Toyota's Hotter GR Corolla Could Wear A Badge Never Seen In America Before

7 months, 3 weeks ago - 9 April 2025, Carbuzz

While Gazoo Racing and the GR badge have become synonymous with Toyota performance both on the street and on the track, there's a variant for even more special models. The GRMN badge, standing for "Gazoo Racing Meister of the Nürburgring," appears only on the hottest versions of GR products. Based on some up-close photos shared on Facebook, it looks like it will appear on the upgraded GR Corolla coming to America.

GRMN Badges And Carbon Fiber
Based on the photos in the private Facebook post linked above, it seems Toyota brought the camouflaged GR, or GRMN, Corolla to some kind of car-related event for the public to see. As the up-close photos show, a badge that's wider than would be necessary for the letters "G" and "R" appears under the vinyl wrap. It's also tight enough to make out an "N" at the end.

The poster also got photos of some gaps in the camouflage that reveal some more carbon fiber parts. Toyota has already offered a carbon fiber roof on the GR Corolla, but these photos show that the wing and hood are both made of the lightweight material. The close-up of the rear wing also provides a better look at the adjustability, so owners will be able to dial in the amount of downforce they want. These modifications join additional air vents, some removed parts (the rear wiper, for instance), and possibly a little more grunt from under the hood.

Some Background On GRMN
As we already mentioned, GRMN stands for Gazoo Racing Meister of the Nürburgring. It's a reference to the origins of the brand. Akio Toyoda and test driver and mentor Hiromu Naruse helped form Gazoo Racing in 2007 to compete in the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. These events are also where Toyoda adopted the pseudonym "Morizo." Since then, of course, Gazoo Racing has grown and become the main motorsport branch of Toyota, and it's associated now with Toyota's road-going sports cars.

While GR shows up on mainline sports cars (and GR Sport for lightly upgraded cars), GRMN is saved for unique and high-end ones. Some of them are rare, but still somewhat conventional, such as the last two GRMN Yaris models. The most recent was based on the all-wheel-drive GR Yaris we know today, but it received a shorter-ratio transmission and carbon fiber hood, roof, and wing. It also ditched the rear seats. The GRMN Yaris before that didn't have a specific GR variant to build on, and it was front-wheel-drive with a supercharged four-cylinder. Both models were very limited editions.

Some of the more wild GRMN models, though, include the GRMN iQ and the GRMN Century. The former was an angry-looking version of Toyota's tiny hatchback, and it backed up the looks with a supercharged 1.3-liter four-cylinder. The latter is a modified version of Toyota's flagship sedan. Akio Toyoda has one himself, and the sedan is being joined by the SUV version (pictured above).