New Corolla Made in Brazil Will Be the World's First Flex Hybrid Vehicle

April 18, 2019

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(Toyota (Google Translation)) With this motorization, the New Corolla will be the most efficient ethanol-powered car in the country and the cleanest hybrid on the planet; Ad meets efficiency requirements established by Rota 2030 Program; With launch scheduled for the last quarter of 2019, model will be mounted on the modern platform TNGA; New generation will continue to be produced in Indaiatuba (SP) in a factory that is undergoing a modernization process with investment of R $ 1 billion, announced in September 2018

Following a new and decisive phase of its history of more than 60 years in Brazil, Toyota confirmed today, in an event at the Bandeirantes Palace, headquarters of the government of the State of São Paulo, which the New Brazilian Corolla will be the first vehicle in the world equipped with flex hybrid propulsion. Present at the occasion were the Governor of São Paulo, João Doria, the president of Toyota of Brazil, Rafael Chang, among other members of the state government, entities and the automaker.

Studies involving Toyota's hybrid flex technology were announced by the manufacturer in March last year, while production confirmation came in December of the same year. Driving a new cycle of technological evolution in Brazil, the announcement is in line with the purposes of the Rota 2030 Program, which seeks, among other things, to stimulate the production of more efficient vehicles.

The 12th generation of Corolla, the best selling car globally, promises, once again, to be a reference not only in its segment, but in the entire national automotive industry. The only vehicle to have an electric motor and another of flexfuel technology, the New Corolla, with this motorization, will be the most efficient ethanol-powered car in Brazil and the cleanest hybrid in the world.

The model will be mounted on the Toyota Global Global Architecture (TNGA) platform, which already equips brand vehicles such as the Prius, the compact C-HR SUV and the large Camry sedan. With it, the Corolla, which is already a reference for its attributes, will make an even greater leap in quality, comfort, handling and stability. All this combined with a series of new equipment, will make this future Corolla a car completely renovated and ready to surprise the most demanding of customers.

The new generation of Corolla is expected to arrive in Brazil in the last quarter of 2019. Toyota intends to sell its vehicles in the Latin American markets where the vehicle is exported - Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Colombia. first half of 2020.

"Over the past 50 years, Corolla has been synonymous with reliability, safety and quality. With this new generation, we want it to be recognized as a symbol of modernity and, above all, as a new form of mobility. We are enthusiasts of electric motors and precursors of the mass dissemination of this technology. Now, we are once again making history, bringing the hybrid flex drive to one of the biggest icons in the automotive industry, "says Rafael Chang, president of Toyota Brazil.

Development of the flex hybrid propeller

Until the first prototype was formatted, Toyota carried out a number of laboratory-scale tests, which began almost four years ago, in mid-2015. The project put Toyota engine engineering teams side by side in Japan, and of Toyota of Brazil, to add efforts and seek harmony between hybrid and flexfuel technologies .

The work was directed towards extracting the maximum potential of each solution: high efficiency, low levels of emissions and resorption capacity of the impacts of carbon dioxide (CO2), when using fuel from 100% renewable source.

In March 2018, Toyota announced rolling tests with a hybrid flex prototype in Brazil built on the platform of a Prius model. The idea was to test the durability of the car on various types of roads to evaluate the engine-transmission set when fueled with ethanol.

During these months, a series of data related to the performance and behavior of the car were collected in order to contribute in the search for the ideal balance of the whole set.

Studies carried out by Toyota do Brasil point out that the flex hybrid, when supplied with ethanol, has one of the highest CO2 emission abatement potential. This occurs throughout the life cycle of ethanol, since the biofuel is extracted from sugarcane, through availability in the fuel pumps and its burning in the process of combustion of the engine. When fueled with ethanol alone (E100), CO2 abatement results are among the best in the world.

Partnership for technological dissemination

Part of Toyota's efforts in the race to meet its 2050 Environmental Challenge is especially driven by the need to engage and mobilize business partners who are aligned with the vision for sustainable mobility.

Inspired by this purpose, the Sugar Cane Industry Union (UNICA) has supported the project by recognizing ethanol as an efficient fuel in advanced propulsion systems. In addition, it highlights the importance of biofuels in combating global warming and in meeting Brazil's environmental goals in the International Climate Agreement (COP21), established in 2015 in Paris, with the production and supply capacity of the Brazilian sugar and ethanol industry.

"Sugarcane ethanol is classified by international bodies as biofuel with less environmental impact and emission of greenhouse gases. When considered the entire chain, there is a reduction of approximately 90% of CO2 emissions when compared to gasoline, as well as other pollutants in the atmosphere, with positive effects on public health, employment and income generation and energy security in our country. efficiency of sugarcane ethanol combined with Toyota's state-of-the-art technology brings to the Brazilian streets a car that puts into practice respect for the environment and sustainability, "says Evandro Gussi, UNICA's CEO.

Modernization process

The Toyota factory in Indaiatuba, located in the interior of São Paulo (SP), will be the pioneer in this process of hybridization of the vehicles of the brand in Brazil. The new Corolla will be produced in the plant, which has been modernized and underwent several improvements in its structure since September last year, when it announced an investment of R $ 1 billion in the unit. This was the first investment of the Brazilian automotive industry after the announcement of the Rota 2030 Program, which demonstrated Toyota's confidence in the country's future.

The plant's modernization, which completed 20 years of operation in 2018, is closely linked to Toyota's commitment to produce better and better cars and to engage its entire value chain.

Local production of the Corolla New Generation equipped with a flex hybrid engine takes place 16 years after the commercialization of the first vehicle capable of being fueled with gasoline and / or ethanol in Brazil. Now, as the cradle of the world's first flex hybrid, the unit of Indaiatuba and Novo Corolla gain a new role as protagonists in Toyota's history in Brazil.

Commitment to the environment

Corolla's announcement and confirmation as the world's first flex hybrid car is part of Toyota's set of efforts to meet ambitious environmental goals set out in its 2050 Environmental Challenge. The corporate vision announced by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2015, comprises six sustainability challenges. Among them, reducing the negative impacts caused by automobiles to the environment to the nearest possible zero, generating several benefits for the environment and the community.

The 2050 Global Environmental Challenge aims to neutralize CO2 emissions by mid-century in new vehicles, product lifecycles, and Toyota industrial units around the world. Other missions are to reduce water consumption, encourage recycling and establish a society that is in harmony and preserves nature.

Corolla in Brazil

The first units of Corolla landed in Brazil in 1994, four years after the opening of the importation in the automobile segment in the country. These changes in the Brazilian legislation in relation to the international trade of vehicles ensured the arrival of Corolla in the national territory, imported from the Japan.

Already in its first three years of sales in the market, Toyota has noted a growing consumer interest in the sedan, which was already emerging as a leader in its segment in several countries around the world. The constant increase in demand supported the manufacturer's plan to make its local production viable in 1998, at the same plant located in Indaiatuba (SP).

Since then, with more than 1 million units produced in the country, Corolla has been standing out as one of the most successful vehicles in Brazil. In recent years, it maintains the absolute leadership among all the average sedans in the national market, with a market share of more than 40%. READ MORE

Toyota to sell first hybrid car made in Brazil (Reuters)