It appears Toyota is expanding its hot hatch stable in the ASEAN market.
According to a report by Paultan.org, Toyota Motor Thailand has launched the 2023 GR Corolla at this year’s Thailand International Motor Expo.
Excited? Even if you do reside in Thailand, your chances of getting your hands on a unit are pretty slim. The model is being sold with a sizable 3.949 million Thai baht (over P6.3 million) price tag. And according to headlightmag.com, just nine units are being brought in for sale.
Thailand’s Toyota GR Corolla will come packing the same 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with 296hp and 370Nm of torque as the smaller GR Yaris. Shifting duties will fall to a six-speed manual transmission with automatic rev-matching, and buyers will have several driving modes at their disposal.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Size comparo: How big is the all-new Toyota Innova compared to the Geely Okavango?
The new Parklinks Bridge connecting Pasig City, Quezon City has been unveiled
It’s also been reported that Thai units will run on 18-inch alloy wheels, get a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and boast a sizable 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
Obviously, it’s still way too early to speculate when (or even if) Toyota Motor Philippines plans to launch this thing locally. Thailand has, however, long served as a barometer for upcoming launches in our market, so we do believe there’s a reason to get your hopes up.
If the Toyota GR Corolla does become available in our market, it will serve as a more practical alternative to its more compact sibling, the GR Yaris. Will you be crossing your fingers about this? Chime in.
