Toyota to build Corolla hybrid – reports
July 14, 2009 by David Twomey
Toyota has plans to produce a petrol-electric hybrid version of its Auris (known in Australia as Corolla) hatchback, a car that could also come to Australia, at its British factory around 2012, according to newsagency reports.
Reuters Newsagency quotes a Japanese industry newspaper as saying this would mark Toyota’s first locally produced hybrid car in Europe.
The Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun said that the Auris (Corolla Hatchback) was due for a full remodelling around 2012, and Toyota would offer a hybrid version for production and sale locally in Europe.
A spokeswoman said Toyota could not comment on future product plans.
Toyota Australia has previously said that it will be introduce a number of hybrid models over the next four years, and a Corolla hybrid would be likely to be amongst those introduced.
The Auris was Toyota’s third-best-selling model in Europe during the first five months of this year after the Yaris and Aygo Light Car models.
Reuters says that days after taking the helm at the company founded by his grandfather, Toyota president Akio Toyoda said last month that the world’s biggest carmaker would be more selective in utilising its resources, dropping a strategy of becoming a full-line maker in all regions.
One example of that was to focus on offering hybrid vehicles in Europe, Mr Toyoda said, implying that it may drop a plan it shelved earlier to cooperate with affiliate Isuzu to beef up its diesel line-up for Europe.
Toyota builds most of its hybrid vehicles in Japan, but also produces a small number of Prius cars in China and the Camry hybrid in the US state of Kentucky.
It has already announced plans to also begin production of the Camry Hybrid in Thailand and Australia, and the Prius in Mississippi.
Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid vehicles a year within the next few years and has said it would offer the hybrid option on all of its models by 2020.
Print it: 
if <$25k = win win
It was always going to happen. As far as I can see though, all this really does is make Prius drivers even more pretentious looking because they could have a car that would go completely unnoticed.
I still don’t know why they’re bothering with hybrids. I don’t want to start a diesel/hybrid debate here, but if oil’s gonna run out then oils gonna run out so they may as well use the quick fix that doesn’t involve batteries.
Excellent satire on the wog channel(SBS) last night with the Southpark Hybrid episode!Lol.
Southpark rather than being the victim of smog was in danger of being engulfed by Smug. Apparently a front of Smug from George Cluney’s Academey award speech and another Smug front from San Franscisco threatened to converge with a concentration of Smug above Southpark brought about by all the Hybrid drivers.
Prius3 is based off the Corolla’s E140 platform. It would make great business sense to continue.
Realcars – that was a funny episode. Really well done. Especially considering they did it like 2 years ago.
I think Toyota is doing it smart — they have truly been running forefront in hybrid technology and with other car manufacturers catching up, it’d be an ideal time to hand down the technology to more ‘everyday’ cars.
Also now the question is everyone will ask is — ‘how much does hybrid will save me?’ That’s why I don’t think they can charge too much on the base model. I think $3K is probably my personal limit to which I’d be willing to pay on top of the base model price.
Im with Alex all the way, if the black gold is going to run out you want to prepare and give the people what they want now and then do your R&D on better tech, such as hydrogen and full electric.
Yeehah (realcars) lucky SBS shows the ashes to the AUSSIES
A hybrid Corolla that is both better looking, inevitably cheaper and more anonymous than a Prius? Where do I sign?
P.S: Another plus: because it will be so quiet and anonymous, bogans won’t look up from their Holden Weekly in time to verbally assault you and torch your nickel-hydride baby.
once again we see Toyota doing what it does best…. take someone else’s design and then market the hell out of it till the plebs believe that they are right. Has nothing to do advancing automotive technology or saving the planet, just about selling their wares.
RiderX Toyota are only at the marketing forefront, I’d have a look at the other “anonymous” Hybrids on sale around the world and the ability of them
I think all car lovers should embrace the hybrid. They are clearly the best thing for the environment and those that do not drive hybrids are just destroying our precious environment. All forms of motor sport should be banned unless they can prove that they do not harm the environment. Surely common sense can prevail so we can live in a better place!
