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2014 Toyota Corolla debuts with more power, interior space

Depending on who you ask, the best-selling car in the world is either the Ford Focus or Toyota Corolla. Not surprisingly, Toyota claims it's the Corolla. Either way, we're talking around a million individual units per year, and over 40 million over the car's lifetime on the market, so the redesign of Toyota's compact sedan is big-time news for the Japanese automaker that it needs to get right.
The Toyota Corolla was last redesigned way back in 2008, meaning the 2014 model is a long-overdue update to the C-segment sedan. Its age shows when compared to newer rivals like the Honda Civic, Chevy Cruze, Hyundai Elantra and the aforementioned Ford Focus when comparing technology features, fuel mileage and interior roominess. In an effort to solve those demerits, Toyota has added nearly four inches to the 2014 Corolla's wheelbase and will offer a new continuously variable transmission with seven simulated gear ratios.
Engine choices consist of two available 1.8-liter four-cylinder units, one with 132 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque, and another more efficient version that uses Toyota's new Valvematic technology to offer 140 horses and 126 lb-ft of torque. Eco and Sport modes will be selectable by the driver.

Toyota wants half its vehicles in Japan to be hybrids

The Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle could signal the future of motoring with a somewhat accessible price and cutting-edge green technology, but there's no guarantee for the model actually spearheading a revolution in the marketplace. In the meantime, the Japanese brand is continuing to focus on its hybrid powertrains and actually plans to build even more of them. As soon as next year, half of Toyota's sales in Japan could be electrically assisted. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Toyota is pushing to sell 760,000 hybrids in Japan in 2016, compared to 684,000 last year. That figure would account for half of the company's sales in that country, and the company plans to increase overall production of its gas-electric models. The automaker could build 1.32 million of them next year, which would be about 30 percent more than in 2014. There's actually a financial incentive for Toyota to try this green strategy. Japan's rules for tax breaks on efficient models are about to get more stringent. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, only about half of all new models are expected to meet the guidelines for the incentives, compared to over 80 percent now, and the change could cost buyers as much as 100,000 yen ($840) more. With the impending debut of the next-gen Prius and heightened hybrid production, Toyota can position itself as an attractive choice to customers. News Source: Nikkei Asian Review via Green Car CongressImage Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP / Getty Images Green Plants/Manufacturing Toyota Hybrid

Toyota wants 30 percent of China sales to be hybrids

Two years ago, China set tough fuel economy standards for passenger cars, taking another step toward addressing its smog and pollution problems; average fuel consumption was mandated as 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers (about 34 miles per gallon) by this year and five liters per 100 km (47 mpg) by 2020. Toyota wants more of its fleet to help its numbers there, and is working to make 30 percent of its sales by 2020, according to a report in Japan's Nikkei. The Japanese carmaker sells 21 passenger cars and vans in China but only two of them are hybrids, the Prius and the Camry Hybrid (in the US Toyota sells 20 passenger vehicles in but seven of them are hybrids). It unveiled two more hybrids at the Shanghai Motor Show that will be built in China, the Corolla Hybrid (pictured) as part of its joint venture with FAW Group, and the Levin HEV as part of its joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC). There is also an electric vehicle on the way as part of the GAC partnership, to be sold under the China-only Lingzhi brand. It will still be a gigantic hurdle to make that 30-percent target even after doubling the hybrid line-up. Toyota sold 1.03 million vehicles in China in 2014, but has sold only 90,000 hybrids in total during the ten years the Prius has been on the market and five years of the Camry Hybrid. News Source: Nikkei, Nikkei Green Auto Shanghai Toyota Electric Hybrid