At the 2018 Los
Angeles Auto Show, Toyota unveiled the Corolla Hybrid Sedan. The electrified
compact saloon uses the same powertrain as the Prius that consists of a
1.8-liter inline-four and two electric motors.
The
2020 Corolla Hybrid Sedan is front-wheel drive. However, the facelifted version
of the Prius that was also unveiled at the L.A. show is offered with an
all-wheel drive system, too.
Now, since both
cars are underpinned by the TNGA architecture, technically the Japanese
automaker could take the entire powertrain assembly from the AWD Prius and fit
it in the Corolla. But are they actually interested in such a model? According
to AutoGuide, who sat down with the brand’s North America General Manager, Jack
Hollis, in Los Angeles, the answer is ‘yes’.
A potential Corolla
AWD-e is thus in the cards, although it has to make sense from a financial
standpoint as well. If enough customers ask for one, then the car firm will
likely put it into production. And it seems that it is quite possible to
introduce the hybrid AWD system into the Corolla, as the model’s chief
engineer, Yoshiki Konishi, confirmed.
