Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel in India

Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) on Wednesday launched the diesel version of its premium sedan, the Corolla Altis. Priced at Rs 10.95 lakh to Rs 13.75 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the Corolla Altis diesel is priced lower than the competition, the Chevrolet Cruze (Rs 11.52-13.95 lakh) and the Skoda Laura (starts Rs 13.74 lakh).

India is the first Asian country where the BS-IV version of the car has been launched. The Corolla Altis is available with a newly developed 1.4L in-line 4-cylinder D-4D Common Rail Diesel Engine that generates a peak power of 88.4 PS and a peak torque of 205 Nm. Toyota’s D-4D technology is also used in the Innova, the Fortuner, the Prado and the Land Cruiser 200. The Corolla Altis diesel is powered by a 1.4 litre common rail diesel engine capable of producing 88.4PS and a torque of 205 Nm. Transmission duties are handled by a manual six-speed gearbox.

Japanese car manufacturer Toyota has announced that a diesel version of the popular Corolla Altis will be launched in India in July 2010. Toyota will be launching a diesel variant of its Corolla Altis sedan in India this month. Armed with the diesel powerplant, the car will go head to head against the likes of the Chevrolet Cruze and the Skoda Laura in the Rs 12-15 lakh segment. The Corolla Altis Diesel is expected to follow a different strategy as opposed to its immediate rivals though, at least in terms of engine displacement. While most diesel cars in this segment sport 2.0-litre engines, the Altis may pop a surprise by donning a 1.4-litre D-4D engine under its hood. The engine is already seen on the international Corolla, as also the Toyota Yaris, and it won’t be surprising to see the mill in the Indian Altis. Given the impending launch of the Toyota Etios sedan and hatchback in diesel versions later this year, the Corolla Altis may work as the harbinger of the small D-4D in India.

The vehicle launch has been confirmed by Toyota Kirloskar Motors’ Deputy Managing Director Sandeep Singh who said that the diesel powered Corolla Altis was definitely among the company’s plans. We had speculated on the Corolla Altis diesel earlier this month. There have been rumours about a diesel version of the popular Corolla Altis since 2008 but the company was always tight-lipped about it. Though the specifications of the Corolla Altis diesel are yet to be officially released, the car is assumed to powered by a variant of the 1.4-litre turbo diesel engine that is present in the Toyota Yaris, which is sold outside India.

According to our sources the new Corolla Altis diesel will be launched on either 21st of 22nd in Delhi. This is going to be an excellent launch for Toyota as diesel cars are high in demand and there are few options in diesel in this segment of the market. Toyota Corolla Altis competes with Honda Civic, Chevrolet Cruze, Skoda Laura and Volkswagen Jetta. Both Cruze and Laura are available in diesel engine options. The Toyota brand is highly recognized in India and this diesel model of Corolla Altis is likely to do very well in the country. Honda of course has no plans to bring a diesel edition of the Civic in the near future. Corolla Altis Diesel is likely to be powered with a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine which should be capable enough to take on Chevrolet Cruze.

Corolla Altis Diesel - Fuel Efficiency

Some websites and news outlets said that the Toyota Corolla Altis diesel had a mileage of 21.4 km per litre as per figures which were ostensibly obtained from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). We don’t know if this is true or not. If the rumour was true, this could place the Altis diesel among cars with the highest fuel efficiency in India. Certain reports also suggest that road-testing of the Corolla Altis is already being done in India and that the car will have a CRDI engine.

The variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) equipped engine makes about 85bhp of power, but its real strength lies in its fuel efficiency - a factor that has often been neglected in this segment that people are now warming up to. With a claimed fuel efficiency of over 20 kmpl, the Corolla Altis Diesel sporting this engine may just shake the market up for good.

It is not like Toyota is averse to diesel engines. The Toyota Qualis was always a diesel, and the Innova diesel sells in large numbers in India. The launch of the Corolla Altis saw a lot of those who were eyeing the Honda Civic breaking away and choosing the new Altis. Sales were better than Toyota expected and now a Diesel Corolla Altis has the potential to take the game entirely away from the Civic.

Specifications (Speculated)

• Engine: 1.4 litre turbocharged
• Power: 90-100bhp
• Overall Length: 4540mm
• Overall Width:1760mm
• Overall Height:1480mm
• Wheel Base: 2600mm
• Ground Clearance: 176mm
• Front Track :1530mm
• Rear Track: 535mm
• Boot Space: 475 litres

Corolla Diesel Features

The Corolla Altis diesel will have the same features like its petrol sibling be it exteriors, interiors or safety. The Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel will compete with the Skoda Octavia, Skoda Laura, VW Jetta diesel variants. The less maintenance of Toyota could be vital here. With the Toyota known for its maintenance free cars, this could work in their favour.

Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Price

It is expected that the price of the corolla diesel variant to be Rs. 12-14 lakh.

About Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla line of cars has also enjoyed a lot of popularity worldwide since it was first launched in 1966. It was the highest selling car globally in 1997 and has sold over 35 million units till 2007. The car was brought into the Indian car market five years ago and has already managed to sell more than 40,000 units.