2022 Toyota Corolla Cross detailed: 'C-HR will not be dropped' as brand set to add eighth SUV to range

C-HR will live on despite Corolla Cross arrival, but sorry, there's no GR Yaris Cross on the cards.

Toyota’s marketing and sales chief, Sean Hanley, has declared the going-on four-year-old C-HR will survive in Australia despite the impending arrival of the Corolla Cross in the same small-SUV segment.

“I don’t believe there will be cannibalised sales,” he said of the C-HR, Yaris Cross, and Corolla Cross trio, “these are different customers; the Yaris Cross we’re looking at those 20s to mid-30s, C-HR customers are looking for something more.”

"Corolla Cross will be brought to the market at the right time – active lifestyles are changing; it’s the right time to bring in an expanded SUV range – and I’ll get ahead of it here, C-HR will not be dropped!” he continued. "We expect to see incremental volume [in the SUV space]."

The brand also confirmed to press during the launch of the Yaris Cross that the Corolla Cross will be sourced from Japan – not Thailand as previously reported, despite the new SUV being built there alongside the HiLux.

oyota Corolla Cross detailed!

The Corolla Cross is scheduled to launch in Australia as far out as late 2022 despite already being on sale in Thailand, and it will be the eighth SUV in the Toyota's local line-up. The brand’s representatives also suggested it would suit a customer searching for more practicality over the design focus of the C-HR, which will be close on size and ride on the same TNGA-C platform.

Toyota says its three small SUVs will be able to live in harmony with

The Corolla Cross will mechanically share much of its underpinnings with the existing Corolla hatch, according to data out of Thailand, where it is powered by either a 103kW/177Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine engine, or as a hybrid with a combined power output of 90kW. It also promises a huge boot area for the class of up to 487 litres.

It is also expected to share its electric all-wheel-drive system (whereby the rear axle is driven by an electric motor only) with the Yaris Cross and RAV4, but this is yet to be confirmed. It is also yet to be confirmed if Australian examples will receive a newer lithium-ion battery setup as seen in the Yaris Cross, or if it will continue to use a nickel hydride set-up, as is the case in the current Corolla Hybrid. Cars for the Thai market use a nickel hydride battery.

ould the Corolla Cross change the way Australians buy small cars?

Toyota is in the process of expanding on its brand families worldwide, with Yaris Cross chief engineer, Yasunori Suezawa, telling media the choice to roll with the Yaris name internationally made sense as the namesake hatch, hot hatch (GR Yaris) and SUV share the same underpinnings and equipment. This is despite the Yaris having worn the Vitz nameplate in its home market of Japan for the last 20 years.

The Corolla family is set to expand to two, but will we see a third hot-hatch shaped entrant as we have with the Yaris?

The brand was tight-lipped on whether the Corolla’s family expansion will soon see official confirmation of the GR Corolla, despite the rumour mill for a Corolla-based hot hatch being in overdrive for the last year.

In February, the GR Yaris' chief engineer told CarsGuide it would be “wasting time” for the hot hatch's 1.6-litre turbo three-cylinder (200kW/370Nm) to be developed for only one car.

One thing that was ruled out to media (at least for the time being) was the possibility for a hot GR Yaris Cross light SUV.

aris Cross pricing and specs confirmed

Stay tuned as we learn more about the Corolla Cross closer to its 2022 launch.