Yaris namesake – this isn’t it.

This Toyota Corolla Apex was spotted south of Sydney this week while being filmed for a TV commercial.

What’s that, you ask? The Apex is a warmed-over version of the Corolla sedan with revamped and lowered suspension, some cosmetic tweaks to the outside and interior, but the same 125kW 2.0-litre engine as any other (non-hybrid) model currently on sale.

It is a variant sold only in the USA and even then, in numbers limited to 6000 with either a six-speed manual or CVT automatic transmission.

And there it will stay with, according to Toyota Australia, no chance of it being sold in this country given the imminent arrival of the much more promising GR hatch.

Added to that is Toyota’s local arm focusing on the Corolla hatch as the sportier (and bigger selling) body style in the range. Despite being available with the same petrol and hybrid powertrains, the sedan is aimed more at fleets and other efficiency-conscious buyers.

In the case of this Corolla Apex, it was being filmed for a North American TV commercial with the crew taking advantage of Australia’s virtually COVID-free environment and value for money production costs.

Not to mention the stunning coastal scenery on the roads between Sydney and Wollongong, where NSW police were on hand to keep local traffic at bay and allow the Americans to drive on the wrong side of the road.

Related: See the latest Spy Pics here