Toyota will soon refresh its entire lineup of
Corolla models, following the debut of the Toyota Auris last month. Japanese magazine Best Car has uncovered
preliminary details of the Japan-only Corolla Axio sedan, as scoured by
Australian website CarAdvice.
In case you aren’t aware, the Axio is shorter and
narrower than to the standard Corolla sedan in order to comply with Japanese
vehicle size regulations, giving buyers cheaper road tax. While the outgoing
Axio and other Corolla models ride on different platforms, the new one should
migrate to the modular Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) shared with the
new Auris.
Best Car reports that the new model will be slightly
larger than before, measuring 4,500 mm long, 1,695 mm wide and 1,455 mm.
Compared to the Auris, the Axio will apparently be 130 mm longer, 95 mm wider
and 20 mm taller, although it will retain the hatch’s 2,640 mm wheelbase. As
before, a wagon will be offered alongside it, called the Fielder – and it will
be 15 mm taller than the four-door.
The current engine lineup is expected to be carried
over, albeit improved – starting with a Hybrid variant with a 1.5 litre
Atkinson-cycle engine and an electric motor pushing out 75 PS and 121 Nm of
torque. There will also be a 115 PS/142 Nm 1.5 litre petrol mill mated to a
CVT.
If the renderings provided by Best Car are any
indication, the Axio will wear a similarly bold design as the new Auris, with a
slim upper grille flowing into L-shaped headlights that frame a massive lower
grille. Along the side, the upswept character line wraps around the window
line, while the rear features slit-like tail lights that should give the new
Axio a more lasting impression than its milquetoast predecessor.
