The Toyota Corolla Cross is a smash hit in South Africa, based on its sales figures for November.
Officially launched in early November, 1,757 units of the Corolla Cross were sold during the month.
This impressive performance saw the small SUV move straight to third place in Naamsa’s new vehicle sales report for the period – beating favourites like the VW Polo and Polo Vivo, Ford Ranger, Toyota Starlet, and Renault Kwid.
The price
There are several reasons as to why the Corolla Cross saw such strong sales in its first month, which when combined make it an ideal vehicle for the local market.
The first is price: the Corolla Cross starts at R349,900 for the 1.8Xi version – making it one of the more affordable cars in the country.
At the top-end of the range, the pricing is equally impressive – with the 1.8 XR selling for R425,400.
Toyota has also included a hybrid XR version for the local market – priced at R448,300 – for buyers who are looking at “new energy vehicles”.
Body style
The second key to the success of the Corolla Cross is that it is a small SUV.
Data collated by Lightstone shows the SUV/crossover vehicle segment is booming in South Africa, with strong growth over the past 10 years.
Purchases of new vehicles which fall into the SUV/crossover segment have grown from 14% market share in 2011 to 31% market share as of October 2021.
Other popular vehicles which fall into this category include the Ford EcoSport, VW Tiguan, and Toyota Fortuner.
The badge
Last, but not least, is the fact the Corolla Cross carries two of the most well-known badges in the South African automotive scene.
Being a Toyota, local buyers will automatically see the Corolla Cross as a reliable and affordable car that will last them a lifetime.
A large dealer network for services and support is included in this train of thought – along with the 3-year/100,000km warranty and six-services/90,000km service plan included as standard.
Toyota’s decision to use the “Corolla” name for this model also appears to have paid off.
“Corolla” is a well-respected name in the country, and the Cross derivative is off to a good start in upholding this.
Keyword: Toyota Corolla Cross smashes it out the park