Toyota Corolla Cross to be built in SA

Toyota South Africa has announced that it will be manufacturing and selling the brand-new Corolla Cross in South Africa from the fourth quarter of 2021. This follows the company’s announcement that they will be investing R2.43 billion in the production of a new passenger vehicle in South Africa.

The local production of the Corolla Cross brings with it a number of firsts for the Prospecton Plant, outside Durban. It is not often that the plant gets to produce a new body shape plus it is the first time that the plant will be manufacturing a Hybrid model, it is also the first car to be built using the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), which will allow the plant to keep up with global technology and trends.

The Corolla Cross aims to build on the legacy of Hilux toughness and will be exported to 43 countries in Africa. The new model is also expected to push export volumes to about 15-20%. Toyota is projecting growth of 7% per annum in the SUV market in Africa, offering significant growth opportunities to expand production of this new model.

While the Corolla Cross shares the same TNGA C platform with its namesake Corolla, it boasts a higher ground clearance and other attributes normally associated with an SUV. While exact details are still to be revealed it is expected to provide and exceptional balance between drivability, roominess, comfort and high-tech features. The Corolla Cross will combine everything drivers love about the Corolla with the utilitarian and rugged aesthetics of a segment-leading SUV and will slot into the Toyota range between the C-HR and the RAV4.