Last year, Toyota Indus Motor Company (IMC) announced that it wouldintroduce the Corolla Cross Hybrid crossover SUV in Pakistan soon. Variousreports, at that time, stated that the vehicle shall make its officialdebut in Pakistan by the end of December 2020.
However, due to some reason, the launch never came to pass, and as per thelatest update shared by the Chief Editor of Monthly Automark Magazinelink Hanif Memon on his social media, IMC now hasplans to launch the new Corolla Cross in Pakistan next month.
For the uninitiated, Toyota Corolla Cross is a subcompact crossover SUVthat made its global debut in July 2020. The vehicle goes head-to-head withother compact crossover SUVs, such as the Honda Vezel/BR-V, Nissan Juke,and Toyota C-HR, with which it shares most of its underpinnings.——————————
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Reports suggest that the Corolla Cross shall be sold n Pakistan as aComplete Builtup Unit (CBU) import from Thailand. The vehicle has a1.8-liter 4-cylinder hybrid petrol engine that combined with the electricmotor generates 168 horsepower at 3600 RPM and 305 newton-meters of torqueat 3600 RPM. All of this power is sent to the front wheels only via ane-CVT automatic transmission.
The vehicle shall reportedly be offered in Pakistan in two variants. Bothvariants will come with a panoramic sunroof, a shark fin antenna, a rearwiper with auto sensors, push start, smart entry, multiple drive modes,ABS, Hill Start Assist, parking sensors, passenger seat sensors, and driverand passenger airbags.
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The top-of-the-line variant shall feature seven airbags instead of justtwo, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment, leather seats, Dual-Zone ClimateControl, rear AC vents, and power + kick sensor trunk door.
It bears mentioning that the Corolla Cross is set to be a pricey package,as the reports say that the vehicle – being a hybrid CBU crossover SUV –shall come with a starting price of a whopping Rs. 8.5 million.——————————
The price tag makes the vehicle more expensive than all the new SUVs in themarket, such as KIA Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, DFSK Glory 580, Proton X70,and the MG HS, all of which are arguably better overall value compared tothe Corolla Cross. It is also a lot more expensive than its own biggersibling, i.e., the base trim Toyota Fortuner, which is more practical, hasseven seats, and costs Rs. 7.7 million.
Given the aforementioned factors, the odds seem to be stacked against theCorolla Cross.
