2023 Toyota Corolla Cross offered with a hybrid for now, but EV version could come later

Toyota's just-launched Corolla Cross SUV is available with a hybrid powertrain for now, but the Japanese brand has not ruled out a full-electric version down the line to take on EV variants of the Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro and MG ZS.

Speaking to CarsGuide, Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley said a battery-electric Corolla Cross could surface to round out the petrol- and hybrid-powered SUVs.

“You can’t rule out the opportunity for Corolla to convert [to electric],” he said. “For us [at the moment] it’s about meeting customer demand, so therefore we brought out a hybrid variant for practical reasons. 

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“The reason we do that is because it has a great take-up rate. It is engaging customers but of course it’s just one form of electrification. There’s not a particular reason that it’s not a BEV other than we have a bZ coming out.”

The bZ or Beyond Zero is Toyota’s exclusively electric vehicle sub-brand much like Hyundai’s Ioniq line-up, with the first model for Australia to be the bZ4X SUV set to launch next year.

The model was developed in conjunction with Subaru which produced the Solterra (also launching in 2023), and will rival the sell-out Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y as an all-electric mid-size family SUV.

But as to why the fresh Corolla Cross is not offered with an EV option, Mr Hanley said it was simply down to the model segmentation.

“It’s just product development. Our product plan at the moment is to launch the first BEV in the second half of next year - the bZ,” he said.

Also keep in mind that the Corolla Cross was first revealed two years ago for international markets, meaning development for the model was started well before the current boom in electric car popularity.

The bZ4X is set to launch next year.

Mr Hanley pointed out, however, that a hybrid variant was on offer in the Corolla Cross range, which could prove just as popular as the electrically assisted versions of the Corolla hatch/sedan, Camry, RAV4 and Kluger that easily outsell their petrol-only siblings.

Toyota has been accused of dragging its feet in the race to bring an electric vehicle not just to Australia but to the world, while other many car makers such as Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have released their own models. 

The arrival of Chinese brands such as BYD with its Atto3 and MG and its ZS EV have also lowered the price point into the market even further.

However, a recent report suggests that Toyota will lean more heavily into EVs going forward, ditching its current rollout plan in favour of bringing more electric models to market, faster.