Hot hatch king? This is the carbon-obsessed GRMN Corolla

Well, aren’t the Japanese, Americans and Australians lucky? They’re the fortunate ones that'll be able to buy this GRMN Corolla, with deliveries set to begin at some point next year.

What actually is the GRMN Corolla? Well, Toyota describes it as “the ultimate GR Corolla” and that elongated badge stands for ‘Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of Nürburgring’. So, while the standard hot hatch was already rather special, this one has been honed at the Green Hell to be even better.

On the outside that means new aero spec body panels, with the bonnet, front wings, side skirts and adjustable rear spoiler all made from carbon fibre. Most of those bits were actually developed from the hydrogen-engined GR Corolla that competes in the Japanese Super Taikyu Series, with ‘fine-tuning’ at the ‘Ring.

The GRMN also gets bespoke monotube shocks at the front and rear “for improved inner-wheel traction during cornering and for enhanced high-speed cornering performance”. Nerdy stuff. There are also Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres that are 10mm wider than the GR’s, and both the four-wheel drive control system and the electronic power steering have been tweaked for on-track performance.

There are closer ratios in the six-speed manual gearbox, and the little turbo three-cylinder now makes 306lb ft of torque (up from 295lb ft in the facelifted GR). There’s also a new intercooler spray system, which instantly makes any car 15 times more appealing, and the rear seats have been binned to save weight. Yep, much like the GRMN Yaris from 2022, this thing is a two-seat hot hatch. The front seats are also new and made from glass fibre-reinforced polymer, and there’s more carbon inside (presumably to offset the weight of the special plaques and Morizo’s signature). Overall, it’s 30kg lighter than the standard car.

There’s no word on how much it’ll cost those lucky folk in Japan, North America and Australia just yet, but we are told that the GRMN will only be available in limited quantities.