Corolla replacement debuts in Japan

Unveiled as a 'concept' at last month's Paris motor show, the new Toyota Auris is already on the brink of gracing showrooms in Japan.

The new compact hatchback is scheduled for a Japanese dealer launch on October 28 and 29, and Toyota sells it plans to flog 3000 examples per month in its domestic market.

European sales will commence in April/May next year, and we can expect it in Oz around mid-year.

The Corolla replacement was designed in Europe by Toyota's ED2 styling studio and the car was reportedly conceived with Euro buyers in mind. Until now, compact hatchback shoppers in that market have strongly favoured homegrown offerings such as the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Peugeot 307.

Toyota hopes its new contender will change all that, thanks partly to a so-called 'Inside-out' design approach that's said to maximise interior space.

Truth be told, the car probably only needs to be merely competent to extend its domination of the Australian small-car segment.

Despite the arrival of newer and dynamically superior challengers, the existing Corolla reigns supreme in Oz, with 35,557 sales to its credit until the end of September this year -- that's an average of nearly 4000 a month.

The nearest competitor is Mazda's 3, with 24,105 sales.

Getting back to the Auris, detailed information about the car was scarce at the Paris show, but Toyota has now come clean with the nitty gritty.

It will be built in three- and five-door body styles -- although only the latter is likely to be available here -- and Euro-spec cars will be offered with a choice of two petrol (displacing 1.4 and 1.6 litres) and three diesel engines.

However, Oz-spec cars will receive a 1.8-litre Dual VVT-i (Dual Variable Valve Timing-intelligent) unit, essentially an update of the existing Corolla powerplant.

Japan-market cars will be offered with a Super CVT-i (Super Continuously Variable Transmission-intelligent) with a sequential shift facility, but it's not yet clear whether this arrangement will translate to the Oz version.

Visually, the production Auris is little changed from the Auris Space Concept that debuted at Paris, which means it features the same high waistline, short overhangs and so-called 'forward balance' of the cabin.

Overall, it's a safe and predictable evolution of the existing Corolla's shape as buyers in this segment tend to favour conservatism.

As for the nameplate, odds are that Toyota will stick with the venerable Corolla moniker for Oz, as it's a familiar entity to several generations of buyers.

Change for the sake of change can be disastrous. Witness the mediocre sales performance of Nissan's curiously named Tiida, which replaced the tried-and-proven Pulsar.