Look at the new Toyota GRMN Corolla and it’s fair to wonder who, exactly, is meant to buy it. After all, it starts at $64,360 before destination, taxes, or the dealer markups that feel all but guaranteed on something this scarce. That undercuts, sorry, overshoots the price of many luxury sports cars, and it’s well over 50 percent more than what the standard GR Corolla asks even before markups. On paper, the numbers don’t appear to add up. Then again, perhaps we’re asking the wrong question.

 

Toyota isn’t trying to convince buyers that the GRMN Corolla is the best performance bargain on the market. Instead, it’s doing something far more interesting. It’s asking enthusiasts to pay for exclusivity in much the same way Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and McLaren have done for decades. We bet they’ll sell every one of them without issue.