A fresh report out of the United Kingdom claims the long-rumoured Toyota GR Corolla will use the same turbocharged 1,6-litre three-cylinder petrol engine as the smaller GR Yaris.

According to Auto Express, the Corolla hot hatch will hit the market only in 2023, powered by the G16E-GTS powerplant first seen in the GR Yaris.

Billed as the world’s most powerful production three-pot, the petrol unit offers 200 kW and 370 N.m in the JDM-spec version of the hot Yaris. Auto Express, however, says the upcoming GR-badged Corolla’s peak outputs remain “unclear” for now.

The report adds while the GR Corolla will ship standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, its focus will be on “all-round ability”, which would see it take on the likes of the upcoming Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI and the Hyundai i30 N.

Toyota’s European president and CEO, South African Johan van Zyl, confirmed to the publication the new GR Yaris was made possible by the high number of hybrid models in the Japanese firm’s range, suggesting there was space for the GR Corolla, too.

“Is GR Yaris really a volume contributor? No. It’s not going to be. But does it help with the positioning of your cars – more fun, excitement? Yes, it helps. And if you add it to the mix and calculate the impact to our CO2 averages in g/km, we can accommodate that,” the Springs-born executive said.

Original article from Car