Newly uncovered report stems from Argentina where production will reportedly take place. No approval has yet been made for South Africa.
The Corolla Cross will underpin the incoming new half-ton bakkie. Picture: Toyota
Spied for the first time undergoing testing in June, an alleged time of reveal has been set aside for Toyota’s incoming Corolla Cross-based half-ton bakkie.
Wait almost over
On the drawing board since speculation first started in 2022, the still unnamed newcomer will follow the current South American bakkie trend of using a unibody platform, in this case, the TNGA-C that underpins the Corolla Cross.
Reported last year to be RAV4-based instead of Corolla Cross, which the under-development prototype quickly denounced, the half-ton will rival the Chevrolet Montana, Fiat Toro, Ford Maverick, Ram Rampage and Volkswagen Tukan, as well as the all-new Renault Niagara.
Made where?
Contrived claims have, however, once again emerged as to where the newcomer will be produced.
Initially, it was claimed that assembly would take place at the Zárate Plant in Argentina, which subsequently was ruled out in favour of the Sorocaba facility in the state of São Paulo in Brazil,
According to the latest report by Autoblog Argentina, it now seems as if Zárate has indeed been selected based on it also having received the nod to produce the “new” Hilux for all Latin American markets.
Petrol or hybrid
Known internally, according to the publication, as the “half ton”, the newcomer will use the same powertrains as the Corolla Cross, namely a normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol not available in the South African market model and the 1.8-litre self-charging hybrid.
The exact same options as the “normal” Corolla Cross sold in both Brazil and Argentina, the half-ton is likely to be front-wheel drive only and have a CVT as its sole transmission option as a manual is unavailable on any derivative regardless of where it its manufactured.
And for South Africa?
Alleged by Autoblog report has bowing in in the second half of 2027, the Corolla Cross bakkie has, for the moment, not been confirmed for South Africa despite several hints.
Back in 2023, Toyota South Africa Motors Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, Leon Theron, admitted that while a half-ton bakkie is being investigated for South Africa, it won’t be the newly launched Hilux Champ/Hilux Rangga sold in Asia.
“It won’t be a half-ton bakkie. We believe it will take the market by storm and are still doing a lot of development around it,” Theron told IOL at the Toyota’s State of the Motoring Industry conference at the time.
Just over a year later, Toyota South Africa Motors President and CEO, Andrew Kirby, said it still views the “half-ton” segment as important, before adding that no plans are in place to launch, never mind produce, the Champ/Rangga locally.
“Be it a half-ton or three-quarter ton, something that is a bit more accessible, there are clear indications that market is important and we would love participate in it,” Kirby told The Citizen at the launch of the Land Cruiser Prado in Mozambique at the time.
“[However], right now, we don’t have approval to manufacture it in South Africa and we don’t have immediate plans to launch it either. But it is not something we are discounting. We are investigating it and we will certainly look for every opportunity if it makes sense for us to introduce it,” he said.
Wait till 2027
For the time being, no further details of the Corolla Cross bakkie, or its final name, is known. However, expect more, including an exact date of reveal, to be announced in the new year.
