TOYOTA HAS ANNOUNCED plans to manufacture a full hybrid version of its Auris small car (known as the Corolla hatch in Australia) at its Derbyshire plant in the United Kingdom.
While there are no solid plans to bring it here, Toyota Australia has told TMR that the petrol-electric hatchback hasn’t been entirely ruled out for our market.
Production of the Toyota’s first European-built hybrid will commence in mid-2010, with technical details still unknown.
A variant of the new Prius’s 1.8 litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine and Hybrid Synergy Drive system are tipped to be destined for the Auris Hybrid’s engine bay, however it would not be entirely surprising if the 1.5 litre petrol-electric powerplant of the second-gen Prius was taken out of retirement for the Auris.
Despite the popularity of diesels in Europe, Toyota’s reluctance to incorporate an oil-burning powerplant in a hybrid vehicle means a diesel-electric powertrain for the Auris Hybrid is unlikely.
Exports to Australia aren’t likely either, with Toyota Australia’s public relations manager Mike Breen telling TMR that “there is no current plan to introduce the Auris (Corolla) hybrid to the Australian market”.
However there is a faint glimmer of hope, with Breen saying that, “as with all new models, it is under study”.
The current petrol-only Auris also utilises a fuel-saving start-stop system in the European market, however Breen said that start-stop is not a technology that Toyota Australia is looking to include in locally-delivered models any time soon.
Will the all-new third generation Prius and the incoming Camry Hybrid be enough for Toyota’s eco-friendly line-up in Australia, or would a hybrid Corolla hatch complement the range and generate more sales for the company?
Time - and market forces - will tell.