Frontman,
You sound like you have great REALISTIC ideas for saving humanity and the environment whilst not making any profit for yourself… ALL for the sake of feeling good.
Toyoda-san pretty much stated, that Europe is very well established automotive culture.. yes culture. Where people are passionate and more aware of their vehicles. Its not just A to B anymore, people actually look at their vehicles as an extention of themselves… thats the impression on the european market… “Normal” vehicles arent enough to “standout” from the other established vehicles there… and thats where Toyota wants to establish it self… the forefront HYBRID manufacturer in Europe. Thats one way for them to distinguish from the Audis, Mercs, Fiats, Beamers, Alfas, Renaults, Peugeuts etc. Not many Japanese companies do well in comparison to the european manufacturers because those companies are established…. Lexus isnt “good enough” to really standout for Toyota over there… thats where Hybrid is KEY.
Toyota copied who??
Everyone copies each other… if there isnt a PATENT on the technology… its FAIR GO.. Thats the automotive market. I hate to tell you, we engineers don’t exactly spend 12 hours a day trying to re-invent the wheel per say, Engineering ISNT JUST about creating NEW wonderful technology to make things easier and better… No..sorry, in a perfect world yes…
Engineering is about converting the discovered technology/invention TO commercial application….$$$.
Unless of course you work for the government where you can replace commercial application to a bunch of other agendas…
So I just don’t buy that “copied” crap from sales, customers everywhere… lol, its called benchmarking. Matching specs and features with fellow competitors….
YOU want to save the PLANET?
DO NOT DRIVE!!! DO NOT USE AIRCONDITIONER!!! TURN YOUR FRIDGE OFF!!!… DON’T LITTER!!.. RECYCLE!!!… PROVIDE HALF YOUR SALARY TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHARITIES!!!…. … lol… GOODLUCK!…
What I see is constant nit picking for the sake of saying something BAD… not just about Toyota, but many people here do it… it makes us feel better you see!.. yay free speech on the internet! WOW!.
Hybrids,
Why not have a look at the other science based on true recordings as being displayed by people like Senator Fielding and many many more learned gentlemant than Al Gore and the head of Toyota Corporation? You might find it interesting if you hionestly looked at both sides of this debate in an open way. You find that your hybrids do less to save the planet than you are being told.
Now before you run off at the mouth as most proponents of global warming do, why is it that if one side says we heating the earth according to their computer modelling it becomes fact, but when the other side produces facts and figures from the last 50 years that show the opposite it is just rubbish and lies?
If you chose to own a hybrid, great you will save on fuel consumption compared to some vehicles and you will have a “nice” means of transport. If I chose not to then that to is great. Just don’t be blind enough not to see that you are just caught up inthe hype. Seriously at school during the seventies teh doomsdayers were claiming the pollution was stopping the sunl;ight from comming in thus “COOLING” earth????????
Ha HA Lukaas,
Yes I have Ideals on saving the planet. If you were around on theis sight early enough you would have seen my disgust at the Tata Nano. Not because I don’t want a cheap car for the masses, but because I wanted that car to be set up to make the “NEW MARKET” have a different attitude to the western world. I wanted Nano to be alternate fueled, ethanol lpg or Hybrid/EV.
On the “standout Vehicles” list you gave, sorry but all of those cars are “NORMAL” vehicles in Europe. Not one of them is a standout. That is until you get to there equivalent of M sport or RS or AMG. Toyota struggles at present in europe because of one reason, and one reason only. THey have NO compatable Diesel engines for their passenger vehciles. In market where over 70% of passenger cars are diesel engined they either have to spend dollars on buying a motor or try to go against the flow and tell everyone else they are wrong. It is with this knowledge that I make my statements, plus the knowledge that the technology they use was pilfered from another company and that there are actually better, more advanced Hybrid systems out there than synergy drive For all there grandstanding and chest pumping Toyota have actually advanced their system very little in all the years that they have had it.
