Is the Toyota Corolla hatch going to be axed?

In a world that’s SUV-obsessed, hatchbacks and sedans seem to be living on borrowed time with more of them getting the axe, so where does this leave the Toyota Corolla now that the SUV version of this iconic car has arrived?

A Toyota Australia senior executive revealed what the Corolla’s future may look like.   

Speaking at the launch of the new Corolla Cross, Toyota Australia's vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley said the Corolla sedan and hatchback would live on beside the SUV ... for now.

“Corolla hatch, Corolla sedan and Corolla Cross will co-exist for some time,” he said. “Of course, in the evolution of any product over the journey it will change.  There are no plans to drop the hatch or sedan.

“There are life cycles, but I can assure you the Corolla nameplate is staying - it’s going nowhere.”  

The Corolla has been part of the Australian car landscape since the very first one went on sale here in 1967. Since then, it has continually been a bestseller not just in this county but around the world.

With total sales of the Corolla passing the 50-million mark last year the model is the world’s most popular car, but despite annual global sales of over a million cars the annual number of Corollas sold started to slip in 2015 with RAV4 and other SUV models stealing buyers away.

In Australia, the Corolla has been the most popular passenger car for the past nine years, although it was beaten to the outright number one spot last year by the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Toyota RAV4.

“When you talk about Toyota in Australia, there are three cars people gravitate to,” Mr Hanley said. “On the commercial side there’s the LandCruiser or the HiLux, but when it's passenger cars it’s the Corolla - such is the brand strength.

“The Corolla Cross makes good sense - it’s not a plan to eventually eliminate the Corolla name. All it’s doing is taking the Corolla to another area where it has demand - the SUV area.”

The semi-conductor shortage and surge in interest for hybrid models has limited sales of the Corolla this year with 18,805 to the end of September compared to 23,404 for the same time in 2021. 

Now with the Corolla Cross here, you can expect sales of the hatch and sedan will fall further.