The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid has been heavily rumoured to be introduced here in Malaysia, ever since UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) announced their intentions to locally assemble hybrid vehicles. However, it was never officially confirmed by the company, well, at least until now.
UMWT today published a new image on its website and social media channels, showing off the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s headlights alongside the caption “it’s coming soon”, essentially confirming the model for launch in Malaysia.
Teaser by UMW Toyota… vs. official images of the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s headlight (Thailand)
As usual, no technical specifications have been surfaced yet, but we expect our Malaysian model to mirror the Toyota Corolla Cross in Thailand.
That means a 1.8 litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol engine (98 hp and 142 Nm) underneath the bonnet, paired to an electric motor (72 hp and 163 Nm) for a total system output of 122 hp. Power is sent to the front wheels via an electronic CVT gearbox, while the electric motor sips power from a 6.5-Ah nickel-metal hydride battery.
We also expect the hybrid model here to be placed near the top of the model trim line-up (similar to what Toyota Thailand does with its hybrid models), which means it should also receive all the goodies that we currently have on the range-topping 1.8V variant including the full Toyota Safety Sense ADAS suite, and perhaps even a few more additions such as a digital instrument cluster.
No launch date has been provided just yet, however it shouldn’t be too long from now. A registration of interest page is now up on UMW Toyota’s website, which you can find here.
Just as a refresher, the Toyota Corolla Cross was launched in Malaysia back in March this year. Two variants are on offer, both powered by the same 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine with 139 hp and 172 Nm of torque, with drive sent to the front wheels via a CVT gearbox.
Pricing for the Toyota Corolla Cross currently in Malaysia starts at RM124,000 for the 1.8G variant, moving up to RM129,266 for the range-topping 1.8V variant – we’ll have to wait until the official launch to know the price for the hybrid variant, but local assembly should help bring the pricing down a touch!
Find out more about the Toyota Corolla Cross in Malaysia here.
