While we're all patiently waiting for Toyota to finally come out with the GR Corolla, the compact model is getting a Nürburgring Edition in Thailand. The reasoning behind this decision to spruce up the Corolla Altis as it's known locally makes sense as Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Thailand took class victory in 2021 at the 24 hours of Nürburgring for the second year in a row with a race-prepped Corolla.
The road-going model takes after the race car in the sense it has a mildly modified exterior with bumper add-ons and a custom grille akin to the Corolla that triumphed in the Super Production 3 (SP3) class at the famous endurance race. Toyota has also added chunky side skirts and a trunk lid spoiler, not to mention a pseudo diffuser integrated into the slightly more aggressive rear bumper.
Gallery: Toyota Corolla Altis Nurburgring Edition
It can also be visually distinguished by the "Corolla Altis Nürburgring 24" badges on the front fenders and a lower ride height after installing stiffer springs. Toyota says it has also installed an "accelerator control box" that improves accelerator pedal response, but there are no power upgrades. It means you're stuck with the same 1.8-liter gasoline engine producing a mighty 138 horsepower or a hybrid 1.8-liter with 121 hp. Regardless of the powertrain, the special-edition sedan sends power to the front axle through a CVT.
The Toyota Corolla Nürburgring Edition is not the only sporty derivative offered in Thailand as the GR Sport version has been around for a while with a similar starting price of less than $30,000 at current exchange rates. The upgrades brought by the "special edition" are available free of charge as long as the customer opts for the premium insurance priced at the equivalent of about $915.
The Performance Corolla We Really Want:
Source: Toyota Thailand