Toyota New Zealand has confirmed that the Corolla Cross, the latest addition to its SUV line-up, will arrive in local showrooms before the end of the year.
“For more than 50 years, Toyota and Corolla have been synonymous with practical dependability, fuel efficiency, safety, and value,” says Toyota New Zealand general manager of sales Steve Prangnell.
“The all-new Corolla Cross builds on that foundation and offers even more versatility and creature comforts to make everything, from a daily commute to a weekend escape, more memorable.”
The Cross will sit between the Yaris Cross and C-HR in the Toyota line-up. It joins one of the most comprehensive line-ups of SUVs offered locally, with the RAV4, Highlander, Fortuner, Land Cruiser Prado, and Land Cruiser 300 completing the mix.
While the brand has yet to confirm pricing or full specification for locally sold Corolla Cross models, it has offered some details.
The brand has confirmed that it will no longer be offering pure internal combustion engine models in either the Corolla or Corolla Cross line-up, with the one exception being the hotted up GR Corolla performance hatch.
AutoTalk reported that Toyota had phased out its pure petrol Corolla hatchback earlier this year, wiping each variant from its website. Toyota New Zealand now says it will sell only hybrids in its mainstream Corolla range by the close of 2022.
“For some time now, Toyota’s hybrid-electric powertrain has been the most popular choice across not just the Corolla range, but passenger cars generally,” says Pragnell.
“We have reached the tipping point of customer sentiment towards hybrid-electric options, and Toyota’s customer focus is reflected by this change.
“We are also committed to reducing the carbon emissions of our new vehicle product range and are on track to exceed the Government’s 2023 Clean Car Standard target for Toyota and Lexus.
“For buyers of electrified Toyota’s, there is a very small premium to recover the development and additional materials costs, however, the Clean Car rebate is helpful in reducing that premium, especially for our hybrid-electric vehicles.”
The Corolla Cross is set to be offered locally in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive formats. The former utilises one electric motor (alongside a petrol four) while the latter adds a second electric motor.
It will come powered by Toyota’s ‘Dynamic Force’ 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain. Power, torque, and economy figures are yet to be confirmed for local models, although overseas the current iteration of the 2.0 makes 111kW and 190Nm.
