It’s not just the Yaris Cross that’s coming to the Philippines soon. According to a new round of Memorandum Circulars from the Land Transportation Office (LTO), it appears that Toyota is gearing up to launch the updated Corolla Altis.
The new Corolla Altis was first unveiled in Thailand back in June 2023, and we reckoned it was only a matter of time before it would land here. Now, with the homologation papers in place, it’s likely that several units have made it to the country. Memorandum Circular No. HAV-2023-2412 shows the ‘Specification and Classification of 2023 Toyota Corolla Altis Four (4) Wheeled Hybrid Vehicle’. The information is available on the LTO website under the Memoradum Circular section.
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As for the document, it shows a brief overview of the facelifted Altis Hybrid’s technical data, as well as its dimensions. Curiously, the file shows a listed top speed of 160kph for the Altis Hybrid, which we have some questions about. That aside, it pretty much confirms that the hybrid spec we’re getting is identical to the one sold in Thailand. If that’s the case, the combined output of 121hp and 230Nm will remain unchanged, along with the e-CVT system found in the current model.
The 2023 updates for the Corolla Altis are mainly relegated to the grille, front bumpers, and wheel designs. We aren’t expecting many changes to the interior, since the Thai-spec model has a cabin that looks largely the same as the one in the current Altis. Of course, we’re hoping that the local version will get new and upgraded touchscreen head units, along with other goodies such as the revamped instrument cluster and improved Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
