A more hi-po model of the Toyota GR Corolla is in the works, in the form of the 2026 Toyota GRMN Corolla. GRMN dusts off the previous nomenclature of performance Toyota models signifying ‘Gazoo Racing, Meisters of the Nürburgring ‘ – which was later truncated to ‘GR’.
Footage taken at a US dealer event shows a prototype with a carbon fibre bonnet, spoiler, and aggro TVR-style vented wheel arches, all hinting at some serious upgrades. Lightweight wheels (possibly magnesium) shod with what appear to be Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres mean Toyota is not playing with this one.
Very racy-looking seats with tombstone headrests and heavy bolstering are visible in the video, trimmed in Alcantara and red leather.
Like the GR Corolla Morizo, the rear seats have been deleted in favour of a crossbeam for structural reinforcement.
While we will have to wait for official figures, some sources suggest 300kW could be extracted from the 1.6 turbo – a vast increase on the 221kW/400Nm of today’s car. This kind of output could drop the 0-100km/h time down into the 4.0-second range, and comfortably in the mid-12s for quarter mile.
Conjecture surrounding the choice of powerplant is rampant, with opinion split between an uprated version of the G16E-GTS 1.6-litre, turbocharged three-cylinder and the G20E, which is Toyota’s next-generation four-cylinder engine. The 2.0-litre would be eminently more tuneable, with Toyota engineers themselves calling it the ‘new 2JZ’.
In addition, prototypes have been spotted testing at the Nürburgring – probably full of ‘Meisters’ – to improve on the existing car’s lap time.
A full debut could squeak in before the end of 2025, or in the first half of 2026.
