The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla was initially revealed with two trim levels, an entry-level Core model and the Circuit Edition, which is limited to the 2023 model year only. Toyota later revealed a highly limited Morizo Edition with more torque, stickier tires, and an extreme weight reduction program, including removing the back seats.
The GR Corolla will be a low-volume car, with only around 6,000 to 8,000 units sold per year. Of those, only 200 will be the Morizo Edition, the Circuit will make up around 1,500 units, and the Core model will make up the bulk of sales at approximately 5,000 units.
"We begged for more and more. It's a global car that's hand-built," said Thomas Sondej Jr, Toyota senior product planner. "Production is limited to what we can produce. Hopefully, in the future, we can get more."
Toyota declined to comment if the 2024 run of Morizo cars will also be limited to 200 units but did confirm the Circuit Edition will be a one-year special. But that doesn't mean Toyota won't offer something different in years to come.
When asked about a follow-up or replacement for the Circuit Edition, Toyota wasn't shy about hinting it has something else up its sleeve. "We do special editions every year," said Sondej, "look at GR86 and Supra."
Looking at other Toyota and Lexus special edition sports cars, the company has a habit of carrying over a "one-year-only" special, renaming it, and selling more units. The GR Supra is a great example, although one that makes each special edition different in some way from the one that precedes it.
In just a few short model years, the Supra had the initial Launch Edition (1,500 units) and subsequently spawned an A91 Edition (limited to 1,000 units), the A91-CF Edition (limited to 600 units), and most recently, the A91-MT with a manual transmission (limited to 500 units).
That doesn't even count the special editions we don't get in the US. Though each one is a bit different, the overall theme is the same: paint it a special color, give it a unique interior, and come up with a not-so-clever name.
This trend is perhaps more egregious with Lexus. Remember the 2020 RC F Track Edition? It was billed as a highly-limited track-focused RC F limited to only 50 units for highly dedicated Lexus owners. It was then replaced by an identical car called the RC F Fuji Speedway Edition (limited to 60 units) and was then extended for another model year with another 50 units. So Lexus promised to only build 50 and essentially built 160 just with a new name.
While Toyota execs didn't state it blatantly, they seemed to hint that we can expect the same with the GR Corolla in years to come.
The Circuit Edition will go away after 2023 and be replaced by a differently named but virtually identical special edition for 2024. We don't know what it will be called, but we're sure it will pack similar content. Toyota could take the Lexus path and name the Circuit Edition's replacement after a track or road in Japan like Motegi or Suzuka, though that's just our guess.
While this may upset some buyers who thought their Circuit Edition would be part of a small club, it'll come as good news for buyers who weren't able to get an allocation for one. You may have to wait, but at least you can still get all the cool content.
