COROLLA UNLEASHED
Thailand’s best-selling C-segment sedan continues its quest for a younger audience with more visual and driving spirit.
Thailand’s best-selling C-segment sedan continues its quest for a younger audience.
Hey, it’s quite a nice-looking car … After Toyota launched the all-new Corolla in five-door hatchback and estate forms earlier this year, it has introduced the third body style.
Premiered at the recent Guangzhou motor show in China, the four-door Corolla is taking the sporty looks of its other siblings to showrooms in a bid to attract more young people. Apart from the stylish profile, wheels and lights, the air vents up front have apparently been designed to come in line with the just-launched Camry sedan.
The new Corolla becomes the next recipient of the brand’s newly developed TNGA platform after the C-HR and Camry in Thailand, promising a better balance between handling and ride.
Although the 2.7-metre wheelbase length is the same as in the predecessor, the new Corolla is 10mm longer and 5mm wider. The height is 45mm lower to crucially give that sporty look.
The interior design has been totally revamped with a large infotainment screen placed on the centre dashboard, like in the C-HR.
Will it finally go hybrid in Thailand?
There are two petrol-electric hybrids available, whereby their combustion engines displace either 1.8 or 2.0 litres. Both are mated to a CVT automatic transmission. The Corolla has never gone hybrid in Thailand, though that could change with this new replacement, due to a low excise tax of 4% given to Thai-made cars spewing less than 100g/km of CO2.
Now that the C-HR and Camry are available in Thailand with hybrid options, it’s a no-brainer that the Corolla will be next by 2019.
Will it continue with pure petrol models?
Today’s Corolla is being offered with either a 1.6- or 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol to satisfy cost-conscious buyers and, more importantly, the taxi market it dominates in Thailand. As the hybrid models will have prices hovering around the 1-million-baht mark, those pure petrol models can help cover the 800,000-950,000 price range.
Also due in the first half of next year is Mazda’s all-new 3, which will premiere at next week’s Los Angeles auto show in sedan and hatchback forms. Mazda’s new C-segment contender is set to come with mild hybrid tech (less sophisticated than the Corolla’s full hybrid setup). The government has recently approved HEV tax benefits for Mazda.