Kiwis to get hybrid

The Toyota Corolla is now available with a hybrid powertrain in New Zealand. The Corolla Hatch Hybrid is based on the petrol-engined Corolla GLX and will sell for $38,490 with an eight-year warranty on the hybrid battery. “With fuel saving hybrid technology in our largest selling passenger car we are giving more customers the opportunity to reduce their operating costs,” says Spencer Morris, Toyota New Zealand’s general manager of product. Toyota NZ expect to sell up to 400 Corolla Hatch Hybrids in the second half of this year, with total Corolla sales expected to exceed 6,000 in 2016. “Customers have the choice of both our traditional petrol range and now the new Hybrid Corolla, which with its competitive price will be on the shopping list for everybody looking at purchasing a small hatch,” says Steve Prangnell, Toyota NZ’s general manager of sales. The Corolla Hatch Hybrid has overall fuel consumption of 4.1 litre/100km and CO2 emissions of 96g/km. The Hybrid Synergy Drive system has a combined output of 100kW from the 1.8-litre Atkinson Cycle four cylinder petrol engine and the electric motor when working in tandem.