2023 Toyota GR Corolla: 500 cars coming but Australian pricing delayed

Toyota Australia has confirmed only 500 examples of the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch are coming to Australia in the initial batch, meaning each dealership will be allocated only two cars over the first 12 months.

This amounts to roughly half the number of Toyota GR Yaris hot hatches sold in its first year on the market – after the initial batch of the car sold-out in seven days.

While Toyota Australia investigates ways to fairly allocate such a limited number of GR Corollas – and prevent “scalpers” from selling them for a quick profit – the company says it will not release pricing for the GR Corolla hot hatch until closer to local showroom arrivals in the first three months of next year (three to six months later than expected).

In North America, the three models in the Toyota GR Corolla line-up range from $US35,900 to $US49,900 before on-road costs, which equates to $52,200 to $72,500 in Australia.

It is unclear how many variants of the Toyota GR Corolla will be available in Australia, but Drive has previously speculated there could be two: a top-end two-seat edition on super-sticky Michelin tyres (known in the US as the Morizo Edition) and a base-model five-seater on Yokohama tyres.

Toyota made a similar distinction with the GR Yaris; the base model had slippery Dunlop rubber and lacked limited-slip differentials, and only the top grade Rallye came with decent Michelin tyres and the heavy-duty driveline.

In an interview during the media preview drive of the GR Corolla, the head of sales and marketing for Toyota Australia, Sean Hanley, said: “Pricing has not been set for Australia, it doesn’t go on sale until (early) next year. 

“Any speculation on pricing in the meantime is exactly that, it is speculation. We haven’t locked in a price position at all. We won’t do that until we are closer to launch.”

When asked if there will there be a difference in price between the GR Yaris (which ranges from $49,500 and $54,500) and GR Corolla, Mr Hanley said: “We will have to work through that.”

“I have no indication at all of where it will end up. We will of course have a look at all competitors when it comes to a pricing analysis.”

Despite the limited allocation of vehicles initially, Toyota Australia has forecast the GR Corolla will end up outselling the GR Yaris which, for context, has so far clocked up more than 2100 sales locally over the past two years.

Meanwhile, Toyota Australia said there would be no special provision for a warranty to cover amateur motorsport use of the GR Corolla or GR Yaris, even though both models are designed for weekend track days.

“The short answer is ‘no’, but we’ll look at each (warranty claim) on a case-by-case basis,” said Mr Hanley.

While Toyota Australia – and Toyota showrooms – determine how to allocate the limited number of GR Corollas to local enthusiasts, the company last week announced it is investigating ways to prevent “scalpers” from selling in-demand models for a tidy profit soon after taking delivery.

MORE: Toyota is trying to stop new-car “scalpers” from pushing up prices

As reported last week, while many industry analysts say “scalpers” are merely capitalising on the forces of supply and demand, Toyota Australia says the practice of “flipping” or “short-cycling” a new car disadvantages customers who pay over the odds – and pushes genuine enthusiasts further back in the queue.

“We’ve spent decades building trust around our brand and it’s quite disturbing to think that we have a few (customers) who are short-cycling our cars to make money,” Sean Hanley, the sales and marketing boss of Toyota Australia and a 30-year veteran of the car industry, said last week. 

“We need to protect as best we can our customers from those types of behaviours,” he said, drawing a comparison with scalpers who horde tickets to live shows and then sell them for higher than their normal price.

“We want this situation changed,” said Mr Hanley. “We want customers to pay a fair and reasonable price based on the manufacturer’s retail price position.

“Used cars are a different matter. But for a new car, we don’t want customers paying over the odds. We intend to investigate everything we can within the legalities of Australian Consumer and Competition Law to try to (find a solution).

“I urge governments and authorities to please consider this proposition and what’s happening in the market now, because we’re all about protecting consumers. Yet we’re seeing (overcharging by private resellers) going on, so we’ve got to work together to say ‘hey, this has got to stop’.”