The Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition is a track monster wrapped up in an angry little hot hatch suit. It’s also a limited edition so at least one dealership in Maryland has seemingly decided to try and gouge Toyota’s customers as hard as it can. It’s asking $152,000 for its Morizo Edition which happens to be just shy of three times as much as MSRP!
As a quick reminder, the Morizo Edition includes sticky Michelin tires, about 100 pounds less weight, and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque as opposed to the 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) in the normal GR Corolla. It doesn’t have any more power but it does have fewer seats (2 only) and fewer speakers (also 2 only). Toyota is only building 200 of them for the 2023MY.
For Heritage Toyota Owings Mills in Maryland that means asking $152,000 for a car with an MSRP of $51,884. Frankly, when we got this tip we were in a bit of disbelief but the dealer has confirmed it to Carscoops. “The market adjustment on it would be $100K,” confirmed an Internet Sales Manager. He says “would be” because according to him it’s not yet for sale.
So…Last Year: Toyota Dealers Are Charging Up To $30k Over MSRP For GR Corolla
Despite that, the dealer has evidently confirmed this price to at least two other parties, our tipsters. The dealer told both readers that “there is a $100,000 markup as there are so few amount of them. Great for a collector. the Vspec is price plus fee’s [sic] for out the door.”
That same person allegedly sent the video we’ve included and which not only features a description with the $152,384 price, but also shows the dealer-added sticker with that same amount. There’s no question that this is a special car but the dealer seems to be ignoring long-term brand loyalty.
Data strongly suggest that buyers who pay a markup are far less likely to return to the same dealer. In fact, the damage goes beyond the dealer-customer relationship and affects brand loyalty. It is puzzling why Toyota isn’t condemning this sort of price gouging. At least other brands like Chevrolet and Ford have publicly come out against it.
We believe it’s high time Toyota took a stand and addressed this issue as well.