2019 Toyota Corolla Showcased: India Launch Expected Next Year

• Has been unveiled at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China and expected to enter India in 2019

• Based on the TNGA GA-C platform, it claims to offer a lower center of gravity which Toyota claims will provide better driving dynamics

• Interiors follow a ‘Sensuous Minimalism’ concept with more space and features on the inside

• Toyota hasn’t divulged details but the Corolls will get a hybrid powertrain for sure

Toyota has now taken wraps off the 12th generation Corolla at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China. As we had reported earlier, it is based on the TNGA GA-C platform which also underpins not just the hatchback and estate version sold in Europe but the Prius and Camry as well. Its available in two versions - Prestige and Sporty. Both these will be available in China. In China, the Prestige version will be called the Corolla and the Sporty is called the Levin. Toyota has revealed the markets for each of these versions:

Sporty model - North America, China (Levin), Japan, and other countries/regions

Prestige model - China (Corolla), Europe, and other countries/regions

There no official word on which model will come to India, but going by the past record, it will be the Prestige version coming our way, no matter how much we like the Sporty model.

Before we get into the design specifics, let's look at the dimension chart.

As the numbers suggest, the new Toyota Corolla is longer and wider but shorter than the India-spec version. Toyota says the lowered height, wider tread and low center of gravity from the new platform helps in boosting the driving dynamics of the new Corolla.

Upfront, the new Toyota Corolla looks a lot more sleeker with a sharp and aggressive design. The front air dam holds the highest prominence along with a slim honeycomb mesh grille topped off by Toyota badge. Its flanked by upswept LED projector headlamps with axe shaped/ edgy daytime running lamps. Oddly enough, the projector fog lamps are placed either on the air dam or the ends of the front bumper.

The side profile is similar to the hatchback till the C-pillar after which, the boot takes over to complete the look. It gets machine-finished alloy wheels and wraparound LED tail lights, slimmer than the India-spec model.

On the inside, Toyota follows a minimalist dashboard design with central floating 8-inch touchscreen with Entune 3.0 system. The Corolla would also get Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa connectivity in the US. Other features include an LCD instrument cluster, wireless charging, dual climate control and a sunroof as well.

Toyota has refrained from revealing engine details but the Corolla still gets a Toyota’s new ‘Dynamic Force’ engine. This 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine churns out 170PS of power and 200Nm of torque. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and Direct shift CVT. Since this platforms supports hybridisation, it will also gets a hybrid version. Expect the hybrid version to make it to our shores as well.

In terms of competition, the Toyota Corolla will continue locking horns with the Skoda Octavia, Hyundai Elantra and the upcoming Honda Civic in India. The prices could be in the Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh range.

Source: cardekho.com