Toyota Corolla 2009 News

 Apart from European hot-hatches such as the Renault Cleo Sport and Peugeot 206 GTi seldom have we seen any manufactures brave enough to bring 3 door hatch variants into our market.  Sure you can get an entry level 3 door Yaris but what about a nice 3 door Corolla Sportivo, um… sorry they don’t come in 3 door in Australia.This pattern seems to have started in the late 80s with the introduction in droves of mass produced front wheel drive hatch backs.  Remember the Pulsar SSS?  Yep that came in 3 door hatch in Japan.  How about the Corolla GTi, or Mazda 323?  Yep 3 door again overseas.At one stage in the early 90s even the iconic Golf GTi was only available in 5 door in this country.  For years Australia has been denied many of the accessories and engine options that are prevalent in Europe, the US, and even the rest of Asia, but they are happy to throw in an extra 2 doors for nothing.  There are some companies that have bucked the trend like Honda, but even they gave in to with the “5 door hatch only” Civic model a few years back.  And now it looks like the Europeans have caught on to this trend.  We are missing out on the 2 door BMW 1 series hatch it seems…Though through the gloom comes the news that Australia will shortly see the new 2 door VW Polo.  A brief hint of fun in a sea of practicality it seams.I really can’t see any reason why the Australian market seems to be so against the 3 door hatch… especially when it comes to the performance market. 

Two years ago I walked more than 20 kilometres in two days to cover every single brand and car at the Frankfurt Motor Show, from the towering five-story Mercedes-Benz pavilion to the tiny space reserv

The former factory-backed Toyota rally ace believes he has found a new future as a car builder and exporter after a rush of interest from overseas crews at Australia's new leg of the World Rally Championship.Bates and co-driver Coral Taylor were an early retirement from the event with a punctured radiator after a 163km/h spin, but did enough to ignite a lot of interest in a car which is not seen in the world championship."There was an enormous amount of interest in the Corolla. It looks as if we might have already sold a car to New Caledonia," says Bates. "We've even had a lot of interest from Europe. We have one contact who would like to become our distributor."The Corolla is built to global Super 2000 regulations - which means a naturally-aspirated engine and all-wheel drive in a production body - and was entirely designed, manufactured, tested and certified by the Bates Motorsport team in Canberra. "It has taken us about four years to get where we are. The total cost of the project is a couple of million dollars," Bates says.It is the second scratch-built Corolla rally contender from the Bates stable, following a turbocharged, four-wheel drive car built to challenge the production class domination in Australia of the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evo.Bates-built cars won three championships, one for Bates and two for Simon Evans, but he now wants to springboard into the Asia-Pacific championship and perhaps even into the national title events in New Zealand and China. "We have homologation now in S2000 and we're looking to see what we can do with the cars," says Bates. "I'd like to take the Corolla into the Asia-Pacific championship and I'd like to see what Simon could do with one. We have the two cars we ran in Rally Australia and we've got a new car nearly finished back in Canberra."Bates was close to the front-runners of the World Production Car Championship in Rally Australia, despite a last-minute effort and adjusting to Pirelli tyres he had never used before. "I'm very proud. We were right up there with the leading production cars in the world," Bates says. "If we had a Simon Evans in one of the Corollas I'm sure he could have won PWRC and been well into the top 10 overall. He is fast and the Toyota is a competitive package."Ultimately, he was a non-finisher and faces an uncertain future as a driver, but is keen to push ahead with manufacturing and sales of the S2000 Corolla. "I was happy with what I did, but obviously disappointed to make a mistake and ultimately cause my non-finish. I'm happy with my speed stage times, as we scored one fastest PWRC time and most of the time we were in the top three. And I'm not getting any younger." 

