Toyota Australia says it will not offer a track warranty the GR Corolla Morizo Edition – a two-seater, lightweight hot-hatch engineered for circuit work – even though the niche model is designed to appeal to amateur motorsport enthusiasts.
Australian buyers of the Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition – a two-seater, light-weight hot-hatch designed for track days – will need to take it easy in amateur motorsport events, after the company announced it will not offer blanket warranty coverage for cars used on racing circuits.
Toyota’s decision is at odds with rival Hyundai – which does provide warranty coverage to «weekend warriors» who take speed off the street in models such as the i20 N and i30 N hot hatches, in the safety of a race-track environment.
The call by Toyota Australia to not offer blanket warranty coverage on the hardcore version of the Toyota GR Corolla – and the GR Yaris, GR86 and GR Supra siblings – follows two high profile cases in the US in which GR86 coupe owners were initially denied warranty claims for blown engines.
However, Toyota Australia says warranty claims on the GR Corolla – and GR Yaris, GR86 and GR Supra – following any track use will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
“There’s no specific track warranty for this car, but Toyota will honour the standard warranty that is provided with this car,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson told Drive at the recent GR Corolla Morizo Edition launch.
“As you can imagine, Toyota’s always going to look after its customers. So there is the warranty, and then as far as the intended use of the car, that would be decided on a case-by-case [basis].”
Toyota’s stance on warranty for vehicles used on a race track is less generous than Hyundai’s policy.
Since the first Hyundai i30 N arrived in Australia, the hot hatch has been expressly backed by the manufacturer even in the case of occassional track use. Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty applies to N models which have been driven in non-timed circuit events, even if they’ve had track-oriented tyres fitted.
Toyota’s reluctance to offer a similar warranty for its GR products comes as the US representatives of the brand face multiple instances of GR86 engine failures from track outings.
A spokesperson for the company’s US division told The Drive it would “handle any claims on a case-by-case basis, but taking your car to a track or taking it off-road doesn’t necessarily limit or exclude warranty coverage.”
Toyota Australia says it will “take into account the details behind any and all individual warranty claims made on the GR Corolla Morizo Edition and – on the basis of whether the claim can be considered reasonable for a track-focussed car such as this – respond appropriately.”
