It’s no secret that UMW Toyota Motor is working on locally-assembled (CKD) hybrid models here in Malaysia, having recently announced a RM270 million investment into upgrading its assembly lines. However, it seems like the company is finally ready to show off the fruits of their labour, according to a cryptic invitation released today.
The news release for the invitation is filled with the usual marketing buzzwords, including “life-changing” and “experience tomorrow, today”. There were no mention of “electrification” or “hybrid” anywhere in the copy, but the highlight on “silence”, “energy”, and “power” certainly points towards that direction.
“At the risk of not revealing too much, let me just say we will be making a detailed announcement about this very soon, and it will have a big impact on not only the brand but the industry as a whole, and the lifestyle as well as choices that we have become so accustomed to,” said UMW Toyota Motor Deputy Chairman, Akio Takeyama.
He further reaffirmed Toyota’s global commitment to achieve its goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050. Along with the text “zero fuel consumption and carbon emissions” on the accompanying images, it’s pretty much a given that whatever they’re about to announce will be related to electrification.
Toyota has sold over 15 million hybrid vehicles globally. Learn more about it here.
UMW Toyota has not announced which of its models will be given the hybrid treatment here in Malaysia just yet, but if we had to make an educated guess, we’ll say that the Corolla Cross Hybrid will be one of the first electrified models here in Malaysia.
The Toyota Corolla Cross has already been confirmed for local assembly earlier this year, so adapting the assembly line for a new powertrain option seems logical.
Check out our quick driving review of the non-hybrid Toyota Corolla Cross here!
Other possibilities include the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which has already been spotted undergoing testing here in Malaysia as far back as 2019.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid (in its previous generation) was also previously available as a CKD model here in Malaysia, so we won’t be surprised to see it being introduced here as part of the facelift line-up.
“The availability of tomorrow’s possibilities today will quickly transform Malaysia’s economic and social landscape. The way forward is to commit and push ahead, even if it means breaking boundaries and challenging conventional ways,” added UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K.
Whatever it is, be sure to keep an eye out on the 27th of September, as it’ll likely change the Toyota brand here in Malaysia moving forward.
