The Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch is the latest vehicle to feature artificial engine sounds plumbed into the cabin, with Australian deliveries due early next year.
The 2026 Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch has debuted in Japan with fake engine sounds plumbed into the cabin through its speakers, ahead of an Australian arrival confirmed for early next year.
An active sound control system is new to Toyota's hot hatch for 2026, emitting "sporty sounds through the vehicle's speakers that match changes in vehicle acceleration / deceleration and driving force due to accelerator and shift lever operation," Toyota said.
Standard on examples with a JBL audio system, the new system offers three active sound control settings, as well as an 'Off' mode, which is enabled by default.
Other changes for the 2026 GR Corolla include more structural adhesive, a cool air duct to maintain engine temperatures during full-throttle driving, and a subwoofer.
Following an update for 2025 – which included the addition of an eight-speed automatic transmission, joining the six-speed manual – the GR Corolla now has 32.7 metres of structural adhesive, up from 18.8 metres.
Toyota says the additional structural adhesive will allow the vehicle "to achieve stable driving performance even on overseas circuits, which typically generate more-intense vertical and lateral g-forces than circuts in Japan".
Most of the new adhesive has been applied to the front part of the body, the floor, and areas around the rear wheel wells, which Toyota claims enhances body rigidity while minimising weight increase.
"The resulting reinforced body structure enhances the sense of driver-car unity in all situations, from city to circuit driving," the brand said in a media release.
Meanwhile, a cool air duct has been added to the secondary intake duct located below the air cleaner in the engine bay, which will activate at high engine speeds.
By reducing intake-air temperature, Toyota says the three-cylinder G16E-GTS engine can "fully unleash its inherent potential" by stabilising engine output in high-temperature conditions such as continuous high-load driving.
Finally, in Japan, a subwoofer has been added to the luggage compartment of GR Corolla vehicles with the JBL audio system, taking its speaker count to nine, while refinements to its active noise cancellation reduce "interruptive engine noise and other unwanted sounds".
On sale in Japan, the GR Corolla is also easier to obtain, with Toyota confirming "supply system revisions" that remove the need for a lottery-style system in that market due to limited supply.
In addition, 2023 GR Corolla customers in Japan will gain access to the 30Nm boost applied to the hot hatch in 2024, which increased torque from 370Nm to 400Nm, through a "software-inclusive upgrade program" that will also modify the ratios of its GR-Four all-wheel-drive system.
For 2024, the GR Corolla's AWD modes became 50:50 front/rear in 'Gravel' mode, while its 'Track' mode now allows for a variable ratio between 60:40 front/rear and 30:70 front/rear.
A Toyota Australia spokesperson told Drive the updated GR Corolla will launch in early 2026, with more details to be released closer to its arrival.
The brand did not confirm whether the software update for existing Model Year 2023 owners will become available locally.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
