Photo: Kleber Silva on Behance
Can you believe the Corolla is at its twelfth generation since 1966? Now underpinned by the GA-C vehicle architecture of the C-HR, Prius, and Lexus UX, the best-selling automotive nameplate ever is also available as a crossover for the 2021 model year.
That’s right, ladies and gents! Toyota has finally filled the void between the C-HR and RAV4 in a bid to boost sales. Expected to be introduced to the United States market next year, the Corolla Cross is also expected to get the GR Sport treatment.
A pickup truck like the featured rendering, however, isn’t planned. For starters, the Global Architecture – Compact wasn’t developed for this kind of application. And secondly, it would steal sales from the Tacoma in the United States and the Hilux pretty much everywhere else around the world.
Penned by Kleber Silva, the Corolla Cross pickup also appears to sacrifice rear legroom to accommodate the bed. If the silhouette seems familiar to you, that’s because the pixel artist appears to have taken inspiration from the crosstruck that everyone is looking forward to – the Santa Cruz.
Hyundai isn’t alone, however. Ford and Volkswagen are developing car-based workhorses as well, riding on the C2 and MQB platforms of the Focus and Golf. Kia is also working on a small pickup, twinned with the Santa Cruz.
However, “crosstruck” may be a misleading way to describe this new breed of pickups. Not as capable as a body-on-frame truck nor as versatile in day-to-day driving as a crossover utility vehicle, the Santa Cruz and its kind are automotive compromises dressed up as "active lifestyle" vehicles.
Toyota, which is known for being very sensible and realistic in terms of product planning, definitely can’t make a case for a unibody pickup. The free-breathing engine of the real deal isn’t exactly adequate for trucking either, and the same can be said about the hybrid option.
Currently exclusive to Thailand, the Corolla Cross starts at 959,000 baht or $30,600 at today’s exchange rates. That’s 10,000 baht more than the Hilux Smart Cab Prerunner 2.4 Rocco AT mid-size truck.
A pickup truck like the featured rendering, however, isn’t planned. For starters, the Global Architecture – Compact wasn’t developed for this kind of application. And secondly, it would steal sales from the Tacoma in the United States and the Hilux pretty much everywhere else around the world.
Penned by Kleber Silva, the Corolla Cross pickup also appears to sacrifice rear legroom to accommodate the bed. If the silhouette seems familiar to you, that’s because the pixel artist appears to have taken inspiration from the crosstruck that everyone is looking forward to – the Santa Cruz.
Hyundai isn’t alone, however. Ford and Volkswagen are developing car-based workhorses as well, riding on the C2 and MQB platforms of the Focus and Golf. Kia is also working on a small pickup, twinned with the Santa Cruz.
However, “crosstruck” may be a misleading way to describe this new breed of pickups. Not as capable as a body-on-frame truck nor as versatile in day-to-day driving as a crossover utility vehicle, the Santa Cruz and its kind are automotive compromises dressed up as "active lifestyle" vehicles.
Toyota, which is known for being very sensible and realistic in terms of product planning, definitely can’t make a case for a unibody pickup. The free-breathing engine of the real deal isn’t exactly adequate for trucking either, and the same can be said about the hybrid option.
Currently exclusive to Thailand, the Corolla Cross starts at 959,000 baht or $30,600 at today’s exchange rates. That’s 10,000 baht more than the Hilux Smart Cab Prerunner 2.4 Rocco AT mid-size truck.
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