TOYOTA Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) on Monday launched the all-new Toyota Corolla Altis, including the first hybrid electric variant introduced to the Philippine market.
“The introduction of the Corolla Hybrid rapidly accelerates Toyota’s push for a more sustainable mobility. For the first time, our pioneering Toyota Hybrid technology, now comes in a mainstream, high-volume and not to mention, familiar and well-loved model,” Toyota Motor Philippines President Satoru Suzuki said at the launch event at Grand Hyatt Manila.
The Corolla Altis 1.8V hybrid is considered a “perfect entry-point” for Filipino customers who want to shift to hybrid electric vehicles. It is priced at P1.58 million, while the price of the 1.6E MT (manual transmission) variant is at P999,000.
“We also worked hard to make the price more affordable compared to our other hybrid vehicles, thereby making this technology more accessible to many Filipinos. After all, this is what we aim for — an earth-friendly mobility technology that is appropriate for the present,” Mr. Suzuki said.
The Corolla Altis offers a lower center of gravity for better driver control, while reduced cowl heights, thinner instrument panel, and repositioned mirrors improve visibility.
Toyota introduced new safety features for the Corolla Altis, including the Lane Tracing Assist, which preemptively avoids lane departure by applying force on the steering when in cruise control. The Dynamic Radar Cruise Control also adjusts speed to maintain distance as soon as it detects another vehicle in front the car.
When asked about introducing more hybrid cars to the Philippines, Mr. Suzuki told reporters the local market would still need to be familiarized with the benefits of hybrid vehicles.
TMP remains the market leader with a 42.52% share as of end-July, based on data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA).
For the first seven months of 2019, TMP reported vehicle sales rose 3.8% to 87,574 from 84,401 during the same period a year ago. Out of the total, TMP’s passenger car sales reached 30,056, up 3.3% year on year. — J.P.Ibañez
