UNDOUBTEDLY, the presence of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has always been dominant in the local motoring industry. For years, the auto giant has been sweeping away not just global awards and unit volume sales in the country, but customers’ hearts, as well.
With the launch of the refreshed Toyota Corolla Altis recently at the Wolfgang Steakhouse in Resorts World Manila in Pasay City, TMP officially bade good-bye to 2016 by not just taking home the front-running spot in local automotive sales anew, but also a newly hailed overall champion at the recently staged Vios Cup Season 3.
An upgraded Altis
The Toyota Corolla has gone a long way. Introduced in 1966, it made headlines by 1974 as the best-selling car worldwide, and has been at that pedestal since then. In fact, it already reached the milestone of 40 million Corollas sold over 11 generations in July 2013.
Marking its 50th year is the 2017 Toyota Corolla Altis that prides itself with sportiness appeal and top-notch safety qualities.
Enhancing Toyota’s trademark “Keen Look” and “Under Prority” design, its new face is not just visually bolder, but stronger while, at the same time, exuding a wider squat stance.
Care of its Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) bumper and nose grille, this new stunner all the more refines its looks.
Inside, a fresh appearance of the head unit defines the cabin.
A new soft-touch leather is stitched across the entire length of the dashboard capped off at each end with rounded air-conditioning vents. While the center console has been retooled for a new infotainment system and climate control.
Pulling the reins of its drivetrain is a range-topping 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve engine with a variable length intake system (Acoustic Control Induction System, or ACIS), while the 1.6V, 1.6G and 1.6E use a 1.6-liter DOHC 16-valve engine. The top variant produces 145 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 187 N-m of torque at 3,600 rpm, while the smaller one does 122 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 154 N-m of torque at 5,200 rpm.
Safety-wise, the 2017 Corolla Altis is bound to be the safest car in its class. Awarded at the Asean NCAP Grand Prix 2016 as a “Rising Star” for safety, the new Corolla Altis boasts of seven airbags (driver, passenger, side, curtain and driver’s knee), antilock brakes (ABS) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) as standard equipment.
It is available in seven colors: Super White (1.6G and 1.6E only), Silver Metallic, Gray Metallic, Attitude Black, Red Mica Metallic and, its newest shade, Phantom Brown Metallic. A White Pearl color is also available for an additional P15,000 on the 1.6V and 2.0V. The Altis 1.6E M/T is priced at P894,000; 1.6G M/T for P934,000; 1.6G A/T for P990,000; 1.6V A/T for P1.074 million; and 2.0V A/T for P1.318 million.
“With its more sporty design, I hope customers will be more satisfied with it,” TMP President Satoru Suzuki said.
A new ‘Waku Doki’ champion
During the Altis launch, Suzuki also expressed adulation to the winners of the Vios Cup Season 3. At the racing series, Toyota Quezon Avenue’s seasoned driver Allan Uy was recently crowned Vios Cup Season 3 overall champion.
Uy displayed a lot of heart and determination as he staged a big comeback at the season finale, which was held at the Clark International Speedway. According to Uy, it has been a rough and fruitful journey to the crown ever since he joined the Vios Cup when it started back in 2014.
“A lot of younger drivers have been improving their times year after year, so I’m really grateful I’ve been able to surpass them, despite a really tough competition,” he said.
Meanwhile, Estefano Rivera of Toyota Alabang emerged the overall first runner-up with 103 points, while Basti Escalante of the Obengers saw his best season so far, as he bagged the second runner-up title with 90 points.
New target sales
With the way things are going for TMP, it has again notched up a new sales target for the year.
“After a remarkable year, we’re now raising the target to 158,000 unit sales,” Suzuki stated. “We’re confident that we’ll be able to reach it by the end of this year.”
The TMP head honcho was elated by their performance and the wide acceptance of its Innova, Fortuner and Hilux models, which were all newly introduced this year. “Our best-selling models are the Vios and Fortuner, which are neck and neck in terms of growth rates. But we only started sales of the new Fortuner model in April. In terms of total year volume, we expect to have higher sales for Vios,” said Suzuki.
Tougher 2017
However when asked about the plans for 2017, “With a lot of changes in the local government rules and new US president, peso depreciation and tax increase, we see a tougher challenge next year,” Suzuki said.
Image credits: Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes