Toyota officials in Europe have denied rumors that the next generation of the Auris will revert to its previous name Corolla, which was dropped from the hatchback variants with the presentation of the 2007 model.
“In the future, the model will continue to be called the Auris in Europe,” a Toyota spokesperson told Automobilwoche. “We are satisfied with the model awareness that we’ve achieved with this name.”
The Japanese automaker continues to use the Corolla nameplate in Europe for the sedan version of the series.
Outside of Europe, in some markets like Japan, the three- and five-door hatchback versions are named Auris, while in others, including Australia and New Zealand, the company uses the Corolla nameplate for all body styles.
European sales of the current generation of the Auris, which was launched in 2007, have been lukewarm with Toyota delivering 27,722 cars in the first four months of the year, recording a 27 percent drop over the same period in 2011. In comparison, Volkswagen sold 161,753 Golfs in Europe through April.
AutoNews reported that Toyota will preview the second generation of the Auris hatchback with a concept model at the 2012 Paris Motor Show in late September, with the final production version to be unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Salon next March.
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