Inspired by racing
Born out of a passion for racing, the GR editions of the Corolla family are designed to suit the needs of motor racing. Toyota in 2007 decided to work on the development of cars to compete in the 24 hours Nurburgring endurance race on tracks winding through the German forest. In the Nurburgring race, Toyota participated with the team named GAZOO Racing consisting of Akio Toyoda and other employees. The GAZOO Racing team took part in the race on a limited budget with two second-hand Altezzas. With adversity, the two Altezzas completed the race and that’s how Toyota motorsports were born. The development of cars for motorsport is a new challenge. The GR Corolla fulfilled this noble cause through Toyota’s GR Corolla design that is fully built for motorsports.
Production Home
To obtain the performance requirements of the GR Corolla, Toyota decided to use the Motomachi production facility in Japan as the assembly home for the production of GR Corollas. This is the same place where other legendary models like the Lexus LFA and Supra A80 are manufactured. At the Motomachi production facility, the Automatic Guided Vehicles system is used instead of the usual conveyor system. This enables precision in body and suspension alignment. The production time of the GR Corolla is longer as each car is assembled with much care and attention, unlike mass-produced ones in order to meet the standard set in terms of performance. To achieve that, each assembly is subjected to weld checks and body alignment.Special Features
Four All-Wheel-Drive
The GR Corolla comes with four All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) systems which makes it a good car for motorsports. The GR editions provide an exceptional level of traction and control as it’s designed to produce maximum drive power to the wheels with a lightweight body for optimum performance.Multi-weather conditions optimized
Also, the GR Corolla’s performance can be optimized to suit different conditions of rain, snow and dirt as the car is designed for rally racing, this feature makes it unique.Speeds adjustments
The speed of the GR Corolla can be adjusted to a sport setting with a front/rear distribution of torque to the wheel in the ratio of 60:40, and to a fun-to-drive setting on winding routes and circuits with a 30:70 front to rear torque distribution; and 50:50 front-rear torque distribution to the wheels for competitive track driving on circuits. For optimized cornering performance, the GR Corolla is also equipped with front and rear Torsen Limited- Slip Differentials.Turbo-charged engine
The engine of the GR Corolla is turbo charged with an enhanced G16E-GTS engine with a 3-Cylinder port-injected turbo giving increased power.Lightweight
The design of the GR Corolla has been optimized to reduce weight. Weight has been reduced as much as possible in GR Corollas to maximize its performance for motorsports. As a result, this model of Corolla is lightweight.Safety systems
The GR Corolla editions are equipped with safety enhancements. The Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 includes a Pre-collision system that can detect motorcyclists, close-by objects and pedestrians and avoid collision by giving an alert or applying automatic braking. Also, the GR Corolla is equipped with Dynamic Radar System Cruise Control with Lane Departure Alert that notifies the driver through audible and visual alerts whenever the vehicle is leaving the lane when a turn signal has not been engaged. Furthermore, it has a road sign assist that can recognize some road signs through the camera on the car and display them. Apart from the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the GR Corolla has other safety features such as the Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Monitor and the Hill Start Assist.Audio Multimedia System
The GR Corolla has an Audio Multimedia system equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen. The North American Developed Audio Multimedia System can be updated Over-the-Air (OTA). Interaction with the multimedia system can be through touch or voice. Having an Intelligent Assistant it can detect voice and respond to short phrases and words like “Hey” and activates commands to execute different actions like changing the cabin temperature, searching for direction, finding a Point of Interest, etc.Article written by Isaac Melle. Isaac is a freelance writer. He writes on technology, science, business and other topics.
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