Toyota Corolla Range Updated With New Powertrains And Safety Tech In Japan

Toyota has unveiled the updated Corolla, Corolla Touring, and Corolla Sport for the Japanese market.

Updates start with the powertrain where the electric components of the 1.8-liter hybrid model have been “renewed” resulting in “quick” and “smooth acceleration” according to the Japanese car manufacturer. Oddly, very few details about these updates have been announced by Toyota.

However, it is safe to assume that models sold in Japan benefit from largely the same upgrades as in other markets. In the U.S., for example, hybrid models have redesigned motors that increase power, reduce losses, and work alongside a new lithium-ion battery that has been repositioned to optimize the car’s weight distribution.

Elsewhere, Toyota has confirmed that the Corolla Touring and Corolla Sport are now equipped with new 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter engines respectively.

Toyota has also made various safety updates. For example, a new function has been added to the Toyota Safety Sense system that automatically detects oncoming vehicles when turning right at an intersection and pedestrians crossing the road when turning right or left. Also new is Proactive Driving Assist that anticipates risks according to driving conditions and supports the driver’s steering and braking inputs to avoid getting too close to pedestrians, bicycles, and parked vehicles. The revamped Corolla also supports software updates.

In the cabin, Toyota has fitted an 8-inch infotainment display as standard but a larger 10.5-inch display is also available, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and optional WiFi.

Japanese pricing for the Corolla hatchback varies between 1,990,000 yen ($13,740) and 2,998,000 yen ($20,701), the Corolla Touring is available from 2,070,000 yen ($14,293) to 3,048,000 yen ($21,046), and the Corolla Sport can be purchased for between 2,200,000 yen ($15,190) and 2,890,000 yen ($19,955).