Toyota 2012 Corolla sedan

Toyota Corolla sedan delayed

Soldier on: The current Toyota Corolla sedan will not be replaced until the end of 2013.

Old sedan will run with new hatch from October as Toyota staggers Corolla launch

TOYOTA’S current Corolla sedan will remain on sale for up to 12 months after the launch of the next-generation hatchback version in October, as the two models are further differentiated to meet diverging global tastes.

Already one of the oldest models in its segment in Australia, the 2007-vintage three-box small-car stalwart will have to fend off formidable all-new versions of the Nissan Pulsar, Mitsubishi Lancer and Kia Cerato, let alone its established Mazda 3, Holden Cruze, Ford Focus, Subaru Impreza, Hyundai Elantra and Honda Civic sedan enemies.

And in a further setback for Toyota sedan fans, the existing three-box Yaris, which first appeared as the Belta in Japan in 2005, will not be replaced at all when production ceases sometime within the next two years.

Speaking to GoAuto at the launch of the 86 sportscar in Canberra this week, Toyota Australia product planning division manager Greg Gardner revealed that Toyota’s light and small car emphasis would concentrate on growing its hatchback market share against the incessant tide of fresh rivals.

To that end, the 11th-generation Corolla hatch – expected to be coded as the 160 Series – will undergo a major redesign that moves away from the upright design of today’s style, for a lower-slung silhouette featuring sharper lines and more contemporary surfacing.

Left: Japanese Corolla Axio. Below: Corolla hatch.

It will be the second Toyota small car conceived primarily for European consumption as the Auris, and is set for a global unveiling at the Paris motor show in late September – just weeks before its local debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney on October 18.

The outgoing E150 Auris/Corolla hatch surfaced at the same French exposition exactly six years ago, but arrived in Australia at the same time as the E140 Corolla sedan in the middle of 2007.

Although the current Corolla hatch and sedan share no body or interior panels, it is speculated that their respective E160 series replacements will diverge even further this time around, as a result of different project chief engineers at the helm.

Mr Gardner also confirmed that the Axio sedan and its Fielder wagon counterpart unveiled in Japan last month, which wear the Corolla badge as a prefix, are altogether different, smaller and lighter vehicles designed and engineered for the Asian region with engines ranging from 1.3 to 1.8 litres.

It is believed that Toyota Australia will instead take the upcoming US/Canadian-market Corolla sedan, which boasts larger dimensions and a design that mirrors the squarer-cut stance of the new Camry.

“I understand that the car you are referring to is different to the next-generation Corolla sedan,” he said.

“The Corolla sedan for Australia will follow about a year after the hatch is launched later on in 2012.”

Meanwhile, with the Axio expected to take its place in Asian markets, the existing Yaris sedan will not be renewed in line with the XP130 hatch launched late last year in Australia.

With sales always at a fraction of those of its two-box counterpart since being released Down Under in 2006, it is unclear whether the Yaris sedan will eventually be replaced by another similarly sized vehicle in the Toyota range.

While a number of smaller, sub-B segment economy models exist within the Daihatsu as well as the Toyota ranges, none are fitted with all of the safety gear required to achieve a Euro NCAP five-star safety rating, precluding their sale in Australia.

“There are alternatives … but none achieve five stars … and we would be hounded for that,” Mr Gardner said.

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Volvo S60 Polestar

First look: Volvo S60 Polestar is official

Pole dancing: This image of the Volvo S60 Polestar concept was plucked from a video and posted on Facebook.

Race-bred Volvo S60 Polestar emerges in teaser video ahead of Swedish debut

VOLVO has teased a ballistic S60 Polestar concept ahead of its public unveiling this weekend at a Swedish touring car championship event in Volvo’s home town of Gothenburg.

The baby-blue sedan developed by Volvo motorsport partner Polestar Racing is seen in shadowy images taken from a motor racing promotional video and posted on the Swedish company’s Facebook page.

The performance flagship looks set to follow in the wheel tracks of the Australia-only S60 Polestar special edition that caused a ripple through Volvo when it was launched in a limited run of just 50 units late last year.

Although details such as powertrain and performance figures remain under wraps, the new S60 Polestar might well make it into production as a BMW M3/Audi RS5 fighter globally.

Volvo says it will seek customer feedback on the concept before making a decision on its production future.

The S60 Polestar would sit above the flagship S60 T6 R-Design, which packs 224kW of power and 440Nm of torque from its turbocharged inline 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine.

In the previous S60 Polestar that was an initiative of Volvo Car Australia directly with Polestar Racing, the standard engine was boosted to 242kW and 480Nm, slicing the 0-100km/h acceleration time by 0.3 seconds, to 5.8 seconds.

The car, which made its debut at the 2011 Melbourne motor show, also featured lowered suspension, quad exhaust and special alloy wheels.

From top: Volvo S60 race car, previous Australian Volvo S60 Polestar, Volvo C30 Polestar Performance Concept.

UK’s Autocar quotes Volvo insiders as saying the engine in the new S60 Polestar will develop 372kW (500hp), giving rise to speculation the car might revive the Yamaha-sourced 4.4-litre V8 from the XC90.

However, that seems to fly in the face of Volvo’s stated plan to go all-four-cylinder across its range.

Autocar also speculates that the S60 Polestar will have a Haldex all-wheel-drive system using special high-performance differentials from the only previous factory-Polestar collaboration at head office level, the 300kW C30 Polestar Performance Concept.

That vehicle was powered by a 300kW version of Volvo’s acclaimed T5 five-cylinder engine with a bigger turbo and intercooler, lumpier inlet camshaft and other tweaks borrowed from Polestar’s works race car program.

Also clad in baby blue paintwork, the C30 Polestar that was revealed in Sweden in April 2010 never made it into production, much to the chagrin of cashed-up Volvo fans.

This time, hopes are higher that the S60 version will make the cut.

According to Volvo Car Australia, the Polestar crew watched with great interest how the Australian project was received.

“Taking this thinking a step further, (Polestar) has developed the hardcore S60 Polestar performance concept car,” VCA said in a media release.

Polestar marketing director Hans Baath said the vehicle was a spin-off from its work evaluating and developing the S60 for racing.

“Whether there will be more cars built is an open question,” he said. “First of all we want to get feedback on this first prototype.” Polestar has co-operated with Volvo since 1996 and has successfully raced five different Volvo models starting with the 850.

Last year, Volvo switched its race-car entry in Sweden’s TTA Racing Elite League from the C30 to the S60, causing Polestar to evaluate the production version ahead of its race program. The S60 Polestar is said to have emerged from that research.

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