Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch heading to the UK: here's what to expect
We can expect to see the rally-bred GR Corolla launched here within the next 18 months, which isn't much of a surprise after Toyota announced it would build the hot hatch at its plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire to help address lengthy global waiting lists.
'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,' Toyota's European COO Matt Harrison told Auto Express. 'The gap between supply and demand is now, so it's about how quickly we can get it. We need to act fast.'
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The Burnaston site was chosen because, as well as its factory capacity, the UK has motorsport expertise that aligns with the specialist nature of the low-volume performance hatchback. 'The GR Corolla is bespoke, it doesn't go through the normal processes', Harrison told us.
While the current-generation Corolla has been built at Burnaston in standard guise since its launch in 2019, the GR Corolla's significant performance-related changes will require adjustments to the tooling on the Derbyshire plant's production line.
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