Toyota Corolla Cross made its world debut on the 9th of July in Thailand last year and has just completed 1 year of its life with a staggering sales performance. Built on the TNGA-C platform, same as the 12th gen Corolla, the Corolla Cross was launched as a larger & more practical alternative to C-HR and was positioned between C-HR and Rav4 in Toyota’s crossover SUV lineup.
Right from the beginning, the Corolla Cross saw handsome sales and achieved a phenomenal feat of scoring a hat-trick in being the bestselling car in its class in Thailand for 3 consecutive months. Not just this, the Corolla Cross emerged as the best-selling vehicle of calendar year 2020 in Thai market with 12,945 units sold compared to 11,780 units of the runner up MG ZS. More interestingly the Toyota Corolla Cross achieved this number in just 6 months of sales in 2020 (July-December) compared to the 12-months sales of the rest of the lot.
Even in the first quarter of this calendar year, the Corolla Cross once again stood on top of the charts with 4,903 units averaging 1,634 units a month leaving behind the MG ZS which sold 3,368 units between January and March 2021 in Thai market.
After making its debut in Thailand, the Corolla Cross went on sale in Vietnam on 5th August 2020, then in Indonesia on 6th August 2020, in Philippines on 20th August 2020 and in Brunei on 21st August 2020. Then on 4th September 2020 the Corolla Cross was launched in Myanmar, on 12 October 2020 in Taiwan followed by its Latin American debut on 12th March 2021 in Brazil.
On 25th March 2021 the Corolla Cross was launched in Malaysia then on the 10th of April 2021 in Pakistan followed by its debut in USA on the 2nd of June 2021. In Pakistan the Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid comes as CBU import with 1.8L 2ZR-FXE engine under its hood that punches out 98 hp of power and 142 Nm of torque. There is a 600-volt electric motor supplementing the setup with additional 72 hp and 163 Nm. Power is sent to front wheels via e-CVT transmission. It is priced as PKR 76.89 lac for the base variant, PKR 81.99 lac for the mid-spec version and PKR 83.99 lac for the top-spec variant.
Toyota Corolla Cross in Pakistan
In terms of equipment the mid and top-spec variant of Corolla Cross in Pakistan get an 8-inch touchscreen, ambient lighting, leather seats, dual-zone climate control, and rear AC vents. All the variants have ABS, hill-start assist, rear parking sensors, shark fin antenna, back wiper, push button engine start/ stop, smart entry, and multiple drive modes as standard. The mid & top-spec variants get 7 airbags while the base variant have only 2. The mid and top-spec variants benefit from cruise control and rain-sensing wipers, while only the flagship variant is fitted with sunroof.
Although being a completely different vehicle, the Corolla Cross falls in the league of Kia Sorento as far as the prices are concerned. But the latter is a locally assembled mid-sized 7-seat crossover SUV with 2.4L and 3.6L engine options. The Corolla Cross being a 5-seat hybrid crossover, might have an edge when it comes to fuel consumption but at the end of the day, whether it’s going to attract buyers in numbers just like it did in Thailand & other markets, only time will tell.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
