Toyota Hopes Redesigned Corolla Appeals to Young and Old Buyers

Toyota Motor Corp. walks a fine line with the redesign of the 40-year-old Corolla, which went on sale last week in Japan.

The average age of Corolla buyers in Japan is over 60. Toyota wants to keep those loyal buyers and appeal to a new generation. It also needs to position the car between the entry-level Vitz, known as the Yaris in the United States and Europe, and the mid-sized Camry.

Toyota will:

Keep the history-laden Corolla name but add another name in Japan to attract younger shoppers. The sedan is now the Corolla Axio. The station wagon is now the Corolla Fielder. "Corolla" is in a smaller type size.

Add a bit more hip and head room inside without letting the car grow longer, wider or taller.

Offer features that appeal to both young families and owners with aging joints.

To save neck-twisting, the Corolla is the second vehicle, after the Lexus LS 460, to get Toyota's latest intelligent parking-assist system. The option costs ¥105,000, or $879 at current exchange rates. A backup camera monitor is standard.

The Corolla also has a system that flips down the rear seats and seat backs for a flat cargo floor, with a single pull of a lever.

The United States won't get the redesigned Corolla until spring 2008. That will stretch the goal of Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe to release the Corolla in overseas markets within "a year and a few months" of the Japan debut. Insiders say the plain-vanilla styling offered in Japan can't compete against the Honda Civic in America.




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luvmybmr - 10/19/2006 11:18:53 AM

+2 Boost

98-02 corolla (great redesign from before)
03-07 corolla (great redesign from before)
08 corolla .. better not look like this when its released, this is a yaris on steroids.

this is the second time ive seen this post.. and makes me wanna throw up everytime

Designer1 - 10/19/2006 11:33:55 AM

+1 Boost

This car is UGLIER than the current model, Toyota look at what Honda is doing to the Civic.

kart1 - 10/19/2006 12:14:04 PM

+2 Boost

As long as it doesn't have the AWD look it won't be that bad.

S4cabriofox - 10/19/2006 8:33:38 PM

+1 Boost

What?

That doesn't make sense at all.

AWD is more fun and has better grip than FWD, as on the Corolla.

What's the drawback?

M53R - 10/19/2006 2:15:42 PM

+2 Boost

this picture is ugly!!!! But i think we already know hos it will look like , since it was officially released in japan.

vdiv - 10/19/2006 5:20:47 PM

+1 Boost

Ditto for an old driver :)

S4cabriofox - 10/19/2006 8:39:31 PM

-1 Boost

Yes, but not the American Corolla itself. The Corolla has been re-badged as plenty of different cars around the globe.

And BTW, the current version could also be regarded as the most boring car ever. Why someone would buy one over a Civic, Mazda3, or Rabbit/Jetta is beyond me.

1970toyotamarc - 10/19/2006 3:54:18 PM

+1 Boost

A four door version of the new Euro Auris will do nicely in a pinch. There was a pretty good photoshop of it floating around a couple days ago. (Personally, I'd prefer the 5 door as is, but I know Toy won't bring a 5 door Corolla to the US)

Terminal10 - 10/19/2006 4:01:42 PM

+1 Boost

Serves a purpose for its segment and class but its not that sharp for the best selling car.

BMW530i - 10/19/2006 9:35:07 PM

0 Boost

Damn that thing is hideous.

But yeah, cheap, VFM, reliable and for people who don't give a damn.

Matthew1 - 10/19/2006 11:59:14 PM

-1 Boost

uh, it's 'flair'.

You don't know what it is, which is why you can't spell it.

XYZZ - 10/20/2006 2:35:31 AM

+2 Boost

i agree with Wilco.

i have an '03, and after a wheel/tire upgrade, it has BETTER handling dynamics than the ford focus i usta have!

i ALSO have great fun driving it, shooting every apex at higher speeds and disappearing from following traffic. and i don't even rev it to redline all that often.

XYZZ - 10/20/2006 2:46:23 AM

+2 Boost

if anyone stops to think about it, ANY modern small car, even the most basic hyundai (to say nothing of better toyotas and hondas), is MORE SPORTY than the true, classic, sports cars of the 1950s, and '60s.

better engines, better handling, better in EVERYTHING except maintenance demands and "character." (some will say the two are EQUIVALENT! ;) ).

