Coming to Malaysia very soon, a brand new Corolla Altis.
This new Corolla Altis is seeing its first ASEAN introduction in Thailand and we managed to catch a quick glimpse of the car from Toyota Motor Thailand on its way to a lucky customer.
Thailand was the first to introduce this all-new Corolla Altis and they have three engine variants for their market, where Toyota is the No.1 seller by a clear margin.
This Altis is available with a petrol-electric hybrid apart from the usual 1.6- and 1.8-litre pure petrol options, all mated to CVT automatic transmission.
The hybrid-powered Corolla shares the same 122hp drivetrain with the C-HR crossover combining 1.8-litre combustion engine and electric motor. There are three grades: High 1.099 million baht (RM151,000), Mid 989,000 baht (RM136,000) and Entry 939,000 baht (RM129,000).
The other two engines have been carried over from the preceding model including 140hp 1.8-litre and 125hp 1.6-litre. The 1.8 sees a power drop of 1hp.
Toyota has chosen to equip the 1.8 with just one trim called GR Sport featuring sporty seats, special instrument panel and steering-mounted paddle-shifters, as such. It replaces the outgoing E-Sport model.
The 1.6, meanwhile, has two specs: G going for 869,000 baht (RM119,000)and Limo for 829,000 baht (RM114,000) with the latter aimed at taxis. The CNG-powered 1.6 has been discontinued.
The latest generation of the Altis is underpinned by the brand’s TNGA platform that is also used in the C-HR and bigger Camry sedan. Safety standards are high with this new Altis where seven airbags are standard across the range.
In addition, the Corolla now comes with some driving aids from the so-called Toyota Safety Sense package available in higher end models. Some of them include blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert and parking guidance system.
NOTE: Toyota expects to sell 2,300 units of this new Corolla Altis month and plans to export 900 a month, largely to Southeast Asia. Toyota started to produce the Corolla Altis in Thailand with the second generation and has accumulated sales of 800,000 cars in the country.
