2023 Toyota GR Corolla makes first ASEAN debut in Thailand – 1.6L turbo with 300 PS; 6MT; from RM500k
Several months after its global reveal in April this year, the Toyota GR Corolla has now made its first ASEAN debut in Thailand. Officially announced during the ongoing 39th Thailand International Motor Expo, the hot hatch is priced at 3.949 million baht (RM500,352) and will be offered in extremely limited numbers – Headlightmag reports just nine units will be brought in initially.
The arrival of the GR Corolla in Thailand coincides with the 60th anniversary of Toyota Motor Thailand, which also saw the reveal of several special edition models previously. Compared to the GR Yaris that was priced at 2.69 million baht (RM341,021) when it was announced back in December 2020, the GR Corolla commands a sizeable premium – 46.8% more by our calculations.
As such, it shouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume interested Malaysian customers will be paying a lot more for the GR Corolla if it ever goes on sale here. When it was available in Malaysia, the GR Yaris went for RM299,000 on-the-road without insurance (RM286,896 during the sales tax exemption period), so an extrapolated figure based on Thailand’s pricing would place the GR Corolla in the region of RM439k.
In terms of specifications, the GR Corolla is powered by the same G16E-GTS 1.6 litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine found in the GR Yaris, albeit tuned to deliver 300 PS and 370 Nm of torque. The mill is paired with a six-speed manual transmission (with auto rev-matching) and GR-Four all-wheel drive system (with Normal, Sport and Track modes), enabling a 0-100 km/h time of 5.5 seconds.
The standard kit list includes automatic LED headlamps, 18-inch alloys wheels, combination Brin Naub genuine and synthetic leather upholstery, keyless entry and start, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a wireless charger, seven airbags, various passive safety systems and Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite (autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, auto high beam and adaptive cruise control).
The Thailand-spec GR Corolla also gets a vented bonnet and forged carbon-fibre roof, which are standard on the Circuit Edition of the GR Corolla sold in the United States. Colour options are limited to just Ice Cap White and Precious Black, while interior themes are either Black Smoke or Ignition Red – the latter costs an extra 10,000 baht (RM1,268).
GALLERY: 2023 Toyota GR Corolla
