It will be the car's mid-life update since it made its global debut in July 2020 (time flies, doesn't it?), and typical of those, what's obvious in today's teaser are refreshed looks.
The headlight signature is reminiscent of the Corolla Cross sold in other markets, with new daytime running light (DRL) signatures and a series of sequential indicators up front. Toyota Motor Thailand's video doesn't give much away beyond that, though to expect slightly redesigned front- and rear bumpers, possibly even new wheels, shouldn't be an ask too far.
What's not inherently visible are interior updates. Judging by what the Toyota Corolla Altis sedan gained following its facelift exercise last year, the Corolla Cross facelift could net a fully-digital instrument cluster, and enhanced smartphone connectivity options by way of a wireless charger and USB-C ports.
The big one is to see what it gains in the mechanical side of things. Updates elsewhere has seen the Corolla Cross gain larger-capacity engines, though we can't quite say if it will be a thing for Thailand's facelift.
It remains to be seen if the Corolla Cross for our region will keep the familiar face...
...or move to the Japan-style face
To recap, the Corolla Cross range in Thailand and Malaysia are sold with either a 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated engine (139 PS/172 Nm) or the 1.8-litre hybrid (122 PS combined).
And of course, one more question – maybe, just maybe, an electric parking brake (EPB) will take over the spot of the small gripe that is the currently-used manual footbrake? Tune in next week to find out.
Upon its Thailand launch, it will only be a matter of time before it heads to Malaysia in its updated form. A matter of a few months perhaps; if we were to refer to the pre-facelift (currently sold) Corolla Cross and its variants, the CBU Thailand cars were sold here in March 2021, and then the locally-assembled (CKD) cars came by in January 2022.
For the facelift, it could be a little quicker as there's slightly lesser lead time in terms of preparing the plant, for instance.
Anyway, prices of the pre-facelift CKD Corolla Cross range in Malaysia are as follows:
With humble beginnings collecting diecast models and spending hours virtually tuning dream cars on the computer, his love of cars has delightfully transformed into a career. Sanjay enjoys how the same passion for cars transcends boundaries and brings people together.
