Who would’ve thought Toyota would offer not one but two hot hatch offerings in this day and age? In an era where SUVs, MPVs, and pickups dominate the sales charts, we’re glad that the GR Yaris and GR Corolla exist. We’re even happier that those hot hatchbacks get an honest to goodness six-speed manual.
But it seems that Toyota wants to broaden the appeal of its hardcore hatchbacks. According to Australian motoring website, GoAuto, Toyota says it is currently developing automatic versions of the GR Yaris and GR Corolla. Not only that, but Toyota has also gone as far as fitting automatic transmissions to these cars and shaking them down in durability tests.
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Naoyuki Sakamoto, chief engineer for the GR Corolla, spoke to GoAuto regarding developments. “We are testing an automatic transmission in the GR Yaris for the Japanese rally team. We have joined the rally series with a GR Yaris with automatic transmission, and with each rally if we find some issues, we improve it. Such kind of activity is the central idea of the GR company—always from motorsports development,” said Sakamoto.
Before you say the idea of an automatic hot hatch is heretic, it’s worth pointing out that most of the GR Yaris and GR Corolla rivals have an automatic option. Cars such as the BMW M135i, Volkswagen Golf R, and Audi S3 come with self-shifters. That said, the GR Corolla’s chief rival, the Civic Type R, clings on to its six-speed manual. Heck, most supercars and hypercars don't even offer manuals anymore.
Mind you, just because Toyota made automatic prototypes for these performance hatchbacks, it doesn’t mean it will push through with production. The self-shifting GR hatchbacks should satisfy the higher-ups within Toyota to move forward, a tall order given that the company’s kin is an occasional racing driver, and the new CEO previously led Gazoo Racing.
Think of this then as a ‘feasibility study’ of sorts for the automatic GR Yaris and GR Corolla. But will you ever consider a two-pedal version of these hot hatchbacks? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
