Toyota Unveils Corolla And Levin PHEVs, Confirms Electric C-HR

Toyota has used the Beijing Motor Show to announce plans to launch ten electrified vehicles in China by 2020.

As part of the announcement, Toyota unveiled plug-in hybrid versions of the Corolla and Levin. The company was tight-lipped on details but confirmed the models will be built in China and launched next year. The vehicles will become the first Toyota plug-in hybrids built outside of Japan and they are slated to have an electric-only range of at least 50 km (31 miles).

On the styling front, there isn’t much to report as the models only receive minor modifications. Changes include a new charging port, purple accents and plug-in hybrid badging on the front fenders.

Besides introducing the Corolla and Levin plug-in hybrids, Toyota revealed plans to offer an electric version of the C-HR / IZOA. Little is known about the model but it is scheduled to be launched in 2020.

In related news, Toyota said it is working with its Chinese partners to build a local production base for key components used in the company’s electrified models. As part of this effort, the company will increase its annual production capacity for nickel-metal hydride battery packs to 220,000 units in 2020.

Besides increasing battery production, Toyota will open a new battery testing facility at their Chinese research and development center in 2020. The automaker is also “steadily enhancing its local production structures” in preparations to build electric vehicles in the country.

Toyota only sold around 140,000 electrified vehicles in China last year but the company expects that number will grow in the future as it continues to enhance its electrified vehicle lineup. As Toyota’s Chief Executive Officer of the China region, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, explained “We are steadily and confidently advancing all aspects of our environmental strategy in China, the world’s most-advanced country in electrification.”