Please, don’t make it a CVT.
The Toyota GR Corolla makes for a fascinating automotive subject. It’s coming. We already know that. Toyota has given us a lot of information. Yet, the GR Corolla has not been mentioned by name. Toyota’s teaser campaigns avoid direct or indirect mentions. Instead, they drop clues in photos and videos that feature other cars. We are sharing the interesting rumor that a GR Corolla will be equipped with an automatic transmission, which is partly why it’s being shared by Best Car Japan. The hot hatchback will have a manual transmission and not a paddle-shift. An teaser video showed a glimpse of three pedals, and a stick. This is likely the same six speed manual that was used in the GR Yaris. The manual transmission is the only one available for that car. This is not surprising considering the GR Corolla uses the same engine. The GR Yaris is not available in North America. However, automatic transmissions can be found on almost every new car. We share this rumor because the GR Corolla will grace US shores. It makes sense to offer an auto in a market that is dominated by such gearboxes.
Although Best Car has a poor track record in rumors, this one is good. If the rumor is true, it would be the K120 CVT that was used in the current Corolla. Although it seems counterproductive to offer such an automatic in a rally vehicle, Subaru can plug a CVT into its WRX. It wouldn’t surprise Toyota to follow the GR Corolla’s lead.
A new teaser for the GR Corolla has not been seen in a while, so it’s possible that some more information will soon be available. We are hoping to see the full reveal of this hot hatch this year.