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  • Sources have confirmed to The Drive and MotorTrend that a GR Corolla is coming
  • It’ll have the Toyota GR Yaris’ motor and AWD, complete with manual transmission
  • This GR Corolla promises to be more usable than the tiny GR Yaris

Remember all those times you made offerings to that pagan god, begging them to bring you the motoring joy of the Toyota GR Yaris? It would appear that cat you, uh, “gave away” was worth it. We’re getting a Toyota GR Corolla, with all the best bits from the Toyota Yaris hot hatch thrown in. Your prayers have been answered.

A dark blue Toyota Corolla hatchback shot from the front 3/4
Toyota is putting a widebody on the Corolla hatch | Toyota

We know the Toyota GR Yaris’ engine will be in the Toyota GR Corolla

First, we’d like to thank James Gilboy of The Drive and Angus MacKenzie at MotorTrend for bringing the good word forth. Without them, we wouldn’t know any of what we know now about the newest, fastest Toyota Corolla hatchback. Both sources of information, rather obviously, chose to stay confidential. So, the first bit of information. The new GR Corolla hatch will have a turbocharged three-cylinder motor and a manual transmission.

MotorTrend says their source told them that the new Toyota Corolla hatchback will have that turbo-three right out of the Toyota GR Yaris. Seeing as that’s the only performance three-banger Toyota makes, we’re willing to bet that’s true. We can likely say the same for that manual transmission, which should be coming right out of the GR Yaris.

The Toyota Corolla hatchback is about to get much hotter

A red Toyota GR Yaris shot from the front 3/4 at speed
The GR Yaris is donating its engine to the cause | Toyota UK

Thankfully, the fun doesn’t stop there. The plain-Jane Toyota Corolla hatchback will also be getting a widebody, just like the Yaris. Finally, we also know that the Yaris’ AWD system will be transplanted to the Corolla. That might sound like a lot of work, but the Yaris and the Corolla hatch share fairly similar wheelbases, at 100 and 103 inches respectively. As for hard specs, well, that’s where things get muddier.

Thankfully, the competition can help us out in that regard. In order to compete with the likes of the Honda Civic Si, Volkswagen GTI, and Hyundai Veloster N, the Toyota GR Corolla will need some punch. The Yaris’ motor currently makes 257 hp and 265 lb-ft, but we know brands like Litchfield have been able to push those numbers up towards 300.

We’re still waiting for more details on the Corolla hot hatch

A blue Toyota Corolla hatchback, the basis for the new Toyota GR Corolla
We expect at least 300 hp from the Toyota GR Corolla | Toyota

Until we know more, that’s about all the information we have on the Toyota GR Corolla. Given the small size of the Toyota GR Yaris, this could actually be a more usable hot hatch than the Yaris. The Corolla might only have three more inches on the Yaris’ wheelbase, but it’s a much larger and more practical car. And after all, isn’t practical speed what a hot hatch is all about?

Related

Another cryptic teaser of a new Toyota Corolla GR hot hatch shows up on Toyota’s Instagram

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MotorBiscuit Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Chase Bierenkoven

Chase Bierenkoven has been obsessed with cars his whole life and now finds joy in sharing what he’s learned from his own daily drivers. Chase earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a focus on legal studies from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and quickly became an automotive journalist. When he isn’t writing, Chase is either driving his passion project, a 2004 BMW M3 in Carbon Schwartz Metallic, or playing around Colorado’s terrain, mainly mountain biking and skiing.