This year’s Geneva Motor Show will, as it always is, be mostly about European cars. But Toyota isn’t about to sit it out. The Japanese giant has confirmed a star-studded lineup for the Swiss expo. And that starts with the all-new Auris, previewed here for the first time.
The C-segment hatchback (also currently available as a wagon) will debut in its third iteration at the Geneva show, bringing with it all the updates that Toyota can throw at it.
The automaker promises “a more dynamic exterior design,” for one thing. For another, the new Auris will serve as the spearhead for Toyota’s new “dual hybrid strategy,” by which we understand that it’ll be offered with two gasoline-electric powertrain choices. Expect the new 2.0-liter full hybrid to join the milder hybrid option, which currently centers around a 1.8-liter internal-combustion engine.
The big question on our minds is whether the new Auris will make it to US showrooms, where the Corolla sedan reigns as king. The current model came over as a Scion, and was rebranded again as the Corolla iM once that youth-oriented brand was shut down – effectively taking the place of the previous Matrix in the process. Whether Toyota will find a place for it in its North American lineup this time, we don’t know. But in any event, the Auris won’t be the only new metal to scope out on the automaker’s show stand at the Geneva Palexpo.
Along with it, Toyota has also confirmed that it will reveal “a modern racing concept which signals its commitment to bring the brand’s most iconic sports car back to the market.” That to us screams the debut of the new Supra we’ve been waiting for – though the “racing” part has us intrigued.
The new Aygo will also feature, as will the i-Series and Fine-Comfort Ride concepts that will be marking their European debuts. That all adds up to one heck of a lineup which the Japanese automaker is bringing right into the heart of its global rival Volkswagen’s territory.
