Leveraging lessons learned from competing in Japan’s Super Taikyu Series, the car’s fundamental performance has been enhanced so that it can be put to the test in evermore demanding settings.
The body structure has been reinforced to endure vertical and lateral g-forces that are more intense than those typically generated at circuits in Japan.
To maintain stable engine output even during prolonged full-throttle driving, a cool air duct has been added to reduce the intake-air temperature during high-load driving.
The JBL Premium Sound System (factory-installed option) has been improved by equipping the car with an Active Sound Control system and installing a subwoofer in the luggage compartment to enhance comfort for greater enjoyment of everyday driving and create burgling and other sounds that evoke the feeling of motorsports.
The supply system for the Japanese-market model has been revised to enable delivery to as many customers as possible.
This partially improved GR Corolla features an improved body structure and improved intake cooling performance for a driving experience underlined by a high sense of driver-car unity, not only in city driving but also in demanding environments such as at the Nürburgring*1. For TGR and Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda, aka Master Driver Morizo, competing in motorsports is the starting point of making ever-better cars. The birth of the GR Corolla stemmed from Morizo’s strong desire to “bring back a Corolla that captivates our customers”. The model has continued to evolve by leveraging lessons learned by competing in motorsports, primarily on circuits in Japan, such as in Japan’s Super Taikyu Series.

Thus far, possibilities for owning a GR Corolla have been limited due to the model only being available through purchasing lotteries since its launch in 2022. However, supply system revisions mean that more customers can now enjoy the GR Corolla’s ever-evolving driving experience. Also, for current owners who are already enjoying the GR Corolla, plans are afoot for a software-inclusive upgrade program.

TGR’s journey of making ever-better motorsports-bred cars is without end. TGR intends to continuously evolve the GR Corolla by incorporating input from a diverse range of drivers.

GR Corolla improvements
Extension of structural adhesive application by 13.9 meters
Structural adhesive
Structural adhesive: Conventional lines of application 18.8m
Structural adhesive: Extended lines of application 13.9m
To achieve stable driving performance even on overseas circuits, which typically generate more-intense vertical and lateral g-forces than circuits in Japan, the application of structural adhesive has been extended to 32.7 meters―13.9 meters more than such application in the GR Corolla’s current RZ trim level―primarily in the front part of the body, floor, and areas around the rear wheel wells. This has enhanced body rigidity while minimizing weight increase. The resulting reinforced body structure enhances the sense of driver-car unity in all situations, from city to circuit driving.

Addition of a cool air duct (to the secondary air intake duct)
Cool air duct (to the secondary air intake duct)
Cool air duct
Cool air duct (to the secondary air intake duct)
Yellow line: Cool air duct
Blue line: Taking in of cool air
To maintain stable high engine output even when the engine compartment temperature rises during prolonged full-throttle driving, a high-engine-speed-activated cool air duct has been added to the secondary intake duct (located below the air cleaner). The cool air duct draws in outside air directly from the front grille, significantly reducing the intake-air temperature. This stabilizes engine output even under high-temperature conditions such as continuous high-load driving, enabling the GR Corolla’s G16E-GTS engine to fully unleash its inherent potential.

Subwoofer added to the JBL Premium Sound System, increasing the speakers from 8 to 9
Subwoofer added to the JBL Premium Sound System
The JBL Premium Sound System (factory-installed option*2) has been improved to enhance everyday interior comfort while also delivering an emotional motorsports-evoking sound experience even during city driving. A luggage compartment subwoofer that delivers clearer, more powerful audio has been added, and optimized tuning of the pre-existing Active Noise Control (ANC) reduces interruptive engine noise and other unwanted sounds.

Also, vehicles equipped with the JBL Premium Sound System now feature Active Sound Control (ASC), a system that emits sporty sounds through the vehicle’s speakers that match changes in vehicle acceleration / deceleration and driving force due to accelerator and shift lever operation, enabling the driver to intuitively grasp vehicle condition. Furthermore, when the accelerator is released, the system generates the signature motorsports sound of burbling (resulting from explosions triggered by the activation of anti-lag control during the exhaust process to reduce turbo lag). This allows safe enjoyment during everyday driving of a sound experience akin to that of driving a racing car. ASC offers three sound patterns tailored to the driving mode, and, in addition to having three volume settings, “OFF”, which is the factory setting, can also be selected.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices
(Including consumption tax; unit: yen)
Trim level    GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission
(8-speed automatic transmission / 4WD)    6MT (4WD)
RZ    5,980,000    5,680,000
Software-inclusive upgrades
For current GR Corolla owners, a software-inclusive upgrade program is now being developed.

The upgrade program, which will apply to the 2023 GR Corolla, will result in a 30 Nm boost in maximum engine torque, raising torque from 370 Nm to 400 Nm and putting it on par with that of the evolved GR Corolla announced in 2024 and released in Japan in 2025. The upgrade program will also change the GR-FOUR control system, in which the hitherto 30:70 front / rear driving force distribution “REAR” mode will be replaced by a 50:50 front / rear driving force distribution “GRAVEL” mode, and the “TRACK” mode, which has been hitherto fixed at 50:50 front / rear driving force distribution, will become variable, enabling adjustments ranging from 60:40 front / rear to 30:70 front / rear. Program availability is scheduled to start in spring 2026, with details, including pricing, to be announced as soon as they are set.