Toyota building Corolla TCR race car with up to 350 HP

Toyota is stepping up in the world of motorsports. Aside from having the Yaris WRC and the GR010 Hybrid in rally and endurance racing, respectively, Toyota will soon be joining yet another series, the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR).

The question now is, what vehicle will they use to compete in WTCR? There are various choices available, but according to Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR), the Corolla has been chosen. Don’t expect to see the sporty hatchback going around circuits in the future though. Instead, TGR say that the Corolla Sedan has been designated as the TCR race car.

The company’s Argentina division will be the one responsible for the Corolla TCR's development. From homologation, subsequent development, production, and sales of the TCR Corolla Sedan, Toyota Gazoo Racing Argentina will be the exclusive manufacturer of the new touring race car.

“We are proud to have received authorization from our headquarters to be responsible for homologating, developing, manufacturing, and sales of a Toyota´s competition vehicle for TCR competition. For us, it is a double satisfaction, because our team will be responsible for the expected arrival of Toyota to the TCR series around the world and also because this project will give us the possibility of promoting Argentina's Motorsports industry to the world,” said Daniel Herrero, president of Toyota Argentina and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota Gazoo Racing Latin America.

The exact specifications of the upcoming touring car still remain a mystery but based on homologation rules, a TCR touring car is allowed to have a turbocharged engine with up to 2.0-liters in displacement and maximum power output of 350 PS. In addition, a minimum production of 5,000 samples in a year is required as well. Don’t expect to find an all-wheel-drive powertrain. TCR regulates that it must be in a two-wheel-drive configuration.

With those types of figures and regulations, we’re curious as to what TGR Argentina will come up with for the TCR Corolla Sedan. Will they use a modified version of the GR Yaris’ three-cylinder turbo? Will they actually make a turbocharged version of Corolla’s 2.0-liter engine? And what will the touring car look like once they have a working prototype?

Technical and engineering works have already begun at TGR Argentina so we might be able to see some progress soon from Toyota. We certainly cannot wait for what Gazoo Racing will come up with.