Toyota Corolla Cross.
Photo: Nicolás Fernández
Reliability, tradition, avant-garde? There are many reasons why Toyota positioned itself as a sales leader in Colombia during the first four months of the year. Thus, the Japanese firm surpassed brands traditionally related to volume, with products at prices close to the “entry” rating.
There are 7,731 license plates that led the Asian manufacturer to occupy first place on the list of best sellers between January and April – the most updated figures available – 2024 in Colombia. Toyota Corolla Cross is its star product, the favorite of Colombians, with 2,638 units. Of this, 2,468 belong to the hybrid variant of the SUVleader in its segment.
Before the end of the first half of the year, Toyota presented in Colombia the update of Corolla Cross, now with new equipment and exterior image. The same thing happened with its compact and hybrid Yaris Cross, which renewed its interior, retaining most of its aesthetic exterior features.
Juan Bernal is the commercial vice president of Automotores Toyota Colombia. In dialogue with The viewerthe manager spoke about the updates of his two hybrid SUVs in the country.
What’s new does Corolla Cross present?
We have several categories of changes, one is full model change, which is, for example, the Prado. And we have the facelifts, as in this case, where the front of the vehicle had an update and we installed accessories such as the (multimedia) screen, which is now a little larger, the handbrake (which is now with a button) and a wireless charger. The entry version already comes with leather, automatic rear door, also with a foot sensor, the front lights are also different… these are changes we make to renew the life cycle of the product.
The Toyota hybrid logo is also updated…
Yes, globally the company is updating its logos and the new one is inspired by the theme of electrification. We are a mobility company that works hard on electrification and we are offering alternatives for all customers; In this case they are hybrid vehicles, but we also have EVs worldwide, cars like the Flexi, which we had in tests in Colombia last year and runs on ethanol, and the Mirai, which runs on hydrogen.
Although in Colombia their approach is the total hybrid.
That’s right, we use full hybrid technology, because we believe in the transition and we know that there is a specific need to care for the environment. Later we will evaluate the needs and infrastructure of the country. At the moment, we work with this technology.
What is the reason for the acceptance of the Corolla Cross in the market?
This acceptance is due to the fact that it is a car that has the support of a brand that represents quality, durability and reliability; So, it guarantees customers that peace of mind.
How has your experience been regarding the warranties and electric battery life of your hybrids?
We have done very well. We carry warranties for all our vehicles of five years or 120,000 kilometers, eight or 150,000 km for the hybrid system. We are confident that the technology works, that it will not have any problems and that is why we give that extension. We have sold just over 15,000 units since the launch of the Corolla Cross and we have had no complaints.
Is demand greater than supply for the Corolla Cross?
At this time we have a waiting list that we hope to fill with this launch. And we believe that in the coming months we can deliver all those vehicles that we have pending.
How was Yaris Cross updated?
The exterior remains exactly the same. Inside we have some interesting changes, the issue of screens, with a larger radius, there is cross traffic and safety alert with Toyota Safety Sense. We updated topics that we knew the client requested.
You may be interested in: Toyota Yaris Cross, the new sales success in Colombia?
