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.

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 will launch its diesel assault in the D segment with the Corolla Altis diesel on the 21st of July. The new Corolla is powered by a 1.4-litre turbo diesel D-4D oilburner with variable geometry intake producing 90PS of power and close to 190 Nm of torque. On paper this is absolutely no match for the competition which boasts of not only higher bhp figures but significantly more turning force. Inside sources have told Motoroids about the sluggish nature of the engine which propels the Altis diesel to 100kmph in more than 16 seconds (in real world, that is equivalent to a few years). For the record, the Cruze (which will still cost less than the Altis diesel) hits a ton in less than 10 seconds.

The in-gear acceleration and smoothness of the diesel engine is reported to be good with the best aspect of the small powerplant being its fuel efficiency. Reports have estimated the mileage to be more than 20kmpl. But for a Rs. 14 lakh car buyer, fuel efficiency is not the most important parameter. What is important is the car should offer luxury and brand value and that is where the Toyota clicks almost always. Now only if Honda wake up and smell the coffee.

Source – Motoroids