Confirmed: Toyota will manufacture the GR Corolla in England
The rumors have come true: Toyota will produce the GR Corolla in the United Kingdom starting in 2026. Preparations at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) plant began last year and will culminate with the start of production next year. The Burnaston plant in Derbyshire will be the company's first plant outside Japan to produce a full-fledged Gazoo Racing product.
It makes sense to build the car in the UK, considering that Toyota already produces the standard hatchback and the non-American Corolla Touring Sports station wagon at the same site.
Since its market launch in 2022, the GR Corolla has been built exclusively in Japan at the Motomachi plant. Whether the relocation of part of production to Great Britain indicates plans to sell the car in Europe remains unclear. For now, the three-cylinder compact remains forbidden fruit on the Old Continent.
Toyota has announced that it will provide details on where the UK-built GR Corolla will be sold at a later date. The company will also provide information on annual production volumes and reveal how much it is investing to prepare the factory for the arrival of the sports model. TMUK has been manufacturing cars since 1992, when the first Carina rolled off the production line. The Avensis sedan and Auris hatchback were also produced there.
Image by: Toyota
Toyota cites growing demand for the GR Corolla as the reason for its decision to expand production. It also aims to deliver the vehicles to customers as "quickly as possible," and according to Reuters , the UK-made vehicles will be shipped to the United States. The world's largest automaker is reportedly spending up to $56 million to make this possible for the fifth consecutive year.
Once production is ramped up, up to 10,000 vehicles are expected to be delivered to North America annually. It's worth noting that the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on vehicles assembled in Japan, while tariffs on UK-made vehicles were reduced from 27.5% to 10% for up to 100,000 vehicles per year.
More GR from Toyota:
Moving production of the GR Corolla from the US to the UK would alleviate some of the tax burden, although current prices are unlikely to remain unchanged for long. Perhaps now is the best time to buy a Corolla, unless you're waiting for the hardcore version recently announced by Toyota.
It will have more torque than the standard car's 400 Nm, although it's unclear whether it will carry the GRMN badge or be some other kind of special model. Expect a two-seat layout, similar to the Morizo Edition.
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