The four-time national champion set the fastest time during a production-class shakedown ahead of Repco Rally Australia, which begins on the NSW north coast on Thursday night.Speeding along a dusty forest road south of Murwillimbah at up to 180km/h, Bates was quickly into stride with the Toyota Corolla his team designed and developed at their race base in Canberra to take to back-to-back Australian championships with Bates and Simon Evans as drivers.Bates clocked a time 1 minute 49.1 seconds in his Toyota Corolla, comfortably ahead of Norwegian driver Evyind Brynildsson in a Mitsubishi Lancer on 1:50.17, with Aussie youngster Eli Evans third on 1:50.8 in his Subaru Impreza. Japan's Toshi Arai, who leads the Subaru effort in the world championship, was also in the leading group with Australian co-driver Glenn MacNeal."That looks pretty promising. Testing doesn't mean a lot, and there are plenty of quick foreign guys who are still learning the Australian conditions, but it looks good," Bates said. "I'm very happy to have a few runs through the stage and to have the car running well. It felt very slippery at first but once I got more into the groove it seemed to be working well."Bates is one of two wildcard local entries, along with three-time Australian champion Cody Crocker. The Subaru star has graduated since to the Asia-Pacific championship and is just five points from claiming his fourth straight crown this season.Crocker clocked 1:51.5 over the test stage, according to unofficial times from the crews' co-drivers, but said there is more to come as he learns a car supplied by Tasmanian team boss Les Walkden in a late deal for Rally Australia."I've still got some things to do," Crocker said. "I'm just glad it's happening. It looked like we were going to miss out when our regular car from Indonesia didn't make it, but now we're here. How good is that?"Bates and Crocker are both hoping to upset the regulars of the world production car championship and believe they have speed, as well as local experience, in their favour. "I want to win Group N (production class). That has to be the target," Crocker said. "There are quite a few good foreign drivers so the pace will be incredibly quick. But no-one is fast on every stage so we'll aim to be quick and consistent." "I've got to beat Cody. If I can do that we should have a shot at the production class win," said Bates. "I also think it's fantastic to have Rally Australia back, and to have it on the east coast for the first time. It was a fantastic event in Perth, but the reality is that the east coast is where all the people live and this should give a huge boost to Australian rallying."REPCO RALLY AUSTRALIAProduction car testing (unofficial times) 1. Neal Bates, Toyota Corolla, 1:49.1 2. Evyind Brynildsson, Mitsubishi Lancer, 1:50.17 3. Eli Evans, Subaru Impreza, 1:50.8 4. Toshi Arai, Subaru Impreza, 1:51.3 5. Cody Crocker, Subaru Impreza, 1:51.5 

...as Australia returns to the series for the first time in more than five years this week.Mikko Hirvonen has a narrow points lead over five-time world champion Sebastian Loeb before Repco Rally Australia and knows he needs to win on the far north coast of NSW. There are only three events still to run in the 2009 world title and Hirvonen intends to exploit his advantage on unsealed surfaces, where he cut his teeth in rallying, to blunt Loeb's edge on the single bitumen event.But Hirvonen, in Sydney yesterday, said he is not feeling any extra pressure. "I don't feel any pressure. We have good rallies behind us. I am leading the championship," Hirvonen said. "Ok, it starts to be quite exciting now. I hope we can win, for sure. I'm really confident."Rally Australia will be a two-way tussle between Hirvonen and Loeb, as there are only two factory teams in this year's championship and the Finn's Ford team mate Jari-Matti Latvala and Loeb's Citroen sidekick Dani Sordo are both expected to run in supporting roles.But there will be plenty of other interest, as former Australian champions Neal Bates in a Toyota Corolla and Cody Crocker in a Subaru look to be the first local home. "This is the biggest event of the year, for sure. We're definitely looking to be the best of the Australians," Bates said yesterday. There is also the prospect of a different type of battle with anti- rally protesters - who failed last week with a Federal Court challenge to the event - planning to disrupt the rally, which is based south of Tweed Heads.Hirvonen did not want to comment on the anti-rally feeling, preferring to concentrate on the competition. "I do not know enough to say anything," he said.But he knows how to get the best from his high-powered, $500,000 Ford Focus, which has been the car to beat through the second half of the world championship. Hirvonen will start first, which can be a disadvantage as drivers battle for grip on loose surfaces, but believes his car is the best. "The car has been going very well. I will know more once we fly up to the rally tomorrow (MON) and after we recce the course from Tuesday," he said. "But it doesn't really matter. I'm sure it will be pretty fast, and the time differences between the drivers will be very small. A small mistake could be very costly." 

