Toyota Corolla Altis India launch on Sep 5 2008
The reaaallyy long-in-the-tooth Toyota Corolla in India is finally getting a new version - the Toyota Corolla Altis.
The Corolla Altis is now launched! Click here for pics and specs
Corolla Altis photo
Teaser ads for the Corolla Altis have already started appearing in major national newspapers in India. I wonder why - considering that everyone knows the name of the new Corolla now, and a quick search on the Net can lead you to thousands of pictures of the Corolla Altis.
People who can afford a Corolla Altis also, I guess, know how to surf the Net and find out more. Teaser ads - really, for a car that has been available abroad for more than a year!
Anyway, the Altis should help Toyota’s Corolla sales in India recover and probably beat the Honda Civic, which beat the Corolla comprehensively after its launch.
The Toyota Corolla Altis is no Honda Civic - but is definitely a step up, and if you are already considering a Corolla, you are going to love the Altis for sure.
The standard Corolla attributes which made it the best-selling car in the world remain unchanged. On top of that, you now get much better looks, probably better driveability, and more features. Plus a bit more power. We are not sure if it is 137 or 140 bhp - we have seen reports indicating both figures.
There are rumors that the new Corolla Altis in India would have Xenon headlamps, and headlight washers. No confirmation on them, you will just have to wait.
The ECU and fuel injection has been tweaked for better fuel efficiency and better emissions. Suspension will also be new - the Corolla Altis has L-arm McPherson strut setup at the front, and torsion beam type rear suspension which might mean a bit more boot space. Not that the current Toyota Corolla had a shortage of boot space, but still.
Safety is as good as it can get in the Corolla Altis, with 5-star Euro NCAP rating and has all the goodies such as EBD, ABS, traction control (really? Can anyone confirm that?) and airbags.
The Toyota Corolla Altis will keep the current version’s 1.8 liter VVT-i engine. 137 bhp would be the power output.
Will there be a paddle-shift for the Altis like in the Civic? It is a gimmick, mostly, but a gimmick that is very temping for many. There is a possibility that the paddle-shift will be available in the top-end Corolla Altis in India.
The wheelbase of the Toyota Corolla Altis is unchanged at 2600 mm, but center of gravity has been lowered, and the track is wider. Actual length of the Altis is 10mm more than the Corolla, width has gone up by 60mm, and height has been lowered by 2 cm, to give it a sleeker look. It is still not as low as the Civic - but a potential Corolla Altis customer would not care much about that.
Price? We have heard estimated ex-showroom prices of Rs 13-14 lakh. That IS higher than the Honda Civic’s ex-showroom price in India. However, that could just be misleading information from Toyota. On the other hand, would the new Corolla Altis with its new features, better looks and goodies be able to justify a minor margin over the Honda Civic? Guess we will know soon.
Toyota's new Corolla launch in India and Fortuner SUV in 2008 | DWS Auto India said on Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 12:15
[...] We have seen two new versions of the Corolla - the Altis and the Axio. Update: Now we know that the new Corolla will be called Toyota Altis in India [...]
Vic said on Thursday, August 14, 2008, 8:18
The new corolla, looks wise, is still behind the civic. If the price is higher, there would only be a short term boost to the sales, and then civic will pick up again, as they are also due for the mid-model facelift.
Spy pics are already doing the rounds on the net.
Ideal strategy would be have the launch price be lower than the civic for every category and then 1-3 months later increase it.
Rajiv Ranjan Sinha said on Monday, August 25, 2008, 2:55
Hi,
Indeed Altis is not a secret anymore. The dealers have already been calling for bookings. I also heard that Honda is coming up with its new version of City.
Thanks & Regards,
Rajiv.
mahishasuramardhini said on Monday, August 25, 2008, 10:18
hi corolla comming hayyada hayya huya hayyoo entammo aiyyo `entammo
Sid said on Thursday, August 28, 2008, 12:59
I’ve seen the new corolla altis on a preview launch at hyderabad. it’s just stunning … to say the least.
With regards to the price, the dealer told me that the highest version of manual transmission might be around 13.5 to 14 lakhs and the automatic might be around 14.3 to 15 lakhs. That sounded fine to me …
Also, the ” …There are rumors that the new Corolla Altis in India would have Xenon headlamps, and headlight washers…”
I’m not sure about the Xenon headlamps, but yes headlight washers were surely there. the dealer gave me a demo of that too, it was sweet
Sid.
Toyota Killer said on Thursday, September 4, 2008, 5:09
This is just ridiculous. A sub standard car, which is way below Civic in pretty much every technical aspect, is priced significantly higher! At 13/14 lakhs, this is a rip-off. Somebody call Toyota and tell them that not all Indians are idiots!
Well, then there are always some, and they will line up to buy this piece of crap Corolla. The only value for money product in India from Toyota is Innova, and that shows in sales. Enough said.
Honda rules, they keep their strategy simple, same cars worldwide for a decent price. No tricky naming, no gimmick ads, no bullshit. Skoda, Hyundai, Toyota should learn from Honda instead of naming their old cars and selling for a premium.
Honda Hater said on Sunday, September 21, 2008, 8:22
what the HELL with the HONDA and CIVIC,as the civic shapes are better than its old models, it looks ugly and bulky in the international markets but the COROLLA ALTIS is very cute and it still holds the rank”top selling car in the world” all times miles and miles over than the BLUDDY CIVIC.the hell civic only contains a body and four wheels nothing more…!!!. as per the results from markets HONDA and CIVIC are nothing infront of TOYOTA and COROLLA. selling ratio of civic is less than the half of new COROLLA ALTIS that results shows what is COROLLA and what is civic .to all honda blind fans you and your worthless,senseless words are nothing to TOYOTA and its PRESTIGE car COROLLA.
Ashwani said on Saturday, September 27, 2008, 9:36
We have seen new versions of the Corolla- Altis at and this car is available on this website for cheap price with fianance.
Toyota Corolla Altis sales in India | DWS Auto India said on Friday, October 17, 2008, 18:31
[...] Toyota Corolla Altis, which debuted in India in three models, has during the first month of launch managed to lure [...]