It’s called the Morizo edition, and it’s a hard-core version of Toyota’s already hardcore GR Corolla. See those rear doors? There are no seats behind them, there are no speakers in them, and that glass does not move. On top of that, there’s no rear wiper, the roof is carbon fiber, the wheels are lighter — this is all in an effort to save 100 pounds of curb weight in Toyota’s highly anticipated hot hatchback.
Toyota’s announcing all sorts of cool stuff today at a press event at its U.S. headquarters in Plano, Texas, the most exciting so far being the Toyota GR Corolla Morizo edition (named after the pseudonym Toyota president Akio Toyoda uses while racing), a lightweight version of the 300 horsepower, manual transmission-equipped hot hatch that will hopefully quench America’s thirst for the firebreathing GR Yaris that never made it stateside.
The special edition, of which only 200 will be built, weighs in at at estimated 3,186 pounds — roughly 100 pounds lighter than the GR Corolla Circuit Edition. That weight savings comes courtesy of some good old fashion content-reduction. There’s no rear seat, there are no window regulators in the rear doors, there are no rear door speakers, and there’s no rear wiper.
All of these things, Toyota says, “were pulled to save every ounce.” And yet, I still see an infotainment screen? I still see air conditioning? I still see carpeting? Come on, Toyota, keep going with the decontenting; get that curb weight below 3,000!
Content reduction wasn’t Toyota’s only weight-savings strategy. The roof is also carbon fiber, and the wheels are supposedly lighter. On top of that, the 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder makes more torque now — 295 instead of 273 on the standard model. Toyota also says transmission and differential gearing is shorter to maximize acceleration, and that the Morizo edition gets wider tires.
A note on gearing: Toyota says the new Morizo edition gets an “exclusive close ratio intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) and shorter differential gears.”
Looking at the actual gearing, it appears that the only gear in the new transmission that is shorter than that of the standard car is third. Here’s Morizo:
And here’s the standard car:
So I’m assuming the gearing in the differentials is significantly shorter on the Morizo, though I don’t have the numbers yet.
You may think that 100 pounds of weight-savings isn’t that impressive, but it’s significant when you consider that Toyota claims to have increased the hot hatch’s stiffness with additional bracing, saying in the company’s press release:
GR engineers have also increased rigidity, with two additional floor braces and one additional rear strut brace, and its frame has an additional 349 spot welds and over six meters more structural adhesive than a standard Corolla hatch frame.
Two braces span the rear of the cabin for structural support, with ample space to fit four tires for a track day.
This story is being updated, as it is breaking news. All images: Toyota
Needs MOAR lightness!
This really isn’t all too different from some “vans” they sell in certain countries based off regular hatchbacks and SUVs, except a whole lot quicker. Basically a modern MG ZR Express. All you’d need to do to turn it into a real van is replace the mostly non-functional rear windows with blanking panels, and job done. Even then, some of the commercial van conversions out there don’t even do that, like the Jimny van that totally wasn’t just introduced as an emissions loophole.
“The special edition, of which only 200 will be built, weighs in at at estimated 3,186 pounds — roughly 100 pounds lighter than the GR Corolla Circuit Edition.”
Or, looked at another way, roughly 1,000 lbs heavier than the fattest NA Miata. Don’t worry though, I still want one—the Core edition will do me just fine though, as long as I can have those front and rear LSDs.
They shoulda consulted with Lotus about weight savings….
it is difficult to cut weight and still adhere to American safety spec. But DT has the right idea on the carpet, A/C, power windows in front. What about the front seats, are there savings there?
Does it still have power windows? 😛
The fixed rear windows is late 70s GM shit, so maybe GM can rebadge it as an HHR SS Panel Van 😀
I drive a 2019 Corolla SE with an automatic transmission and I’m amazed at the number of people who think I’m in some hot hatch. If I drove this people would probably think I’m a professional getaway driver or something.
They really need a special edition with Recaros or something. Taking the economy Corolla’s seats and wrapping them in fancy material doesn’t work for a track car.
They look to me to be different more supportive seats. No recaros, but they aren’t the basic Corolla seats. ????????♂️
No rear speakers, spot for a plastic rear seat, windows don’t work… This is just the cop-spec GR Corolla!
If the police start marketing the ability to cruise in a lightweighted GR Corolla their shitty enrollment numbers might improve
You lost me at no rear wiper. A wiper motor assembly weighs what, 10 pounds maybe? There are better ways to save weight. Let me see out the back window in the winter.
I thought the triple exhaust is what gives the GR Corolla the extra power over the GR Yaris, it would be dumb to take that out when they’re clearly going for track times
Don’t need to see out the back window when you’re on the track.
My rear wiper died years ago on my Legacy wagon, been doing fine without it; and that’s with regular drives to the mountains in snow storms. (The window does have a heater, which helps a lot)
I’d bet the infotainment screen is for the rear-view camera, as those are mandatory in several jurisdictions. Porsche has perfected the charge-more-for-less approach.
So it’s a fast, small, expensive, limited edition…delivery van?
And they only saved 100 lbs in doing all this?
Good strategy to charge more for less.
“We reduced the weight for you! You won’t need to remove things, because you paid extra not to have them!”
Besides the things David mentioned… they also went with a triple exit exhaust? Talk about a half-arsed attempt at extreme weight reduction.
They only changed things that cost them virtually nothing in retooling/redesign. Leaving stuff out wherever it is convenient and charging more for less.
I thought the triple exhaust is what gives the GR Corolla the extra power over the GR Yaris, it would be dumb to take that out when they’re clearly going for track times
Guaranteed that every single one is pre-sold to someone who will be storing it in their climate controlled storage facility, never to be taken out, just waiting for the return on their ‘investment.’
I saw one of these (not the Morizo edition obviously) yesterday and man, it looked cool.
It’s not even out yet.
Also they look dorky, and I say that as someone who wants one.
It was a Corolla hatchback, which are certainly out. The GR version isn’t, but the regular one is.