Bates has won a series of concessions which will allow him to drive his locally-built Toyota Corolla in Repco Rally Australia, which will run on the far north coast of NSW from September 3-6.It has taken a special homologation for the car, and a guest pass into the top group of drivers, to get Bates and Coral Taylor back into action following their failed defence of the Australian Rally Championship this year.The pair had a miserable local grand final with a stupid alternator problem on the first day of Rally SA in Adelaide, then were unable to start the final day because of engine trouble. They slipped to third in the series, behind their former Toyota team mates Simon and Sue Evans in a Mitsubishi Lancer."I left Adelaide thinking it could be all over for my top-line career," Bates admitted yesterday. "And it was a terrible way to finish." He and Taylor still pushed ahead with plans for a two-car Rally Australia entry, but expected their pair of Corolla S2000 cars to be driven by Darren Windus and Stewart Reid. But a surprise deal has been done and Bates is back for Rally Australia with Reid alongside and driving a car he hopes to buy after the event.Toyota, which withdrew from rallying this year as part of a major finanical cutback in Australia, has decided to celebrate the recent showroom success of its Corolla and the rally effort will also be backed by Carsguide.com.au "I'm excited. No, very, very excited," Bates said yesterday."I had given up on Rally Australia. I really didn't think it would be happening with me as a driver. But we were still trying to put something together and, with the help of a lot of friends, it's now going ahead. We are all incredibly enthused."Bates' entry will not be official until the starting list for Repco Rally Australia is confirmed, probably tomorrow, but he is likely to get a starting spot in the top 20 crews as an entry in the production world championship class. His closest rival will be Cody Crocker, a former Australian champion who has dominated the Asia- Pacific championship in recent years in a Subaru.Bates is still working on his Rally Australia plan and said he has not set a target yet. He never did well when Rally Australia was in Perth, but often ran in the top 10 against the world's best and scored sixth when he competed in Rally New Zealand. "Perth was never a good rally for me. I ran in a few high piositons but had a few problems," Bates said."My best would have been seventh or eight. But I went to NZ for the first time and got sixth, which was my best WRC result. "I've always really loved Rally Australia. I always wished it would be on the East coast and now it's happened. No-one has rallied on the roads before so that will be a big leveller""I think the format and route should suit me, with lots of hard-packed roads and the superspecial stage through the streets of Murmwillumbah. We've got a lot of work to do this week before we head north but there are a lot of smiling faces now in the workshop."

