It’s officially April, which means automakers are (mostly) eager to report their first-quarter sales figures to the world. Subaru in particular had a pretty decent Q1, especially because it managed to sell a boatload of its WRX performance sedans over the past three months. Not bad for a new car the internet dunked on when it was revealed last year.
Subaru sold a total of 7,609 units of the WRX in the first quarter of 2023, which is an increase of 1,200% over the same period last year. And as pointed out by a Reddit user, this uptick in sales means that Subaru has officially sold more units of the WRX than Toyota will build of the GR Corolla for the U.S. market for the entire 2023 model year.
For what it’s worth, a Toyota spokesperson told The Drive that the automaker sold nearly 1,300 GR Corollas in Q1.
Toyota will build just 6,600 units of its new hot hatch for the U.S. market this year. Of that number, 5,100 examples—around three-quarters of all cars—will be the base trim with various equipped options. The more limited Circuit Edition spec will represent just 1,500 units.
Oh, and the rest of the world? They’ll have to make do with just 2,000 GR Corollas to split amongst themselves. For those keeping track, we’re at 8,600 units total for the whole world, but 6,600 units will be for the U.S. market alone.
The GR Corolla is a smokin’ deal at $36,995 for the base Core trim. That’s still more expensive than the WRX’s starting price of $30,100, and because it’s such a limited-run car for the 2023 model year, some dealers have been marking up the tiny three-cylinder hatch like crazy.
Now, it’s not like people don’t want the GR Corolla. Hardcore enthusiasts almost certainly would love to zoom around in such a glorious motoring masterpiece. But it’s not uncommon for automakers to sell fewer performance-oriented cars than normal variants—think Volkswagen Golf versus Golf R, Honda Civic versus Civic Type R. The GR Corolla can be optioned into a slightly higher performance and price bracket than the WRX—perhaps more comparable to the now-discontinued WRX STI.
It’s not rocket science to figure out that cars with higher production capacity and availability are going outsell those limited with both. That being said, it’s also not necessarily a problem that Subaru’s more mild sedan is outselling the GR Corolla. It’s just unfortunate for those on the outside who can’t get the Toyota rally hatch of their dreams.
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