Toyota UK has announced the GR Corolla will go into production at its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire from 2026. It marks the first time a GR-badged model will be built outside of Japan – a move driven by rising global demand. Since its inception, the Gazoo Racing performance arm has become the fastest growing division in Toyota, responsible for the likes of the GR Supra, GR Yaris, and GR86 alongside the Corolla.

Frustratingly, while production is confirmed, there’s still no word on whether the car will officially go on sale in the UK. The decision to manufacture the GR Corolla in Derbyshire is, according to Toyota, down to Burnaston’s “manufacturing capability and motorsport expertise”. Yoshihiro Nakata, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, called it a key milestone and pointed to Britain’s “deep motorsport culture” as a major influence. The groundwork for the move officially began in 2024 – around the same time prototype GR Corollas were spotted lapping the Nürburgring on manufacturer test days. This also rules out the decision being a response to Donald Trump’s tariff war.

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While this no doubt fuels speculation of forthcoming European sales, until now, the GR Corolla has only been available in the US, Japan, and Australia. Crucially, two of those markets are right-hand-drive. Toyota remains elusive, teasing us with the line “Details of the markets for sales, production volumes and investment levels will be confirmed at a later date.”

What is clear, however, is that the GR Corolla forms part of a broader push to ramp up Gazoo Racing’s global output. “We’re optimising our production footprint to deliver vehicles to customers as swiftly as possible,” Toyota added – implying the move is about boosting supply more than tapping into specific regions.

Still, it gives reason to hope. With hot hatches like the i30 N off the market and Alpine going all-in on electric, there's a definite gap for a serious challenger to the Honda Civic Type R’s dominance, and a more affordable alternative to all-wheel-drive superhatches like the Audi RS3 or Mercedes-AMG A45 S. The GR Yaris has already proven there’s huge demand for such cars on home soil. A GR Corolla that’s built – and sold – right here in the UK could arrive at just the right moment… providing Toyota decides to green-light it for British buyers.