Although the market was still down 10 per cent last month compared to July 2008, small cars and off-roaders showed sales gains. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries credits the sales gains on a flow-on effect of the Federal Government's small business tax break on new equipment.Even sportscars were up, thanks to newer entrants arriving into the market. In all 75,333 vehicles were sold last month compared to 83,976 in July last year. Small car sales were up almost 3 per cent while the medium and luxury off-roader segments were up 4 per cent and 7 per cent.Some brands like Mitsubishi are reporting stock shortages of key vehicles like the Triton because of demand created by the tax break. FCAI chief executive, Andrew McKellar, says the tax break for small business has been a successful stimulus measure. "And small businesses remain eligible for a 50 per cent tax break until the end of the year," he says.The humble Toyota Corolla again knocked the country's favourite family sedan off the best-seller list - the fourth time in 18 months it has turned the tables on Holden's locally built six. The Toyota four-cylinder eclipsed the Holden Commodore by just 35 cars to become the biggest seller. The Japanese carmaker sold 3856 Corollas versus 3891 Commodores last month.Some surprises were the new Toyota Prius, which had is best sales month ever on the back of the launch of the third-generation car with 446 government and private sales. The Holden Cruze also leaped out of dealers, with 1982 sales while Hyundai's popular Getz and i30 continue to sell well, along with the Mazda3. Chinese brand Great Wall Motors got off to a modest start, selling 274 utilities.Sportscars experienced a sales lift of 10 per cent last month on the back of new entrants among the luxury imports. Premium brands like Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Lexus, Porsche, Volvo and Volkswagen all recorded slight July sales gains over the same month last year. Overall, 530,556 new vehicles have been sold so far this year, down 15 per cent or 96,115 vehicles, compared to the same period last year.Toyota has extended its overall sales lead with 110,897 vehicles, giving it a 24 per cent overall market share. Its lead is almost double that of its nearest rival, Holden with 66,418 sales with Ford in third spot with 54,239 sales. Mazda and Hyundai fill out fourth and fifth spots with 44,627 and 36,161 sales.Top Ten sellers (July) 1 Toyota Corolla 38912 Holden Commodore 38563 Ford Falcon 28374. Mazda3 27855 Toyota HiLux 25636 Hyundai Getz 21477 Mitsubishi Lancer 21298 Hyundai i30 20459 Holden Cruze 198210 Toyota Camry 1717Top Ten brands (July) 1 Toyota 16,6642 Holden 10,2663 Ford 77834 Hyundai 62265 Mazda 60246 Mitsubishi 41667 Nissan 37568 Subaru 28079 Honda 265710 Volkswagen 2361

The Toyota four cylinder eclipsed the Holden Commodore by just 35 cars last month to become the biggest seller. It is the fourth time in 18 months it has turned the tables on Holden's locally built big six. The Japanese carmaker sold 3856 Corollas versus 3891 Commodores last month.The Corolla led a modest small car sales spike last month as buyers continue to chase economy purchases over large sedans. Apart from small cars, the latest VFACTS industry sales figures for July reveal that sportscars and off-roaders also recorded positive sales gains.Small car sales were up 2.7 per cent in July compared to the same month last year. Sportscars increased 10.3 per cent while medium and luxury off-roaders were up 2.4 per cent and 7.2 per cent.The FCAI's sales figures show that 75,333 vehicles were sold last month, 8643 fewer than the same month last year. Year-to-date 530,556 new vehicles have been sold, down 15 per cent or 96,115 vehicles, compared to the same period last year.Toyota continues to dominate as sales leader. It has sold 110,897 vehicles so far this year to secure a dominate overall market share of 24 per cent. Toyota's lead is almost double that of its nearest rival, Holden with 66,418 sales with Ford in third spot with 54,239 sales.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive, Andrew McKellar, said the Federal Goverment's business tax stimulus continued to have a positive knock-on effect on sales.Despite overall sales being down 10 per cent last month compared to the same month last year, business sales remained strong, he said. There was evidence of a flow-on from the very strong June sales result with strong demand for work vehicles, he said. "Particularly from buyers accessing the business tax break on new investments," he said.Some dealers are also reporting waiting lists of several months on certain models because of a backlog of orders on work utes and light commercial vehicles.Top Ten sellers (July) 1 Toyota Corolla 38912 Holden Commodore 38563 Ford Falcon 28344. Mazda3 27855 Toyota HiLux 25636 Hyundai Getz 21477 Mitsubishi Lancer 21298 Hyundai i30 20459 Holden Cruze 198210 Toyota Camry 1717Top Ten brands (July) 1 Toyota 16,6642 Holden 10,2663 Ford 77834 Hyundai 62265 Mazda 60246 Mitsubishi 41667 Nissan 37568 Subaru 28079 Honda 265710 Volkswagen 2361

