Toyota ups Corolla's game in play for broader appeal

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Americans may be falling out of love with the traditional sedan, but Toyota, the company behind the world's top-selling car of all time, is tuning into Seventies on 7 and cranking up Frankie Valli's "Let's Hang On."

In redesigning the steadfast compact for 2020, Toyota is showing its commitment to the segment, offering more content and trim levels, including the first Corolla hybrid.

By adding more choices, Toyota aims to offer a Corolla for even more people, as well as attract more diverse, younger buyers who want more style, safety, connectivity and performance without trading away Corolla hallmarks — value, fuel economy and reliability.

The Corolla, along with the Camry, remains a cornerstone for Toyota: Some 65 percent of Corolla owners return to the brand when they buy a new vehicle.

But even with one of the highest loyalty rates in the segment, Toyota recognized it needed to raise its game.

The 2020 Corolla is the latest retooled Toyota to come off the company's new global architecture to cut costs and weight while enhancing safety, driving dynamics and fuel economy.

The platform allows for a lower center of gravity, a Corolla body that is 60 percent more rigid, and the addition of a multilink rear suspension, replacing a torsion beam, and active cornering assist to deter understeer.

The Corolla hybrid is being added to serve as another entry point for Toyota's family of gasoline-electric cars, slotting between the Prius and the Camry hybrid.

The sedan is expected to account for 90 percent of Corolla sales, with the hatchback introduced last year representing the rest. Toyota forecasts the hybrid could account for up to 6 percent of sedan sales.

But Toyota is setting modest expectations for the 12th-generation Corolla, even as it hatches plans to produce the car at two North American assembly plants.

Ed Laukes, head of marketing for the Toyota division, said the company sees U.S. sales of the Corolla totaling about 250,000 this year, a drop of about 18 percent from 303,732 in 2018.

Since U.S. compact car sales reached 2.22 million units in 2015, they have declined three straight years, including a 14 percent drop in 2018.

But Laukes says the decline in car sales has not been as severe in several key regions — notably Southern California, Northern California, Florida and other markets in the Southeast — where Toyota's lineup still fares well.

"It's still good business for us," Laukes said of the car market. "And we're happy to grab share as others leave the segment."