Whenever we talk about hot hatches, the Ford Focus, or the VW Golf R, or the Honda Civic Type-R come to mind. There are many other manufacturers with powerful hatchbacks except for one - Toyota. For some reason, the Japanese giant has not protruded in this segment aggressively. However, this is set to change very soon. As reported by Motoring, Toyota is all set to finally have a contender in this ever-growing segment. Continue reading to find out more:

What's in the store for us?

The car, in this case, is the Toyota Corolla hatchback; which is also known as the Auris in European markets. Speaking with Motoring, Sean Hanley, Toyota’s sales and marketing chief for Australia spoke positively of the prospect of a performance version of the new Corolla hatch - “Absolutely I do,” “I’d like to see it as soon as possible.” While we don't have a lot of information available yet, the model would likely bear the GR moniker. This would be a step lower than the present performance variant - the GRMN; which is carried only by the smaller Yaris till now.

The limited-production Yaris GRMN boasts a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 209 horses. It is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with a top speed of 143 mph. Hanley indicated a Corolla GR (or Auris GR) would likely reach the Australian market in around three years, but the U.S. and other important markets might get it even sooner. The Corolla GR could adopt a version of the aforementioned Yaris' engine, or another powertrain entirely.

Our Take

Given Toyota's scarce presence in the segment, the use of a familiar name like the Corolla/Auris could play a major role in the success of the performance version of the car. The project is still at least a couple of years away, and we cannot help but wonder if a hotter GRMN version could be offered instead. With the baby-brother Yaris GRMN offering around 200 horsepower, we could expect a lot more from the new hatch.

If Toyota can offer 300+ horses, the Corolla will enter the league of big players and take on the Honda Civic Type-R, Ford Focus, etc. Nevertheless, the GR moniker will, at the very least, mark the debut of a hot hatch that would compete with the likes of the Mazda 3, Hyundai i30, Ford Fiesta SE, etc. Unless the car gets priced absurdly, it's expected to carry a tag of around $20,000. What are your thoughts on the Corolla GR? Let us know in the comments section below.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback.

Read our full review on the 2017 Honda Civic Type R.

Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen Golf R.

Read more Toyota news.