The Toyota GRMN Corolla is the Japanese brand’s hottest five-door hatch ever, and it’s coming to Australian showrooms in 2027 – albeit in very limited numbers.
Toyota has treated its already-hot GR Corolla to a raft of modifications and upgrades, most notably removing its rear seats to create a two-seater cabin, while also retuning its drivetrain, suspension, and steering.
It also receives a new aero body kit, similar to the one recently made available for the three-door GR Yaris, with this particular Corolla “designed and engineered with direct input from the brand’s involvement in motorsport”, according to Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations John Pappas.
“Under the direction of our chairman Akio Toyoda – who races under the pseudonym Morizo – the GR brand was designed to create high-performance sports cars using the knowledge and experience we gain from motorsport and this new GRMN Corolla was honed on one of the world’s most demanding race circuits, the Nürburgring,” he said.
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“This is truly our GR philosophy in action, and has produced an astonishing high-performance driver’s car that is as at home on the racetrack as it is on the road.”
The GRMN Corolla’s 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine produces 221kW of power and 408Nm of torque (up from 400Nm), while its all-wheel drive system has been ‘optimised’.
Its unique front and rear monotube shock absorbers have been retuned to better handle racetrack conditions, and its electric power steering has been recalibrated for improved high-load cornering feedback.
Helping keep the car planted are new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 performance tyres that are 10mm wider than before, while the new aero package includes a five-step-adjustable rear roof spoiler, a front side spoiler, and vents on the bonnet and fenders.
Inside, the two-seat GRMN has been fitted with very aggressive motorsport-style bucket seats, positioned lower to better accommodate a driver wearing a race helmet. There’s also a unique instrument panel, an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, and Morizo’s signature embroidered on the dashboard.
Toyota says that all these changes have resulted in a 40kg kerb weight reduction compared to the regular manual GR Corolla, which means the GRMN weighs in at 1440kg. It appears the GRMN Corolla will only be available with a six-speed manual transmission, while the regular GR Corolla can be had with an eight-speed automatic.
Additionally, the hatch will be available in two unique colours. One is matte black, pictured throughout this article, and the other is a new khaki finish – the latter is unique to the Australian and North American markets.
The GRMN Corolla largely echoes the unique fittings found on the GR Corolla Morizo Edition, introduced in 2023. Notably, that model was also a two-seater, with just 25 examples imported by Toyota Australia.
According to Toyota, Morizo’s directive is that any GRMN-badged car should be able to “run the Nürburgring properly”, with this hotted-up Corolla extensively tuned on the famous German racetrack. In fact, GRMN stands for ‘Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of Nürburgring’.
In addition to testing on the ‘Ring, the GRMN Corolla’s aero and suspension components were developed through Toyota’s involvement in the Japanese Super Taikyu endurance racing series.
In this, the brand fields a hydrogen-powered GR Corolla in the ST-Q class – designated as a test bed for future technologies, primarily alternative fuels.
As a mainly production-car-based race series, Toyota also competes against the likes of Honda and its low-carbon-fuel Civic Type R, Subaru’s Impreza-based, WRX-powered hatch aimed at achieving greater power and efficiency, and Mazda’s low-carbon, lightweight MX-5.
The GRMN Corolla’s unveiling follows the reveal of the hardcore GR Yaris Morizo RR and a small, motorsport-inspired update to the regular GR Yaris, applied in May 2026.
The latter brought a smaller-diameter steering wheel with motorsport-style buttons, retuned power steering, and Bridgestone Potenza race tyres for the top-spec GTS.
Pricing has yet to be confirmed for the GRMN Corolla. Given the manual GR Corolla GTS is priced at $67,990 before on-road costs, it seems likely that this hotter version will be priced at closer to $80,000.
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