GR Corolla Factory

[GR Corolla]

In 2007, Toyota expanded its car development activities with a decision to compete in the 24 Hours Nürburgring, the grueling endurance race held on the famous track winding through the German forest. However, as an unofficial Toyota activity, the team was called GAZOO Racing and was made up of employees, including Akio Toyoda driving under the alias of Morizo.

With a limited budget, the newly named team entered the race with two second-hand Altezzas. Despite adversity, both cars finished the challenging race, and a new era of Toyota motorsports and product development, one founded on a spirit of challenge aimed at instigating change, began.

As TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s first wholly developed and manufactured model for the North American market, the GR Corolla carries this spirit forward.

With professional drivers, experts and Morizo at the wheel, GR Corolla was tested repeatedly at some of Japan’s leading circuits, including Fuji Speedway, Suzuka and Tsukuba Circuit. In addition, the GR team carried out heavy duty dirt and snow driving with a Japanese Rally Championship driver. No road was left unturned in the process, so engineers and technicians could sharpen acceleration and control worthy of the GR name.

To help meet the performance goals for the GR Corolla, Toyota has established a dedicated GR Factory at its production facility in Motomachi, Japan. It’s the birthplace of legends such as the Lexus LFA and Supra A80 and is now home to the first GR production line, where GR Corolla and GR Yaris are precision built.

Instead of the traditional conveyor system, the body and assembly lines comprise several different cells connected by automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) rather than the conveyors featured in conventional car plants. This fully flexible method of working, with many manual assembly techniques, enables precise body and suspension alignment, with variations in vehicle dimensions and weight kept to a minimum.

Being built by experts means that the assembly of each GR Corolla takes longer than a conventional mass-produced car. The production line has been streamlined for performance, with elements such as body alignment and weld checks to ensure that each GR Corolla is built with meticulous care and attention.

Toyota Gazoo Racing has brought together highly skilled technicians from throughout the company to work on the GR Corolla. This team not only assembles every GR Corolla but also contributes to the technical skills of workers at other Toyota facilities. It’s a team structure that’s part of the overall GR mission at Toyota, developing people, driving fans and making ever better cars.