Toyota unveils new Corolla concept
After years of being told it’s time to buy an electric vehicle, the world’s biggest automaker says this is the car that Aussies really want to drive.
Toyota Australia is preparing to swoop in and steal green customers away from rivals that may struggle to survive.
The manufacturer’s vice president, Sean Hanley, says the time is right for Toyota to capitalise on the efforts – and hard lessons learned – by rival brands that have invested heavily in electric cars.
“Well, you know what happened to the first mouse to try to get the cheese?” he said.
“The first mouse smelt the cheese, the second mouse came and stole it.”
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Toyota and Volkswagen were among the last major manufacturers in Australia to introduce electric cars, lagging well beyond pioneer brands such as Tesla and innovation leaders in Hyundai or Kia.
“We’ve been accused of being slow on EVs for years,” he said.
“Well, maybe we just got it right.
“Maybe this is the market reality … the EV take up rate has not been as quick as many said it would be. This is the market reality and the market truth.
“You can’t force the hand of people who simply can’t use them for the methods they’re meant to be used for.”
Toyota’s next-generation Corolla will take on the EV establishment as an eye-catching electric sedan designed to tempt customers away from electric vehicle leaders.
It will also play to the Toyota faithful with a new spin on the hybrid drivelines that have proved immensely successful for the Japanese giant.
It can work with hydrogen fuel cell technology.
And there will be conventional petrol power too, perhaps in the form of a new turbocharged 2.0-litre engine intended to elevate the high-performance Toyota GR Corolla to new heights.
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That sophisticated attack is part of what Hanley describes as a “multi-pathway strategy” crucial for the future of the brand.
“It’s about having a mix of battery electric vehicles, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, ICE (internal combustion engine), and fuel cell power trains to meet the diverse needs of our customers and our vehicles,” he said.
“We have always said it’s about having the right powertrain for the right application and customer use and leaving no one behind on our journey towards decarbonisation.”
While the Corolla concept’s sharp looks turn heads, the structure under the skin is more significant.
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“The concept’s flexible packaging and modular platform allows the installation of different powertrains, battery electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell electric, and indeed ICE (internal combustion engines) to suit different customer needs and market preferences,” Hanley said.
“The engineering and design of this platform represents a real opportunity to further our strategy and continue to offer vehicles that meet the needs of customers across the globe while driving increased decarbonisation and we will continue to offer more products that address that.”
While Toyota plans to sell a broad variety of vehicles, its leadership is adamant the government’s emissions targets are too ambitious.
“We don’t believe that achieving a 50 per cent BEV (battery electric vehicle) mix in the next 10 years is a realistic or achievable target in Australia,” Hanley said.
“We believe future policy must be inclusive and reflect the diverse mobility needs across the length and breadth of our country.
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