Toyota exec expects to sell up to 8,000 per year in US
Special editions will keep model fresh
How many GR Corollas is Toyota looking to build? Fewer than customers want, the automaker says, making sure that the vehicle stays in demand and that they don’t sit on dealer lots.
The 300 hp AWD hottest of hatches doesn’t have a price tag yet, but dealers are already reporting loads of customers looking to place orders for the car. The special hands-on GR factory can build plenty of them, but capacity might not be the limiting factor for the Toyota GR Corolla.
“I wouldn’t say the limiting factor on these vehicles is our ability to produce them,” Toyota Vice President of Marketing Mike Tripp told Road and Track. “It’s being very careful to make sure that we maintain the niche credibility.”
What’s the right amount? Tripp told R&T “one too few.”
An oversupply of exciting vehicles can leave models sitting on dealer lots, and that can crack the image of a vehicle, making it look like nobody wants one. It can also end up with an automaker having to add incentives, something they definitely don’t want on a low-volume prestige model.
Toyota’s Tripp said that it expects a full year of sales to be around 8,000 units, with the first model year closer to 6,000 because of timing and ramp-up.
Special editions will be part of the equation to keep the car fresh. The launch special is the Circuit Edition, which Tripp said will likely see one unit for each dealer. Expect at least one special for each model year the vehicle is built.
So the good news is that if you want a Toyota GR Corolla, you should be able to get one. The bad news is that you might have to wait, and you might have to pay a dealer markup in order to snag one.
