It’s not news that the Toyota Corolla is the world’s best selling car. Anybody who knows a thing or two about automobiles would be knowing the fact that the Corolla has been the largest selling car in the world for many years now. In fact, the Toyota Corolla zoomed past Volkswagen Beetle recently to become the best selling automobile nameplate of all time. In such a scenario, when another model almost sells as much as the Corolla to topple it from the top of the charts, it definitely makes news worldwide. And, as the corporate heads of Toyota, Honda and Ford have all agreed at various points of time of being wary of, it is none other than the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai that has achieved this feat.

Starting from the massive earthquake and tsunami that caused widespread destruction and disrupted production in the first half to the flash floods in Thailand that affected the production in the second half, 2011 has been a devastating year for Japanese manufacturers,  especially Toyota and Honda. This then is not the right time to judge their performances. At the same time, let us give the credit where it is due. Hyundai, along with its group company Kia has been slowly and steadily climbing its way up over the past few years. Their climb up the ladder was not only in terms of quality, reliability and brand image, but also in terms of sales. As a result, the Elantra and Sonata are fast catching up and, in some cases, have beaten the perennial best sellers from Toyota (Corolla and Camry) and Honda (Civic and Accord).

A recent report published by Forbes states that Hyundai sold a massive 1.01 million units of Elantra in 2011. The Elantra thus joins an elite list of cars that have all sold more than a million units in a single year that includes Toyota Corolla, Ford Model T and Volkswagen Beetle. As if that was not enough, Hyundai sold just 10,000 Elantras less than the global top-seller Toyota Corolla. If ever proof was needed that Hyundai is the company to watch out for, then this is it. We expect Toyota to bounce back strongly in the next few years. We are game for watching this fight between the Corolla and the Elantra. With Hyundai having already showcased the all-new Elantra at the 2012 Auto Expo and with its launch expected later this year, India will also play a part, though a small one, in this interesting battle.

Toyota has launched Easy Seat Technology for the Corolla Altis in India. The Easy Seat uses a swivel and slide mechanism to allow easy entry and exit for people with special medical conditions like arthritis, etc. This can be purchased at any Toyota dealership across the country, at a price of Rs. 30,000/-. It is made to order and come with a one-year warranty. The seat is for the front co-passenger and is made to order. It can be fitted by a Toyota dealer only.

“The Easy Seat will enable us to serve our customers better and cater to their special needs. Toyota’s global policy is to proactively provide travel solutions to a cross section of people,” Sandeep Singh, Deputy MD, Toyota India, said.

The Toyota Camry has been a respected model in the Indian market since the time they launched it. However, it has been a high time they brought in a face-lift for us. And look what we have! Toyota has already started the testing for its 2012 version of the Toyota Camry. Masked mules of the test vehicles were spotted by an Indian Autos Blog reader near the Bidadi plant of Toyota. However, Toyota is not going to launch the new version of the Camry before August 2012. This can be attributed to the much importance Toyota is giving to its Etios and Etios Liva. It is all known that in terms of volumes, the Etios and the Liva segment cars sell much more than those in the segment of Camry.

The new 2012 Toyota Camry sports many new changes to both its exterior and interior. From the spy shots, the front grille has been made bigger and the headlights also seem more swept back. Also it features a restyled bumper, new tail lights and circular fog lamps. Coming to the interior, there seems to be plenty of wooden trim finish applied to the dashboard which gives the car a more up market feel. The car is going to be powered by the 2.5 litre, 4 cylinder and a 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine. There is going to be an automatic option for transmission. However, there might be no diesel option coming along with it which raises a key thought in our minds, how successful is the model going to be without a diesel in the current times of rising petrol prices?

Source – IAB

I came across this hilarious video on YouTube, wherein someone had put his Toyota Corolla for sale. This guy talks about the features and benefits of buying his Corolla and is a must watch video if you want a good laugh. Have you ever thought of doing something like this to sell your car?

After months of testing and teasing, Toyota has finally launched the 2012 Corolla Altis in India. The new Corolla Altis is available in both petrol and diesel variants and is priced between Rs. 10.53 – 14.77 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Toyota Corolla Altis facelift gets a revised petrol motor, which is now 1798cc in capacity and features a Dual VVT-i system, which allows two different timing mechanisms for the exhaust and intake valves.. Power of the petrol engine has been bumped to 140PS. The diesel engine remains untouched and is mated to a 6-speed gearbox as earlier. However the petrol Corolla is now available in both 6-speed manual and 7-speed CVTi options.

The Corolla Altis facelift also features some tweaks to the interior as well as the exterior. The headlights, grille, tail lights and other parts have been slightly modified to make the Corolla more appealing at the outside. Whereas, in the inside, the 2012 Corolla Altis now features smart entry, engine start stop button, 6.1 touchscreen DVD audio system, 8-way power driver seat, cruise control, reverse sensors, electro-chromatic rear view mirror, HID lights, headlight washers and all-wheel disc brakes. This makes the new Corolla Altis immense value with the feature rich variants. Honda, can we expect more features in the Civic? Or maybe a price cut!

2012 New Toyota Corolla Altis Petrol Price

Corolla Altis J – Rs. 10.53 lakh
Corolla Altis G – Rs. 12.39 lakh
Corolla Altis GL – Rs. 13.86 lakh
Corolla Altis VL – Rs. 14.77 lakh

2012 New Toyota Corolla Altis Petrol Price

Corolla Altis J – Rs. 11.46 lakh
Corolla Altis G – Rs. 13.41 lakh
Corolla Altis GL- Rs. 14.55 lakh

Its been a long time coming and Toyota has finally confirmed a June launch for the facelifted Corolla Altis. The company has resumed full production and is now in a position to manufacture the 2011 Corolla. The new facelifted version of the car now gets a slight change to the exteriors including new headlights, LED tail lights, air dam, bumpers and chrome stripe above the rear number plate. The diesel variant will now feature a mesh grille, which will help people distinguish it over the petrol Corolla.

The interior has also received a few changes and now the audio system will be a LCD touchscreen which now features Bluetooth connectivity, DVD playback, Aux and USB. The Altis now gets a keyless entry system with button start/stop. The instrument cluster has been changed as well with a slight change in colours along with a more intuitive display.

However the biggest change to the 2011 Corolla Altis is to the engine. The 1794cc VVTi petrol engine has been replaced by a 1798cc dual VVTi motor (it controls both intake and exhaust valves). This new 1.8 liter engine has an increased powerout of 8bhp (138bhp at 6000 RPM) and increased torque output of 3Nm (172 Nm at 4000 RPM). The new 7-speed Sequential Shiftmatic ‘Super CVT’ auto transmission will replace the 5-speed automatic which has an ARAI certified fuel efficiency of 15.22 kmpl. No changes to the diesel engine.

Toyota India will launch the facelifted 2011 Corolla Altis in May, 2011. The car has been under test for a long time now. The delay in the launch of the new Corolla Altis is because of the company testing the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) in the car. The 7-speed CVT in the new Corolla will help in better fuel efficiency and will become popular amongst the old school automatic cars present in the segment. The Corolla AT will be priced around Rs. 70,000/- more than its manual variant.

Toyota has been extensively testing the 2011 Corolla Altis. The company will launch the Corolla Altis facelift soon, which now features a revised front bumper (with inverted air intake and new shape fog lamps), new side indicators, new tail light with different reflectors, wider chrome lip on the boot and aluminum inserts on the steering wheel. Spotted in Mangalore and Bidadi, the 2011 Toyota Corolla Altis is all set to get a 1.6 liter petrol motor to rival the Honda City and Volkswagen Vento headon. This is probably the reason why Toyota has been extensively testing the car before launching it.

Pictures Source – Team-BHP

Toyota India is planning to launch a facelifted Corolla Altis. The 2011 Corolla Altis was spotted on test at Malleshwaram, Bangalore. The new model incorporates slight design changes and addition of a few new features. There is no change to the engines and the price is set to be hiked marginally when the 2011 Toyota Corolla goes on sale in India by March, 2011. Toyota might launch a 1.6 liter petrol version of the Corolla Altis, taking the fight directly to the Honda City.

A new front features a redesigned bumper, radiator grille and lower grille. At the rear, comprehensive changes to the license plate garnish, combination lamps, bumper and low level reflectors have been incorporated. A new, flat bottomed steering wheel, finished in leather on higher grade models, features a thicker, more comfortable grip cross section. The combination meter design features a colour change from amber to white, and the instrument panel and door handle trim are now finished in high brightness silver coating. The same finish is also applied to the centre console and door switch surrounds. A wireless trunk opening function has been added.

Spy Picture Source – ACI

Toyota launched the much awaited and much needed diesel version of the Corolla Altis today at a launch in Delhi. The Corolla Altis diesel will be priced between 10.95 and 13.75 lakhs (Ex Showroom Delhi) and will be available in 3 variants namely D4DJ, D4DG and D4DGL. The car will more or less resemble its petrol sibling besides a changed front grille.

The Altis diesel is powered by a 1.4 litre common rail diesel engine (D-4D) capable of producing 88.4PS and a torque of 205 Nm and gearshift is by means of a manual 6 speed gearbox. Not very impressive when compared to the Chevrolet Cruze, which fits in the similar price bracket but produces 150 bhp of power but Toyota has got is spot on as far as the fuel efficiency is concerned. Toyota claims a figure of 21 kmpl which is fantastic for a car of this size, the best in the segment by far. Bookings have opened today.

The Corolla Altis Diesel gets a differentiating sporty mesh grille, better aerodynamic characteristics, and the lowest NVH and best ground clearance in its segment. The car is available in seven colours – Silver Mica Metallic, Champagne Mica Metallic, Dark Red Mica Metallic, White Pearl Mica, Light Blue Mica Metallic, Super White and Black Mica.

“The Corolla DNA that has been handed down for 40 years is now in its 10th Generation with over 35 million happy customers worldwide. The car made its debut in India in 2003, and now has more than 60,000 satisfied owners in the country. As part of our long-term commitment to bring the best of Toyota’s technology to India, we are very proud to introduce the Corolla Altis Diesel. The Corolla Altis Diesel has Toyota’s proven D-4D technology, and I am happy to say will have the best fuel efficiency in its segment. ” –
Mr. Nakagawa, MD, Toyota Kirloskar Motors

“Apart from the spacious interiors and luxury features of the Corolla Altis, the diesel variant has the best fuel efficiency, lowest NVH and the best ground clearance in its segment. Our target customers are individuals who are business professionals, in the 35 to 45 age group looking for a perfect balance of performance and economy. The launch of the Corolla Altis Diesel has enhanced Toyota’s line-up in India, and we are looking at consolidating our leadership position in the C-segment with a sales target of 10,500 units for the Corolla Altis in 2010.” – Mr Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motors