2025 GR Corolla Automatic Is Still Very Much a Rumor

Toyota’s fiery GR Corolla is one of our favorite hot hatches in the game, full stop. We loved the turbocharged three-cylinder engine, the rally-inspired all-wheel-drive system, and the fact that it comes exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission. However, there are rumblings afoot that the latter of those traits may soon be up for reevaluation.

A recent post on GRCorollaForum by user “Mags” shows what purports to be a screenshot from an order guide listing a handful of equipment changes as part of the 2025 model year update. Chief among them: A new eight-speed automatic transmission. These updates appear to only concern Canadian-market cars, but it’s not unreasonable to infer that if Canadian buyers are granted access to an automatic version, U.S. buyers would also soon have that choice.

However, as of this time, this is all just speculation. There appears to be nothing to corroborate the aforementioned forum posts. Toyota spokeswoman Breanne McCallop responded to our inquiry about an automatic-equipped GR Corolla saying, “At this time, we have nothing to announce.” We also called around to a few dealers to inquire about a two-pedal GR Corolla and were repeatedly met with similar nothing-burgers, though one sales rep at a dealership in Ann Arbor, Michigan outright doubted it.

Aside from the eight-speed auto, a few other rumored upgrades caught our eye. Peak engine torque would supposedly climb from 273 lb-ft to 295 lb-ft across the lineup. Previously, that much twist was only available through the limited-run GR Corolla Morizo edition. (And we like more torque!)

The forum post also indicates Canadian-market buyers would be getting their first taste of the Premium grade, a middle-of-the-road trim that presumably sits between the base model, the Core, and the top-end Circuit grade. (American buyers have had access to the Premium grade since late last year.)

Back to that (potential) transmission. It’s worth noting that Toyota does offer an eight-speed automatic for the GR Yaris, which is not sold in U.S. or Canadian markets but boasts the same drivetrain in a smaller, two-door footprint. From a mechanical compatibility standpoint, an automatic does at least seem feasible.

What’s more, there is precedent for this type of move in the world of hot hatches. Back when Hyundai was making the Veloster N, a hatchback of similarly raucous intent, one of the later updates to the car was to introduce a dual-clutch automatic for those who maybe wanted to enjoy the hot hatch life but didn’t want to (or couldn’t) row their own. Although the Veloster N would ultimately cease production after the 2022 model year, introducing that automatic version almost certainly netted it a few buyers who otherwise would have hunted elsewhere. Perhaps the same will be true of the GR Corolla.

And from a performance standpoint, it’s fair to say that modern automatics are better for overall lap times than manual-equipped versions of the same car. Sure, you may remove some of the fun—and in the world of hot hatches, fun should be your primary mission—but you’re also well within your right to play the “stopwatch don’t lie” card if an automatic is indeed in the works.

Wherever you fall on the matter, let’s all join together and once again applaud the reality that in this crossover-crazed era, one of the industry’s most historically conservative automakers is out here churning out rip-snorting, all-wheel-drive versions of an economy car with a standard six-speed manual. If a handful of the forthcoming versions shift for themselves, so be it.

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