Indus Motor Company (IMC) has made an exciting announcement by saying it will launch locally-assembled Corolla Cross in 2023, meaning next year. This would be the company’s first local Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) SUV.
IMC CEO Ali Asghar Jamali revealed this major update during the 6th Journalists Summit 2022, organized by the company at Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir. “Yes, we are planning to launch our first-ever locally-assembled HEV SUV,” Jamali said. He further added that continuing the legacy of the “Made in Pakistan” philosophy, IMC has already invested $100 million to produce HEVs in Pakistan.
Price Range of Locally-Assembled Corolla Cross
While answering a question about not tapping the newly-developed price niche of Rs. 5 million to Rs. 7 million, Jamali said the locally assembled Corolla Cross will arrive in this price range.
The CEO also said that HEVs are a midterm solution before EVs as Pakistan doesn’t have the infrastructure for the latter. “Pakistan can reduce oil imports by up to 50 %, if all cars are converted to HEVs,” he said.
IF IMC launches Cross in the price range of Rs. 5-7 million, it would be a great addition and will increase the competition. Furthermore, it will have an edge being a hybrid electric, meaning it will ensure low fuel consumption. And through this single HEV, Toyota can dominate the segment very easily.
Meanwhile, to refresh your memory about this car, here are salient specs and features of the Toyota Corolla Cross.
Feature Highlights
- Engine: 1798cc 2ZR-FXE hybrid engine
- Transmission: ECVT
- Power: 163 hp_@_5200 rpm
- Torque: 305 Nm_@_3600 rpm
- Drive Modes: Power/Normal/ECO/EV
- Headlamps: LED Projector (High & Mid Grade variants), Halogen Projector (Low-Grade variant)
- Rear Lamps: LED Light curtain (High & Mid Grade variants), LED (Low-Grade variant)
- Air Conditioning: Dual Zone Auto with Rear AC Vents (High & Mid Grade variants), Single-Zone Auto (Low-Grade variant)
- Multi-Information Display: 7-inch (High & Mid Grade variants), 4.2-inch (Low-Grade variant)
- Entertainment Unit: 8-inch Touchscreen (High & Mid Grade variants), Standard CD Player (Low-Grade variant)
- Airbags: 7 (High & Mid Grade variants), 2 (Low-Grade variant)
- Electronic Power Steering
- Push Start
- Smart Entry
- Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
- Hill Start Assist
- Vehicle Stability Control
- Rear Parking Sensors
- Front Parking Sensors (High & Mid Grade variants)
- 17″ alloy wheels
Seven Colors: Celestite Gray Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Attitude Black Mica, Metal Stream Metallic, Red Mica Metallic, Nebula Blue, and Graphite Metallic
ooook…. 🤔🤦♂️
What about the 12th gen Corolla or its hybrid version? Surely that will be the hot selling item. or how about the current favorite of the cheap urban movers, the Yaris cross hybrid?
So what they are doing is, for-go the market options and go straight for the expensive stuff… 🤦♂️
Whaaaa…? 🤷♂️