Toyota Corolla-based ute on the cards – report
Not content with the HiLux dominating Australia’s new-car sales charts, Toyota is reportedly considering building a smaller ute based on the Corolla – though it might not come Down Under.
The popular Toyota Corolla hatchback could lend its proven underpinnings to a smaller sibling of the best-selling HiLux ute, according to overseas reports.
An unsubstantiated report by US publication Automotive News claims Toyota wants to take on the Ford Escape-based Maverick and the Hyundai Tucson-based Santa Cruz pick-ups in North America, doing so with a ute which could use the Corolla’s platform.
The publication claims the as-yet unnamed ute would likely be built alongside the North American-market Corolla at Toyota’s factory in Mississippi, though a US showroom arrival isn’t expected until 2027 – if it happens at all.
It's unclear whether the Corolla-based pick-up is related to another smaller ute currently being developed, as confirmed by an executive from Toyota South Africa in May 2023.
In most markets the Toyota Corolla is powered by a choice of 1.8-litre or 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines. Only the 1.8-litre engine is available with hybrid assistance (and a 103kW output) in the US; a hybrid version of the 2.0-litre mill is offered in Europe.
If the engines on offer in the North American Corolla were used in the rumoured Toyota ute, it would be less powerful than the aforementioned Ford Maverick – which is powered by a 186kW turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder or 142kW 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid petrol engine.
Similarly, the Hyundai Santa Cruz’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine produces 142kW in non-turbocharged guise and up to 210kW with a turbo, which is almost 90kW more than the most powerful non-GR Corolla on sale in the US.
It’s not yet clear whether Toyota would export the Corolla-based ute to Australia, as locally delivered examples of the hatchback and sedan are sourced from Japan.
However, Toyota’s US division produces the Kluger – badged as the Highlander overseas – for Australia, while the Down Under division is also currently evaluating the full-size Tundra pick-up for local showrooms to take on the Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and upcoming Ford F-150.
Unfortunately, despite the boom of ute sales in Australia, neither the Ford Maverick or Hyundai Santa Cruz are sold locally as they are only produced for left-hand-drive markets and a right-hand-drive program has been deemed to be not financially viable.
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