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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News - Toyota 86

Toyota 86 price reviewed soon

Bargain: Toyota surprised the market with its pricing for the new 86 sportscar, but will review it again within months.

High demand and exchange rates could push base Toyota sportscar over $30K

8 June 2012

By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS

TOYOTA’S hot new 86 sportscar could struggle to maintain its sub-$30,000 entry price in the face of the fluctuating exchange rates and rising global demand.

Toyota Australia sales and marketing executive director Matthew Callachor said the price of the 2+2-seater rear-drive coupe – on sale from June 18 and twinned with the Subaru BRZ to be launched in August – is therefore likely to be reviewed in as little as three months.

However, Mr Callachor claims the company will stick to the 86’s value pricing strategy, since the Subaru-built sportscar was designed and engineered in the first place to be an inexpensive proposition.

“Nobody can ever give you an iron-clad guarantee,” said Mr Callachor of potential price rises, “but if the Australian dollar’s value all of a sudden plunged then we would have to reconsider our position.

“But we will hold this price for a period of time – (certainly) in the first three-month period.”

Until the 86 was officially unveiled to the Australian media on June 4 with a starting price of $29,990 plus on-road costs, it had been widely speculated that the base GT six-speed manual would cost upwards of $36,000.

Left: Toyota Australia sales and marketing executive director Matthew Callachor.

Even the top-line GTS automatic version remains well below $40,000, massively undercutting most of the models that Toyota name-checks as the 86’s closest competitors – the Volkswagen Golf GTI ($38,990), Mazda MX-5 ($42,460), Mini Coupe ($42,990), Peugeot RCZ ($54,990), BMW 125i Coupe ($55,600) and Audi TT ($65,450).

Demand is consequently expected to greatly exceed the 250 units per month that Toyota Australia will be allocated, particularly as other global markets also receive the car in the coming weeks, starting with Germany.

“I would expect demand to be quite brisk,” said Mr Callachor.

“In the first few months we’re getting 250 each month, and moving forward … I’d like to get more, but global demand for the 86 has been quite large.

“Certainly the Australian dollar helps … we try not to change prices, but there are currency fluctuations so we try to take that into account as well.

“(Toyota) has designed (the 86) to be a very affordable sportscar.

“We want people to have fun in the car. We’ve priced the car to gain a wider audience and engender a passion for the car, so we’re expecting a whole series of people (to get into the 86).”

While Mr Callachor conceded that Toyota did not rank highly with younger enthusiasts, he said: “Frankly, at those kinds of prices, it is not beyond their potential to be able to wiggle their way into (an 86).”

Nevertheless, because of its significantly higher specification level at only a modest premium, Toyota expects the more expensive GTS to account for about 60 per cent of sales in the first year.

Australia is expected to be the fourth-largest market for the 86, behind the United States, Japan and Europe.

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