Will the Toyota GR Corolla be sold in the UK after all?
Toyota’s finally bringing the GR Corolla to UK soil three years after production began, but all is not quite as it seems
Given our admiration for the Toyota GR Yaris, it’s no surprise we were miffed at the absence of the GR Corolla from the UK lineup. Three years on, though, Toyota finally announced that it will come to our shores… or rather, leave our shores. The hot hatch was set to be produced at Toyota’s British plant near Derby from 2026, without any confirmation as to whether it’d be sold here. Now there are indications the car might make the short hop from the factory to UK dealers after all.
Speaking with our sister site Auto Express, Toyota’s European Chief Operating Officer Matt Harrison acknowledged that it would be odd to not sell a car in the market that makes it:
‘We have a philosophy that you build where you sell, so to build in Europe and not sell in Europe would be counter to that. The gap between supply and demand is now, so it’s about how quickly we can get it. We need to act fast.’
The move to build the car in the UK is a response to the huge demand for the GR Corolla, which has helped make the performance division the fastest growing brand in Toyota’s armoury. The market has consistently demanded more than the marque can supply, and so the UK site has been chosen as a new manufacturing location for the model.
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Despite not (yet) having confirmed it will sell the GR Corolla in the UK, Toyota does acknowledge that we’re a keen market for performance vehicles. In a statement, the firm said that its British plant has been chosen ‘on the basis of manufacturing capability and motorsport expertise,’ going on to say that the ‘deep motorsport culture and skill base within the United Kingdom’ also contributed to the decision. ‘The GR Corolla is bespoke, it doesn’t go through the normal processes,’ Harrison confirmed. Preparations are said to have begun in 2024, with the first car to roll off the line in 2026.
Yoshihiro Nakata, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said: ‘We are proud that TMUK, our first plant in Europe, has also been selected as the first overseas Toyota plant to produce GR vehicles, securing this expansion project for TGR worldwide.’
Rumours of a UK debut began in 2024 when a prototype was caught doing laps at the Nürburgring. Most manufacturers test at the ‘ring, of course, but a European development regime could be a sign that the GR Corolla will finally be sold in UK showrooms. With the number of hot hatches that have departed showrooms of late – Renault Sport is gone, so too the Hyundai i30 N and i20 N and Ford Fiesta ST, with the Focus ST and Honda Civic Type R shortly to follow – there’s something of an expanding void to be filled and demand to be satisfied.
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One interesting new piece of information to note is that while the GR Corolla has been strictly for the US, Australian and Japanese markets until now, Toyota says new ‘details of the markets for sales’ will come at a later date in a recent statement. Fingers crossed some will stay close to home.
