Ronke Kehinde
The race is to the young, Toyota Motor Corp appears to be saying as it launches a new campaign Tuesday to attract a new generation of buyers through internet connectivity.
It’s flagship, the Corolla, one of the world’s best-selling cars, has been given a major makeover and launched in Japan in the hope that a sporty silhouette and new interactive functions would draw in younger buyers.
Toyota began selling a fully redesigned Corolla Sport hatchback on Tuesday, along with a new Crown, the flagship sedan in Japan akin to the Avalon in the U.S. – as its first generation of fully connected cars. Toyota’s Data Communication Module hardware will come standard, allowing owners to perform tasks such as closing their car windows from a mobile phone and asking a virtual assistant for directions using the company’s T-Connect service.
For Japan, the Corolla Sport comes fitted with Toyota’s data communication module which collects driving data to provide cloud-based, real-time navigation and technical support, while also monitoring vehicle health to give maintenance updates.
Corolla and a revamped domestic Crown sedan model, also launched on Tuesday, will be Toyota’s first mass-market cars to offer such advanced technological functions that were previously available exclusively in models from its high-end Lexus brand. Other automakers offer similar functions.
“By adding connected capabilities to a model known for being popular among older drivers, Toyota is trying to attract younger people to the Corolla, and widen its customer base (at home), said Takeshi Miyao, managing director of consultancy Carnorama.
“By doing so, it is betting that the next car trend may not be based on vehicle segment or model, but perhaps on applications, or functions.”
While ubiquitous among first-time drivers and university students in North America, Corolla’s top market that accounts for about a third of its global sales, the model has become known as a car for the elderly at home where the average age of its owners is around 70 – an image Toyota wants to change.
“We’re grateful that our older customers have remained loyal to the Corolla,” said Yoshiki Konishi, chief engineer of the Corolla Sport, the newest model which next goes on sale in North America in the coming months and Europe in 2019.
“But we want the Corolla to resonate more with younger drivers … we want to target people in their 20s and 30s.”
Toyota declined to give demographic targets for the newest member of the Corolla family, which has sold 46 million units across more than 150 countries since its launch in 1966.
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