WHY has the mazda miata been so successful? basically, just because it takes the typical modern small car, packages it as a roadster.

but ANY modern small car will run circles around the classic MGs and Triumphs. to always react in a knee jerk way and say corollas are boring, only reflects SMALL minded thinking.

Matthew1 - 10/20/2006 3:50:35 AM

0 Boost

Corolla's are boring.

To argue that they are not with some abstract reference to classic British roadsters is amusing.

Yes, modern hatches are more efficient, faster and better built than the sportscars of yesteryear, but since when did clinical efficiency become exciting?

And to say your Corolla handles better than a Focus because you put different wheels on it is also amusing. It may have increased grip levels, but wheel control over uneven surfaces and steering feedback would have been significantly numbed by the bigger diameter (I'm assuming) rims.

The original Ford Focus is regarded by many (enthusiast car magazines, mainly) has the best handling modern hatch ever built. It may not have a lot of grip, but its delicacy and feeling of connectedness is something that isn't trumped by a mediocre Corolla with new rubber.

Ford Europe have some of the best chassis engineers in the business, and their entire European range has been noted and applauded for their class-leading handling and dynamic set-up.

Toyota boasts no such accolades.

XYZZ - 10/22/2006 3:04:28 AM

+1 Boost

Wilco, you are totally right in your response to Matt.

the DRIVER is more of a factor than the car, in what is "fun" and what is (usually only PERCEIVED as) "boring."

"It is far more fun driving a slow car fast, than having to drive a fast car slow."

going by this oft-stated maxim, there will always be a point where modifications can make a car faster, but actually LESS ENTERTAINING. (when it gets on the verge of being too scary, the fun factor can start to recede.)

XYZZ - 10/22/2006 3:15:00 AM

+1 Boost

"Yes, modern hatches are more efficient, faster and better built than the sportscars of yesteryear, but since when did clinical efficiency become exciting?
"

they are not JUST more efficient. they are BETTER as SPORTING VEHICLES too! and not JUST the hot hatches, but the ordinary 4-doors too.

they'll rev more more and put out more power. the suspensions are better. they'll corner with more g's.

granted, much of this is due to the technological advances over the years. but the bottom line, and my basic point, is that we CAN have even more fun than the drivers of "real sports cars" that were lauded in the past.

if YOU can be bored by a corolla sedan with a 5-speed, YOU are SUCH A LOUSY DRIVER, you'd be better as a passenger in a HEARSE!

XYZZ - 10/20/2006 5:41:57 AM

+1 Boost

you ASSUME too much, making an ass of yourself.

the europeans design good chassis, but they have no monopoly on good designs and handling.

look at who's winning in World Rally Cup races. you'll see toyota, subaru, mitsubishi on the podia as often (if not more often) than euro brands.

how many non-japanese vehicles do you see in Drifting competitions? only the vehicles with good BASIC handling dynamics TO START WITH are chosen and further modified for drifters.

if only limited amounts of the chassis development for the rally and drifter cars make it to PRODUCTION cars, that is the CHOICE of the manufacturer, in consideration of costs, customer demand, competitiveness, etc.

i'd say that among first line manufacturers, there is rarely more than a 5% difference in most performance parameters.

owner modifications EASILY top those differences in stock vehicles.

luvmybmr - 10/20/2006 3:46:05 PM

+2 Boost

from what i heard we in the states arnt getting the corolla that was released in japan. they are going to give it a different shape to compete with that of the civic

XYZZ - 10/22/2006 3:22:51 AM

+1 Boost

it was announced shortly after the new civic was introduced, that toyota was delaying the new corolla.

supposedly, the originally planned new NA corolla (~JDM model?) was perceived as not enough to match up against the new civic. hence the delay for upgrades.

chrisburgos15 - 10/20/2006 10:12:54 PM

0 Boost

eh, God help this ugly car. I like the current one BETTER, but it doesnt mean I like it at all. in other words the current one or this new one, they're still ugly.