As for the climate debate, read my above response.
Milobob^^^^
Yeap, nailed it in one, needs to be $25k DRIVEAWAY [with electric rear windows and full safety pack] otherwise its overpriced DIEsels-days all over
Cheers
F-0
Frontman,
My post was OVER your head… the point anyways.
[1] Toyoda-san would like to “ESTABLISH” Toyota better in Europe, Hybrid is best approach.
Why? Because YES, as I said Audis, Fiats etc are ALL Established manufacturers in Europe… I STATED Toyota wanted to leave their own MARK, so they can STANDOUT…
Your sentence doesnt make sense… AT ALL… WHY WOULD I state that ALL european manufacturer vehicles are STANDOUTS in Europe… For something to standout they must seperate themselves from the rest by a distinguishable feature or trait. WHY WOULD I list A BUNCH of european manufacturers and say they ALL STANDOUT??? SERIOUSLY… WTF?
AS I SAID… Toyota plans to ESTABLISH Hybrid in Europe, hence making helping them establish a market in Europe. As currently THEY are lost in the sea of manufacturers that have STRONG cultural acceptance. SO I stated, that Toyota, by offering Hybrid vehicles… CAN increase market share and somehow help them standout, by offering Hybrid vehicles, in SMALL-MEDIUM-LARGE vehicles.
DIESEL technology isnt too good for the environment either. Sure its better in our pockets, but you also run an extra risk of health risk with DIESEL fuel.
The POINT WAS, that DIESEL is a VERY VERY short term answer for the increase fuel cost, Mileage wise it is superior to PETROL, but in terms of its effects on people, it is inferior to Petrol.
Hybrid technology is pretty much HALF FUEL/HALF PETROL
I don’t want to spell it out since its an insult to some intelligent people here, but eventually, Hybrid will evolve to full electric…. but not yet, not whilst Government is making $$$ off petrol, whilst some countries still have abundance of fuel left over. We’re talking 20 years here before we see a significant change in vehicle powertrain/engines…. it’ll cost close to a trillion dollars to translate from petrol power vehicles to full electric vehicles in a short time span…. (Government and manufacturer costs).
And as I said, most here worry about battery leakage, disposal and other trivial things. I’ll tell you what, the regulations these days are so so strict, that if its available on the market… it means the manufacturer has provided ENOUGH evidence of commerical availability for it to be SOLD to the public.
Over my head or not expressing what you are meaning, either way I read the following from you it still sounds the same misguided marketing BS from Toyota.
{Toyoda-san pretty much stated, that Europe is very well established automotive culture.. yes culture. Where people are passionate and more aware of their vehicles. Its not just A to B anymore, people actually look at their vehicles as an extention of themselves….}
They want to establish themselves as leaders in Hybrid technology over there however the established manufacturers are already playing that game as well as developing alternative systems. Europe is at the forefront of Fuel Cell developement and ultra hi milage low emmision diesels are already on the market for the consumer to use as a stop gap till teh technolgy can catch up.
Along with this anouncement it was also announced that Toyota was cutting back it’s R&D expenditure on clean diesels, so therefore, as a full story it takes a certain different light. Remember recently BMW/MINI sent Prius an congratulatory letter for finally joining the sub 4l/100km club?
Toyota are the ones who push prius as the Saviour of all things automotive, they are the ones that are saying that diesels are finished (read the story in another Australian car site) and yet they are simply using unfounded fact as a marketing tool. Sorry but we are supposed to have standards against such stuff.
BTW Lukaas It’s not me voting you down as I’m not that petty to vote against an opinion…..
It had too happen,unfortunately.
As much as people criticise Toyota, they aren’t the number one manufacturer in the world for no reason. I think they are heading in the right direction here. People talk about focusing on Electric or Hydrogen vehicles. Using hybrid technology will help car companies develop these type of vehicles effectively and efficiently. You can’t just jump from petrol and to electric. People are dreaming if it’s actually feasible to do that!