Toyota looks to be readying its GR Corolla hot hatchback for a European launch as prototypes begin testing at the Nürburgring.

Hot hatch fans have long called for Toyota to bring the Gazoo Racing variant of the Corolla to Europe. The standard car is the Japanese brand’s third biggest seller in the region, behind the Yaris and Yaris Cross.

Toyota's performance division performs strongly already in the region with its three current models, the GR Yaris, GR Supra and GR 86. However, the latter is being killed off soon by the EU's new GSR2 safety regulations, which could make space for the Corolla to finally go on sale in Europe. 

The standard Corolla is built in Bernaston, Derbyshire, but the all-wheel-drive hot version is built at the same Motomachi facility in Japan as the GR Yaris. It has already been engineered in both left-hand drive (for North America) and right-hand drive (for Japan).

The latest version, unveiled this summer and spotted testing at the Nürburgring in right-hand drive guise, is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine that makes 300bhp. That’s 42bhp more than the GR Yaris, which uses the same three-pot powertrain and four-wheel drive system. It can, like the Yaris, also be optioned with either a eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual gearbox.

With those power figures it is a natural rival for the likes of the BMW M135i (296bhp), Honda Civic Type R (315bhp), and Volkswagen Golf R (328bp).

A more powerful GRMN (Gazoo Racing Meisters of the Nürburgring) variant has also been spotted lapping the Nordschleife (pictured below). Not yet revealed, the track-honed GR Corolla sits lower to the road and sports a chunkier rear wing.

Toyota already sells a special-edition GRMN Yaris in its home market in very limited numbers, which is a stiffer, lighter and more powerful version of the GR Yaris.

Asked about the prototypes, a Toyota spokesperson told Autocar that “all major car manufacturers test their biggest global products at the Nürburgring”, but did not deny the possibility of the car being destined for European dealerships. 

Even if it is confirmed to be sold on this side of the Atlantic, the GR Corolla would no doubt be a highly exclusive proposition. It's currently sold in North America from $36,500 (£27,636), but if it follows a similar costing structure to its sibling in the UK (which commands a £21,500 premium over the standard Yaris), it would cost north of £50,000.