Rumored Toyota GR Corolla Feature Won't Please Enthusiasts

Jan. 20, 2022 2:24 PM ET by Sebastian Cenizo Rumor / 10 Comments

But it should broaden the car's appeal immensely.

Toyota just teased a new Sequoia and has returned from the Dakar Rally with top honors, but for those of us who like our tire profile low and our suspension stiff, the Japanese automaker has a number of exciting projects in the works. The highly anticipated GRMN Yaris has finally been revealed, and its engine will be powering another blisteringly hot hatchback in the form of the GR Corolla. We already know that this fantastic proposition will be offered with a manual transmission, but not everyone can drive stick. Fortunately for these individuals, Toyota is rumored to be adding an automatic gearbox to the options list.

2019-2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback Test Drive Gear Shifter

According to Japanese publication Best Car, the GR Corolla will still launch exclusively with a six-speed manual, but an automatic may follow two years later, around the middle of 2024. The publication adds that the decision to include a two-pedal offering has not yet been made and "is still in flux." The decision to add an automatic makes a certain amount of sense because rivals like the Volkswagen Golf R and Audi S3 are offered with dual-clutch systems. But what would Toyota use? Would it be a torque converter automatic, a dual-clutch (DCT), or a continuously variable transmission (CVT)? Let's explore the possibilities.

To date, Toyota has never sold a car with a dual-clutch. In addition, the automaker typically sources its transmission units from Aisin, a company that has never produced a DCT for any global manufacturer. A CVT is common for Toyota products and is fitted to the regular Corolla. In that car, the system has a real 1st gear and 10 simulated gears, but even so, it likely wouldn't feel very good in a spicy hatch like the GR. Thus, we would bet our money on Toyota going for a traditional torque converter automatic. Of course, all this speculation is pointless until Toyota confirms a two-pedal configuration, and with such a thing said to only arrive in the middle of 2024, when the Corolla is due for a replacement, the validity of the claim seems tenuous.