Words: Andrew Sluys
Published 2 June 2026
Toyota New Zealand has confirmed its hardcore GRMN Corolla will be arriving in New Zealand, but only as a “showcase vehicle”.
Unlike Australia, where customers can expect to find out pricing for the retail model later this year, Kiwis will have to hope Toyota New Zealand changes its mind on this.
The Corolla itself is arguably the most hardcore hot hatch Toyota has ever produced, with almost every aspect changed in some way over the standard GR Corolla.
Panels such as the bonnet, front guards, bumper splitters, and the rear wing have all been replaced with carbon fibre units.
Speaking of the guards, they now wear a set of extremely aggressive vents, both on top and behind the front wheels.
The 18-inch bronze alloy wheels wear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres that are 10mm wider at 245mm.
Beneath the hatch, it rides on “exclusive” monotube shock absorbers with rebound springs, that replace the standard twin-tube shocks.
On the inside, the GRMN treatment has meant the Corolla has lost its rear seats, and instead gets a strut brace.
Primarily done as a weight saving exercise, this means the Corolla tips the scales at 1,450kg, 30kg lighter than a standard GR Corolla.
The seats are exclusive to the GRMN, and are modelled off the seats used in the Super Taikyu Series, allowing customers to use a helmet more easily.
Beneath the bonnet, the GRMN still uses the turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine making 224kW, but torque has increased to 415Nm.
This engine is paired with the same six-speed manual transmission, although the ratios are closer in the GRMN.
Speaking on the GRMN Corolla, Toyota New Zealand’s Chief Strategic Officer Andrew Davis is very excited by the prospect.
“GR has always been about learning through driving and competition – and GRMN is the result of taking that philosophy to its extreme. Kiwis are big performance car enthusiasts who are following the GR journey closely and like to customise their GR cars.
“Because of this passion we now offer them a range of performance parts, and when we were given the opportunity to showcase a full factory GRMN car, we jumped at it. We are excited to see it hit our shores,” says Andrew.
As mentioned, New Zealanders won’t be able to purchase the GRMN Corolla, and will have to look elsewhere if they want to get their hands on one.
