Toyota wants people who dare to buy Corolla GR in high demand, not those with large scale

Toyota Australia says it will do what it can to ensure a small number of GR Corolla hot stores arriving in 2023 enter the hands of enthusiasts, than than speculators out to spin a quick buck.

But how it will do this within its franchise model remains unclear, with a Supra-style online vote looking unlikely and centralized online sales unlikely. on the agenda.

Scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2023, Toyota Australia will only receive 500 units for the first year of its 220kW, all-wheel drive, manual-only Corolla allotment, to be split among dealers. nationwide.

Obviously this number is much lower than the volume needed to satisfy the voracious demand.

Sean Hanley, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise, Toyota Australia said: “Competition for the car in the Toyota world is understated.

“However, this is not a limited edition car, it is just about all we could get in the first year… Now what we have to do is manage those 500 very carefully. kidney.”

Asked if he was concerned that such a limited supply would lead fans to the wrong way by leaving too many people without cars from the first batches, Mr Hanley said: “We’ll just do it. people get upset if we don’t tell them the exact situation in advance. of the order”.

“Dealers right now know they’ll be getting a limited number,” he said, suggesting that Toyota wants to work with its dealers to ensure true blue enthusiasts get priority. .

“… We want to make sure these cars get to the real enthusiasts who want to keep these cars, who want to drive these cars.

“We are therefore looking at different ways in which the legitimacy of Australian Competition and Consumer law could allow us to ensure that these reach the right consumers,” he said.

When asked about whether Toyota could direct employees at its franchisees not to buy a GR Corolla for themselves, Mr. Hanley paused. Furthermore, there will not be any Toyota HQ staff checking in on each customer or carrying out any of their intentions, he added.

“In terms of our dealer network, of course we have a staff of agents who are enthusiastic and of course we don’t want to discount those opportunities,” said Mr. Hanley.

“But we will qualify people to become enthusiasts… and we want to discourage any form of reselling. [or] short bike ride… We will definitely ask our dealers to qualify every customer as someone who wants this bike for the right reasons,” he added.

“We now have to look at that process in the context of Australian competition and consumer law, but we really want this car to reach the right audience.”

None of these answers really made clear what Toyota Australia had up its sleeve, other than a distaste for opportunistic resellers.

Speculators (like auto speculators) have thrived in a car market where shortage and all-time high demand conspired to stretch wait times into years – allowing them to prey on people queuing back for miles.

Like details last weekToyota Australia has become frustrated with buyers using the shortage to cash in at genuine buyers’ expense, but it is still figuring out what leverage it can pull.

“We think it’s important that we take a leadership position on this especially right now. We’ve spent decades building trust around our brand, and it’s unsettling to think that we have a number of people who are cycling short-term to make money,” emphasized Mr. Hanley.

“I think we need to protect our customers from those kinds of behaviors, as much as we can… I want it to change. I want this situation to change as the customer is paying a fair and fair price based on the manufacturer’s retail price position. “

GR Corolla for Australia

Mr. Hanley is not yet ready to say whether there will be one or several GR Corolla variants at launch. In the more important US market – where the Yaris GR is not available – there are GR Corolla Core, Circuit and Morizo ​​grades to choose from.

The big brother of the similar GR Yaris series (has reached sales of more than 2000 and has discount more than a year as Toyota is working to clear its backlog) runs a version of the same turbocharged three-cylinder engine, manual transmission and variable AWD.

As such, the Corolla GR is a closer competitor to the upcoming new Honda Civic Type-R and the familiar Hyundai i30 N – which provides the manual – than the more luxurious but more luxurious Volkswagen Golf R premium performance hatch also more complacent.

The sale price has yet to be revealed, but interested customers can officially express their interest to dealers from September 15.

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