Still a decent distance away from U.S. production, the 11th generation Toyota Corolla is giving us a few hints of what we could expect through the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) version.
In Japan, the new model is smaller, measuring 15.4 feet long and 5.6 feet wide to achieve Japanese compact car status, thus lowering taxes on the vehicle. Toyota Chief Engineer Hiroya Fujita tells TTAC that the U.S. version won’t be that small, but the interior passenger space will probably be indentical. Instead, we can look for more trunk space in the coming model.
JDM vehilces are often very different than what makes it Stateside, and that fact remains true with the Corolla. Upmarket features like automatic high beams won’t make it our way, but there’s a chance the ventilated seats will.
Fujita also said there’s no chance a center-mounted instrument cluster will make it into the car — he doesn’t like them and doesn’t see Corolla buyers feeling any differently. The sloping windshield will be axed for America, as will the station wagon version sold to Japanese customers.
We can also confirm that the version set for our shores will have a 1.8-liter engine, though the CVT transmission found in Japan’s version won’t make the journey. Unfortunately, that also means the idle start-stop system will remain unshipped as well.
With Fujita staying mum on further details, we’ll have to wait for more to leak as the next generation from Toyota draws closer.
[Source: The Truth About Cars]
Filed under: Featured Articles Japanese Sedans Toyota
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