Toyota in Europe has announced that the new Auris is set to drop its name in favour of the Corolla badge “globally”, suggesting that the latest version of the Japanese automaker’s hatchback will revert to the Corolla badge when it arrives in South Africa.
In a press release, Toyota Motor Europe said that its “new generation of C-segment hatchbacks, saloons and wagons will bear the Corolla name worldwide, building on the model’s credentials as the best-selling car nameplate in automotive history”.
The media material added that the “Auris nameplate will be discontinued with the introduction of the new-generation Corolla in early 2019”, despite the fact that the third-generation model unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2018 wore the Auris badge.
The Auris nameplate has been around since 2006, with the second-generation model released in 2012.
“The TNGA [Toyota New Global Architecture] engineering and design philosophy brings a whole new dimension to our next generation C-segment models,” said Dr Johan van Zyl, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, and chairman of Toyota South Africa Motors.
“Adding to Corolla’s renowned quality, desirability and reliability, it delivers the more emotional values that our customers aspire to, such as a distinctive design, interior refinement, rewarding driving dynamics and powerful yet efficient hybrid electric powertrains,” the Springs-born 60-year-old said.
“There is no better moment than the launch of the upcoming new generation model to reintroduce the Corolla name to our C-segment hatchback and wagon.”
Toyota also announced that its new Corolla Touring Sports wagon would make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October.
