September 9 - Toyota Altis

With the onset of electric vehicles (EV) still far from the Philippine automotive industry’s horizon, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) took a smart gamble and was first to introduce hybrid technology in 2009. A decade later, and with better and newer tech, Toyota closes the gap between full EV and internal combustion engines (ICE) with the introduction of a hybrid variant for its Altis nameplate with a very competitive price tag. With over 2 million pesos for the Prius, pricing was a hindrance for most buyers. Toyota’s strategy is to educate car buyers by introducing its newest hybrid including the 1.8-liter Corolla Altis HEV. Priced at P1,580,000, it offers a more affordable alternative for car buyers wanting to try hybrid technology cars. The new Corolla is the first in TMP’S product lineup to feature three of Toyota’s latest technologies in one variant: Toyota New Global Architecture, Toyota Safety Sense, and hybrid technology.

Other ICE variants of the Corolla Altis starts from P999,000 for the entry-level 1.6E MT manual transmission variant, and its top line ICE variant is pegged at P1,185,000 for the 1.8V CVT.