Toyota GR Corolla teased ahead of this week’s debut – but it’s NOT for the UK

Toyota teases the new GR Corolla with a couple of images ahead of a debut on 1 April, but it won’t be joining the GR Yaris in the UK or Europe.

Toyota hit the sweet sport with the GR Yaris, with ample plaudits from press and public alike – and a long waiting list.

With that sort of success, it seemed inevitable that the eagerly anticipated Toyota GR Corolla would be a similar hit with the Yaris’s powertrain but a more practical body. Which it probably will be, but not in the UK and Europe.

As Toyota teases the GR Corolla with a couple of images (above) ahead of its reveal on 1 April, it looks like the UK will miss out on the performance Corolla with no plans to offer it here. Which seems a shame, although the target US market for the GR Corolla missed out on the GR Yaris, so perhaps it evens the score?

Sharing much with the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla is expected to get the same 1.6-litre turbo three-pot, although with power perhaps boosted closer to 300bhp, and a manual six-speed ‘box, although we could see a new eight-speed auto offered too, especially as Americans are averse to using their left foot.

Expect to see a suitably butch body kit adorning the GR Corolla, including the big sills seen in the photo above, with power going to all four wheels and probably the option of limited-slip diffs.

All of which makes it even more of a shame it won’t make the UK.