Toyota Corolla GR hot hatch confirmed

Toyota has a very good habit of keeping details of its future products locked down tighter than Victorians during a global coronavirus pandemic… but the Japanese giant's North American arm has now officially confirmed there's a tough new Corolla hot hatch coming.

And it's all but certain to be sold in Australia in due course.

On the Toyota USA website, under the 'upcoming vehicles' tab, is a secret vehicle called the GR Hot Hatch. It links through to a web page that confirms the Toyota Corolla GR is happening – and soon.

The website explains: "While GR Yaris isn't coming to the U.S., perhaps it's time the U.S. got a Toyota hot hatch to call its own. One that continues to push the boundaries of performance. And one that can only come from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. Are you with us?"

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Given that Toyota only sells two hatchbacks, the Yaris and Corolla (the Prius is unlikely), this all but confirms what Aussie execs told us at the launch of the current-generation Corolla in San Diego two years ago, and what Toyota designer Toshio Kanei told European media a year later: that a Corolla hero car is coming.

You can bet your bottom dollar that this car will come to Australia too, given the Corolla is a global model -- in fact it's the world's top-selling model -- offered in both left- and right-hand drive.

"If it gets confirmed globally, we'd put our hands up for this," a Toyota Australia spokesperson told carsales.com.au today.

"We know there's a strong appetite for hot hatches in Australia and if a model like that did become available we'd definitely be interested in it."

What's also interesting about this Corolla GR development is that the official US web page harps on about how epic the Toyota Yaris GR's 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol powertrain is, suggesting it's highly likely to power the new Toyota Corolla GR.

Toyota executives from Japan previously said it would be a waste to use the 1.6-litre engine in only one vehicle, cementing the likelihood of that engine in the larger hot hatch.

Given that engine development is the most expensive part of the development costs when it comes to creating a new vehicle, it's unlikely Toyota would throw more cash on another hi-po powertrain exclusively for the Corolla GR.

And before you laugh at the prospect of Toyota's first Corolla hot hatch arriving with a three-cylinder engine, consider that the 1.6 turbo engine in the Yaris GR pumps out around 190kW and 360Nm of torque.

That's more power (but less torque) than its direct rival, the 2020 Volkswagen Golf GTI, which bangs out 180kW and 370Nm from its ageing 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.

The high-performance engine expected to power the Toyota Corolla GR hot hatch could also retain the Toyota Yaris' all-wheel drive system which, excitingly, allows for 100 per cent of engine torque to be shunted to the rear axle.

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Chuck in the other expected goodies from the Yaris GR, such as beefed-up brake rotors (356mm front, 297mm rear) and callipers (four-piston front, two-piston rear), modified suspension that lowers and stiffens up the car and bigger wheels with performance tyres, and you're looking at a car that could even bloody the nose of the Hyundai i30 N.

Going one step further than the Corolla GR Sport sold overseas (pictured), it could even get a wide body kit like the Yaris GR due on sale here later this year.

It's not clear whether an automatic transmission will be offered alongside the standard six-speed manual. While the benchmark 0-100km/h acceleration run of the Corolla hot hatch is unlikely to match the sub-six-second time of the Yaris GR due to its heavier weight, the potential of an all-wheel drive system could put it on par with the Golf GTI's 6.2sec time.

Although the new Corolla GR is unlikely to be pitched as a rival for ultra-hardcore hot hatches like the more powerful Honda Civic Type R (228kW/400Nm), it's possible Toyota GR – aka Gazoo Racing – could push its power output beyond 200kW.

Whatever eventuates, the Corolla GR will not be cheap.

Aussie pricing for the Toyota Yaris GR is yet to be confirmed, but in the UK it works out to around $60,000. So the Corolla GR hot hatch could cost even more.

Stay tuned for more details.