Toyota
Levin
The
Levin is one of the two Chinese versions of the 11th-generation Toyota Corolla.
It is built by GAC-Toyota in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, while the other
version (called “Corolla”) is manufactured by FAW-Toyota in Tianjin (FAW-Toyota
also produces the ninth-gen Corolla, marketed as “Corolla EX”). Both the Levin
and “Corolla” were designed by Shinichi Yasui (the Levin is derived from the US
version of the 11th-gen Toyota, while the FAW-Toyota “Corolla” comes from the
European version). The Toyota Levin was powered by two four-cylinder petrol
engines: a 1.6 litre with 120 hp or a 1.8 litre with 138 hp, both mated to a
5-speed manual or a CVT. The 8-speed S-CVT found on the Levin is made at
Toyota’s factory in Changshu, Jiangsu.
The
Levin was launched in April 2014 and released in July the same year. To promote
it, GAC-Toyota produced a short video featuring Hugh Jackman and Hsu Chi (Shu
Qi) and directed by Olivier Megaton.
At
the 2015 Shanghai motor show, a hybrid variant of the Levin was revealed, which
employs a 1.5L Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine paired to the THS II
hybrid-electric system. The hybrid Levin will hit showrooms before the end of
2015.
Price
will start at 107.800 yuan and end at 159.800 yuan.
