Toyota Introduces GR Corolla Rally Concept, Will It Fall In The Reli Competition?

Toyota GR Corolla Rally Concept. (Doc. CarWatch)

Toyota continues to prove its commitment not only to mass-produce passenger cars, but also to actively contribute to the prestigious world of motorsports.

On the final day of the Tokyo Auto Salon 2025 event, the Toyota Gazoo Racing division managed to steal the show by introducing its newest demo car, the GR Corolla Rally Concept, which is based on their flagship hatchback, GR Corolla.

Launching from Japanese media CarWatch, Monday, January 13, the car was specially designed considering rally characteristics in North America. One of its advantages is longer wheelbase, providing better stability than the GR Yaris model.

As a rally car, the configuration of the GR Corolla Rally Concept is clearly different from the version of the highway. Significant changes can be seen in the addition of side skirts, a more aerodynamic front and rear bumper design, to the large rear wing which is the main attraction. Not only that, the higher ground clearance further strengthens the strong impression of this car to conquer the rally track.

The Glolla Rally Concept GR is covered in black which is now the hallmark of the Toyota Gazoo Racing division with the 'GR' logo which typically adorns each side.

Unfortunately, the manufacturer is still silent about what has changed from the technical side of the engine on the car.

As an illustration, Toyota has marketed the GR Corolla facelift with the same engine, namely 1.6 liters 3-cylinder G16E-GTS which provides 300 ps of power boost and 400 Nm of torque, an increase of 39 ps and 40 Nm.

In addition, GR Corolla is now present not only in manual transmission but also automatically. It is stated that this change of teeth still has the characteristics of driving that is fun and not much different from the manual version.

GR Corolla Rally Concept was demonstrated by the son of Akio Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda who is also Senior Vice President Woven by Toyota.

Initially, the car would be driven by Akio Toyoda as Chairman of Toyota. However, the man known as Morizo fell ill after returning from the 2025 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) held in Las Vegas, USA.

Because he replaced his father in the last minute, Daisuke did not have his own racing outfits and participated in a demonstration in Morizo's racing outfits.