RETIRED V8 Supercar racer Paul Weel is going back to his motorsport roots with an all-out attack on the 2009 Australasian Safari.Weel began as an off-road racer and is heading back into the bush for the Safari, driving a V8-engined Holden Colorado.But there is a twist.He is doing the outback enduro in Western Australia with his father, Kees, as his co-driver. And their car is one that Weel Snr crashed in last year's Safari.Weel is so committed to success he even ran a 500-kilometre test last week, the first time he drove a competition car since a massive crash at Bathurst last year which could easily have been fatal. He was T-boned in his PWR Commodore at the top of Mount Panorama."I'm pretty excited. It's been quite a while since my Bathurst accident, so it's great to finally be back behind the wheel of a racing car again," Weel says."I'm learning how to drive on dirt again after so long racing V8 Supercars. You feel like you're going pretty quick, racing through the bush at 200km/h with trees flashing past on either side of you."The Safari begins a week from tomorrow, August 1, and covers 3600 kilometres from Perth to Kalgoorlie, with overnight stops in Geraldton, Mt Magnet, Leonora and Laverton.DAVID Wall continued his romp towards the Australian GT championship title when he swept two of three sports car races at Eastern Creek last weekend with his Porsche GT3 Cup S. The other star on the packed Shannons Nationals program was Mat Sofi, who broke through for his first win in Formula 3 while Tim Macrow reduced overseas raider Joey Foster's lead in the championship battle.CHAD Reed continues to lead the chase for the 450cc title in the AMA Pro Motocross championship following a 1-2 result at Millville last weekend. He is now 37 points clear on his Rockstar Suzuki with five rounds to run.NEAL Bates is looking for more speed this week from his Toyota Corolla as he prepares for the winner-take-all showdown with his former team-mate, and championship leader, Simon Evans at Rally SA next weekend. Bates knows Evans has a top-speed advantage with his Mitsubishi Lancer and has several tweaks to test in Canberra before packing for the trip to Adelaide and the last event of this year's national championship series.Off-road superstars Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki will tune up for next year's Dakar Rally by competing in the 2009 Australasian Safari with their Isuzu D-MAX ute in Western Australia. The five-time Safari winner was third last year and expects better in his latest beast thanks to engine upgrading, which he also believes will allow him to improve on his 11th overall in this year's Dakar in South America.FRENCHMAN Jamie Alguersuari will become the youngest driver to race in Formula One, at 19 years and 125 days, when he replaces Sebastian Bourdais in the Toro Rosso team at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alguersuari is a former British Formula 3 champion who was groomed through the Red Bull young driver academy.CHRIS Atkinson is back in Monaco to try and revive his stalled career in the World Rally Championship, including a start in his home event, Repco Rally Australia, in September. His trip to Europe included a stopover in the USA to visit Ken Block, a Subaru driver who also stars in the X-Games, perhaps pointing to more American action for the speedy Australia.DANIEL Ricciardo continues to lead the race for the British Formula 3 championship despite finishing slightly off the pace in both races at Donington Park last weekend. The young Aussie was quickest in qualifying but fell back to seventh in the first race before recovering for third, but in the second heat could do no better than fifth with the Carlin Motorsport team.THE son of John Surtees, the only racer to win world championships on both two and four wheels, was killed last weekend in a Formula 2 crash in Britain. Henry Surtees had taken his first F2 podium at Brands Hatch in the first of two heats, but died after being hit in the head by a wheel from another car that crashed in the second race. 

It's the global showroom champion each year and is the all-time record holder, overtaking the Model T Ford and Volkswagen Beetle which had held the title before Brand T's equivalent of the Big Mac.But there is one car which makes the Corolla look like an underachiever. It's a car called the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, which has been around now for 30 years. The plastic children's runabout sells at a crazy rate, driving into 457,000 homes in 2008 alone.That result easily trumped the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord which are America's favourite full-sized cars, and this year the Cozy Coupe is selling at nearly double the regular rate as people re-discover its charm.It helps that the Coupe has been given a car company-style facelift for the anniversary, with a new smiley face, a parent-controlled push handle, opening fuel filler and a high seat back with cabin storage.The Cozy Coupe is now even available in Australia and, priced from $129.99 at major retailers, is likely to be one of the four-wheel stars of 2008.