Toyota reveals next Corolla

Toyota’s 11th-generation Corolla has emerged in sedan and wagon guise in Japan, offering vital hints to what the redesigned Corolla hatchback will look like when it goes on sale here next year.

Due to make its Australian debut at the Sydney motor show in October – a month after its expected global debut at the Paris show in September – the next Corolla hatch will continue to wear the Auris nameplate in some overseas markets.

While the hatch is expected to go on sale here before the new-generation sedan, Toyota is yet to confirm whether it will reintroduce the Corolla wagon, which would compete with small load-luggers including Hyundai’s i30cw, Volkswagen’s Golf and Holden’s upcoming Cruze wagon.

Toyota has sold more than 39 million Corollas globally since the model’s release in 1966, making it the world’s top-selling vehicle ever.

Both the new sedan - known as the Corolla Axio in Japan – and the domestic market’s Fielder-badged wagon have emerged with a new grille flanked by angular new headlights to form an all-new slim-line front-end design similar to that seen on a number of Mitsubishi models.

In Japan, both new Corolla models continue to be available with a choice of 1.3 and 1.5-litre petrol engines matched with five-speed manual and continuously variable automatic (CVT) transmissions. A fuel-saving idle-stop system is available as an option on 1.5-litre 2WD CVT models.

More significantly, in a redesign that Toyota says “sought a return to the Corolla's origins”, the new Corolla sedan is 50mm shorter overall than before, but Toyota claims to have increased rear-seat knee room by 40mm.

Despite being 60mm shorter than before overall, meantime, the new Corolla wagon offers 90mm of extra luggage space, allowing items up to 4100mm long to be stowed with the rear seats folded. It also now features a rear tailgate made of resin to reduce weight.

“Both vehicles were completely revamped to minimize body size while maintaining the ability to safely and comfortably transport four adults over long distances, thereby achieving a perfect fit for compact cars in the Japanese market,” said Toyota.
?The Corolla sedan and wagon’s turning circle has also been reduced by 400mm, from 10.2 to 9.8 metres.

Toyota says it has applied “various structural and design improvements”, including a more rounded windscreen profile, narrower A-pillars that are also moved further back and door-mounted side mirrors that are also aimed at improving visibility.

Japan’s Corolla, which is available in both front-and all-wheel drive configurations, can be had with luxuries like cooled and ventilated front seats, power-folding mirrors and a View Assist Package comprising HID gas-discharge headlights with automatic high-beam function.

New exterior paint colours available in Japan include Mellow Silver Metallic for the sedan and Dark Violet Mica Metallic for the wagon.

Once a rival for Australia’s top-selling models including Holden’s Commodore, the current Corolla (launched here in hatch guise in May 2007) has so far this year attracted just over 12,000 buyers for a 15.9 per cent share of the country’s mainstream small car segment – well down on the 14,600 sales and 19.3 per cent share achieved by Australia’s top-selling vehicle in 2011, the Mazda3.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site…