The Toyota GR Corolla is a popular hot hatch car. While it’s great that it comes with a manual gearbox, some people want an automatic option too. Toyota executives recently talked about the possibility of making an automatic GR Corolla.
At a meeting with Australian journalists, Toyota Gazoo Racing President Tomoya Takahashi talked about the potential for an automatic GR Corolla. He said, “If there is customer demand, maybe.” This means if people want it, they might make it. Sales of other automatic performance cars from Toyota in Australia show that there is a demand for this kind of car.
Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia’s head of sales and marketing, said that over half of the buyers for the GR86, another sports car from Toyota, chose the automatic transmission option. This suggests that many people prefer automatics over manuals.
Adding an automatic option to the GR Corolla wouldn’t be too hard. Toyota already added an eight-speed automatic gearbox to the GR Yaris, another performance car. They called it the Gazoo Racing Direct Automatic Transmission. It’s designed to work well for both everyday driving and performance driving.
The GR Corolla and GR Yaris share a lot of parts and technology. They both have a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine and all-wheel drive. So, it would be straightforward for Toyota to offer an automatic version of the GR Corolla.
Some people might not like the idea of an automatic GR Corolla. They prefer manual gearboxes. But not everyone can drive a manual, especially in heavy traffic. For those people, an automatic option would be great.
In the United States, if Toyota decides to offer an automatic GR Corolla, it would join the GR Supra and GR86, which are already available with both manual and automatic transmissions. Interestingly, the regular Corolla doesn’t offer a manual option anymore. Toyota stopped offering it in late 2022 because very few people were buying it.
