Between the C-HR and RAV4, Toyota has introduced the Corolla Cross yesterday to much critical acclaim. As the indirect successor to the Voltz, the newcomer has a lot to prove in crossover-driven markets such as the United States of America.
Even though the Corolla Cross is yet to be confirmed stateside, the Japanese automaker holds the rights to the nameplate in this part of the world. Likely to be built at the Huntsville plant in Alabama – where Mazda will also manufacture a crossover for North America – the compact-sized model is currently exclusive to Thailand. Major markets in the Asian continent such as Japan will follow suit.
Speaking of the Land of the Rising Sun, Gazoo Racing is huge over there. The Corolla and a few other models are already available with GR goodies, leading us to believe that it’s only a matter of time until the Corolla Cross GR Sport rolls out.
Beautifully imagined in Photoshop by Kleber Silva, the GR Sport may look fast standing still but it doesn’t benefit from go-faster upgrades in the engine compartment. As counterintuitive as it may sound, GR Sport is about sporty looks while GR is the nameplate of vehicles with a noticeable increase in performance.
Nevertheless, the pixel artist from Brazil has gifted the rendering with bigger brake calipers and rotors and double-spoke lightweight wheels painted in black. The more aggressive front fascia is backed up with GR Sport badging, and the red-and-black metal embellishments are also found on the front doors as well as the trunk door.
A pretty conservative redesign by all accounts, but it’s more than enough for a high-volume crossover like the Corolla Cross. Going forward, it’s hard to tell if the higher-ups in Japan will give the go-ahead to the engineers for a no-nonsense GR utility vehicle.
We know the GR Corolla is under development as we speak, and chief engineer Naohiko Saito has made it clear that Toyota won’t stop here. Even the 1.6-liter turbo three-cylinder motor of the GR Yaris is adequate for this application, packing 268 horsepower (272 PS), 273 pound-feet of torque (370 Nm), and all-wheel drive.
Speaking of the Land of the Rising Sun, Gazoo Racing is huge over there. The Corolla and a few other models are already available with GR goodies, leading us to believe that it’s only a matter of time until the Corolla Cross GR Sport rolls out.
Beautifully imagined in Photoshop by Kleber Silva, the GR Sport may look fast standing still but it doesn’t benefit from go-faster upgrades in the engine compartment. As counterintuitive as it may sound, GR Sport is about sporty looks while GR is the nameplate of vehicles with a noticeable increase in performance.
Nevertheless, the pixel artist from Brazil has gifted the rendering with bigger brake calipers and rotors and double-spoke lightweight wheels painted in black. The more aggressive front fascia is backed up with GR Sport badging, and the red-and-black metal embellishments are also found on the front doors as well as the trunk door.
A pretty conservative redesign by all accounts, but it’s more than enough for a high-volume crossover like the Corolla Cross. Going forward, it’s hard to tell if the higher-ups in Japan will give the go-ahead to the engineers for a no-nonsense GR utility vehicle.
We know the GR Corolla is under development as we speak, and chief engineer Naohiko Saito has made it clear that Toyota won’t stop here. Even the 1.6-liter turbo three-cylinder motor of the GR Yaris is adequate for this application, packing 268 horsepower (272 PS), 273 pound-feet of torque (370 Nm), and all-wheel drive.