Why Did Toyota’s GR Corolla Launch Cars Have An EV Button And Analog Stock Gauges?

Like you, we’ve spent that last 12 hours digesting all of the key specs and features of the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla. Including one feature that was notably absent from one of the display cars, and another that was very present and definitely shouldn’t have been.

Toyota released a set of slick, studio images of its latest GR machine to coincide with the global reveal that we attended in person. The carefully curated set of pictures showcases details like the triple exhaust and 12.3-in digital instrument cluster.

But the launch cars that Toyota allowed us to get up close and personal with at the reveal were different in a couple of significant ways. The most obvious discrepancy concerned the gray car, which, as a Circuit Edition model, correctly features hood vents, a carbon roof, big rear wing, aluminium panels and a pair of Torsen differentials not fitted to the base version.

Missing from this Circuit Edition car’s spec however, was the TFT dashboard panel that’s supposed to be fitted to all GR Corollas. Instead, this one had a regular set of analogue clocks consisting of a 160 mph (258 km/h) speedo, with a tach redlined at 6,500 rpm mounted to the left of it, and a small digital panel to the right.

It was also missing the GR’s standard-fit 8-in infotainment touchscreen, and was instead rocking an older display with extra hard keys located around the sides that you currently get in Corollas with little more than half the power.

The red car, meanwhile, was a Core model, meaning it has the same flared fenders, 300 hp (304 PS) turbocharged triple and six-speed manual transmission, but goes without candy like the hood vents, trick roof and rear spoiler.

This car did have the correct digital instrument pack, and it also had the 8-in touchscreen, but it had its own very different quirk: an “EV” button. The GR Corolla is definitely no EV or plug-in hybrid, and as far as we know Toyota has no plans to turn it into one anytime soon, though an EV function would certainly help set the GR apart from its Volkswagen Golf R rival. It seems likely that these cars were built so far in advance of the the final production cars that they used whatever parts were available.

When we asked Toyota’s people why the cars’ specs didn’t tally with the ones they were communication at the launch, a spokesman told us not to read anything into it. Still, it seems pretty strange to show the cars as they are knowing the pictures will get plastered all over the internet, particularly the gray car, which undersells the reality of the GR Corolla by lacking some key features. Certainly doesn’t stop us looking forward to the real thing, though.

Image credits: Michael Gaulthier for Carscoops