Toyota Corolla will get a hybrid version in Europe
It appears that the current generation Toyota Corolla will have a petrol-electric wagon version, but the wagon will be available only in Europe.
It will be called the Toyota Auris Touring Sports – the Corolla is called Auris in Europe – and it will feature a 100kW Hybrid Synergy Drive unit with a 1.8-litre petrol engine and of course, an electric motor; this new wagon model will be following in the footsteps of the already available hybrid system in the Corolla/Auris hatchback..
The Auris Touring Sports will be offered with both non-turbo 1.3- and 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engines, as well as 1.4- and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines, however the hybrid will sit atop the range, using just 3.7/100km and producing 85g/km of CO2 emissions.
The petrol engine and electric motor can operate both independently or in tandem, when they are both used the wagon can get from zero to 100km/h in 11.2 seconds up to a top speed of 180km/h.
The battery will be stored beneath the rear seats, with the company saying that the hybrid unit’s inclusion won’t compromise load space of the Touring Sports, with luggage capacity even across the range at 1658 litres with the 60:40 split/folding rear seats folded flat. This is 538L more than the Corolla hatch’s seat-down max.
The boot volume of the wagon will also be significantly greater than the hatch at 530L versus 280L, while the new front seat design has resulted in a 20mm increase for rear passenger knee room.
The inside of the wagon is highlighted by a 6.1-inch touchscreen media interface incorporating an AM/FM radio with an optional digital radio, a CD/MP3 player as well as AUX/USB/iPod ports plus Bluetooth connectivity with audio streaming.
The touchscreen will show satellite navigation as well as footage from the rear view camera.
