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The Toyota GR Corolla becomes a stunt car in several familiar cinematic scenarios for the final video of the brand’s “The Pitch” advertising campaign for its performance vehicles. Toyota Gazoo Racing North America drivers Frederic Aasbo, Ken Gushi, and Ryan Tuerck are among the team behind the wheel in this clip.
The ad campaign has fake Toyota executives butting heads with the creative folks who are trying to make entertaining commercials. This one starts with a GR Corolla sliding around a dusty, abandoned Old West town. Unfortunately, the execs aren’t happy with all of the dust, so the creators have to devise another plan.
A complete change in setting is the solution. A snowy mountain replaces the dirty Old West town. It gives Toyota another chance to show off the GR Corolla’s off-road ability while the hot hatch tries to avoid a helicopter.
The execs still aren’t happy, so the creatives pitch something retro. The hot hatch speeds past an old woman with a broken, first-gen Corolla. The GR driver says, “It’s a trap. Have you ever seen a Corolla broken down?”
The old lady rips off her wig and starts to chase the GR Corolla in the classic model. This leads to a GR Supra and GR86 joining the crew to speed through a city set. The GR Corolla even gets onto two wheels and drives between the other vehicles.
The final stunt is the biggest one. The GR Corolla jumps over an abandoned gas station.
Toyota will run this ad on social media and digital video platforms from June through August.
While Toyota shows the GR Corolla doing stunts here, the company has a recent history of being strict about warranty claims if owners take their vehicles onto the track. It denied an engine warranty claim for a GR86 in 2022 after a photo turned up of the owner drifting the car. However, the owner eventually got the automaker to honor the claim. In 2023, the automaker initially didn’t accept a claim when a GR86 engine blew up during a track session but later reversed that decision.
The GR Corolla is available in three trim levels in the US: Core, Circuit, and Morizo. Toyota plans to build more of them for the 2024 model year after only making around 8,000 examples of the 2023 version for the United States. Plus, the Circuit grade returns for 2024 rather than the original plan for it to be a one-year model.
All versions of the GR Corolla use a turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder. It makes 300 horsepower and 272 pound-feet of torque in the Core and Circuit models. The Morizo has 300 hp and 295 lb-ft. A six-speed manual is the only available gearbox.
Compared to the Core, the Circuit gains parts like front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials. The body gains a power bulge on the hood, a carbon-fiber roof, and a rear spoiler.
The Morizo has shorter gearing than the other models. Removing parts like the rear seats, rear speakers, and rear wiper helps shed 106 pounds from the Circuit. It rides on 18-inch forged aluminum wheels. Toyota only offered 200 of them in the US for the 2023 model year.
Before this commercial, Toyota used the executive and creator characters in an ad for the GR86 (embedded above). The sports coupe slid through an empty mall with a GR Supra. This clip was from before the GR Corolla debuted, but the spot included the hot hatch as a cameo to tease the then-upcoming vehicle.
The first commercial in this campaign (above) was all about the GR Supra. The video ended with the car doing a huge jump.
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