Toyota Auris - radical redesigned of Corolla hatch uncovered

Early in May MMN has covered the story of the next generation Toyota Corolla going radical, which is according to the Car and Driver Brazil. However, when the new Corolla Axio came out in mid-May, it was as radical as sardine can, so what's the earlier piece of news all about? Well, it could be this, the Auris. In Europe, Toyota has dropped the legendary Corolla nomenclature from the Auris, but some market still called it as Corolla Auris. Still based on the Corolla chassis, Auris comes only in hatchback form.

As can be seen above, Toyota has really sharpened the frond end of the Auris model. The slit-like headlight and grille is akin to the domestic Toyota Wish. The emblem is fitted to a stubby centre section, which hold the chromed grille bar that even joint the headlight internal graphic. Fog lamp housing is as per what we have seen on Prius/Aqua and new Camry, so is the lower grille treatment. The side profile is conventional, which just solitary sill line adorning the lower belt line. Glass house kick up at the C-pillar, nice and resembling the old legend Caldina in GT4 guise.

It is the rear end that is really prominent. The intricately styled rear lights protrude out from the body surfacing, lending it an aggressive outlook. The effect of distributed mass is also evident from the massaged-look tail gate garnish and punctuated bumper section housing the rear reflector.

In Europe, the car will be powered by 1.3L and 1.6L gasoline from the current car, but with an added environmentally-friendly device to boost economy. The diesel however will benefit from BMW technology for 1.6L and 2.0L.JDM Auris will be powered by 1.5L and 1.8L engine, mirroring those on the recently launch Corolla Axio.

In the European market, Toyota Auris will compete against the Honda Civic Euro,Ford Focus and VW Golf. They are typically made up a huge chunk of a family car sold over there. It is quite amusing when this kind of little car can be described as family car. Maybe their family is small, maybe they don't travel across the country or maybe their wife don't pack up the whole wardrobe for balik kampung trip. But when I learnt that these small cars can accommodate up to 480L of boot volume, I now understand why. Pity we don't have them here.

There's a bit more photos from leaked Japanese brochure. It gives the outlook of the non-hybrid model which is slightly different from the Hybrid. But changes are minimal, limited only to bumper and grille trimmings. Photos after the jump.

Second version of Toyota Corolla leaked - the Auris

First it was the Corolla Axio/Fielder duo, now the European version of the compact Toyota has been revealed, or more appropriately, leaked. From current generation onwards, Toyota has dropped the Corolla nameplate from its European mid-size hatchback, instead renamed it simply to Auris. Toyota Auris is also available in Japan since 2006 as a replacement for Corolla Runx. True to Toyota habit of re-skinning their car to create multiple version, Toyota Blade is the product of this philosophy. Larger externally, and featuring bigger 2.4L powertrain, it is the highest end among all the Corolla family traits.

The current Toyota Auris sits on the same platform as the Corolla Altis/Corolla Axio siblings. The wheelbase measured an identical 2,600mm, while overall length is shorter due to hatchback body style. It measures 4,245mm in length, against the 4.5m of the sedan version. Width and height are 1,760mm and 1,515mm respectively.

For the new generation Toyota Auris, Toyota has lengthened the car to 4,270mm while the wheelbase has been retained. While width also retained at 1,760mm, the overall height has been reduced to 1,460mm. The new Auris also bears a lot styling cues from the current crops of Toyota cars. The slim headlight and radiator grille opening is a reminiscent of the current Toyota Wish, while the front bumper is heavily Aqua/Prius C look alike, more so the side profile. The rear end however has gone distinctive, unlike the weedy looking Aqua/Prius C. The hatch is truncated in almost vertical fashion, while the flashy tail lamps and tail gate garnish complete the attractive look.

The interior adopts the latest theme pioneered by the new Toyota Yaris and Toyota Aqua/Prius C. Sticking true to the current Auris interior concept, the whole cabin is entirely different from the more conservative Asian flavored Corolla sedan. However, the towering gear console like the current Auris has been relegated to history  as the new layout is more conventional with the seat-level floor console. Toyota claimed an improved accommodation due to the repositioning of seats and dashboard.

The car is due to be out to the Japanese market in July. The powertrain line-up mirrors those on the current car, namely comes in 1.5L and 1.8L. While both engine are paired to CVT, the sportier 1.8L will also be available with 6 speed manual. This higher displacement model also will be fitted with double wishbones rear suspension, instead of a torsion beam setup of the lower powered version. This fitments is consistent with the current Toyota Auris. Some more photos after the jump.