The 2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback is a huge improvement over the old Corolla iM, but could Toyota do even better with a hot hatch version? Toyota is currently considering a hotter version of the new Corolla hatchback that could rival heavyweights like the VW GTI.
Speaking to Australia’s Drive, Toyota’s chief engineer Yasushi Ueda revealed that Toyota is considering a high performance version of the Corolla, but with a twist. While the Corolla’s rivals all use small turbocharged engines, a high performance version of the Corolla hatchback could instead get a hybrid powertrain. Ueda stated that a hybrid version “sounds very good to me.”
A Corolla hot hatch hybrid could also get an all-wheel drive powertrain with an electric motor powering the rear wheels. For now the idea sounds promising, but we don’t know when Toyota will make a final decision about a Corolla hot hatch.
“We don’t have any detailed plan yet,” Ueda stated. “Of course in the future the idea of a hot hybrid sounds very good.”
Source: Drive
