Toyota Corolla Altis GR Sport Hybrid confirmed for PH

Last week, Toyota Motor Philippines officially launched the Corolla Altis GR Sport. Not only does the sedan come with a more stylish exterior and interior, but this is the first-ever non-hybrid Corolla Altis to come with Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) as standard.

But unlike the Thai-spec Corolla Altis GR-S which only comes as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the one we currently have is only available with a 1.6-liter Dual VVT-i engine. It makes 121 PS with 153 Nm of torque and is mated to a CVT with manual select. Does this mean the Corolla Altis GR-S won’t be available with an electrified powertrain?

Speaking with an insider that wished to remain anonymous, they have confirmed that the Corolla Altis GR-S will also be available in HEV form. You read right, those who prefer the all-new GR-S sedan with the 1.8-liter hybrid powertrain can soon get their hands on one.

But just how soon will the Corolla Altis HEV GR Sport be launched in the country? Our insider told us that there’s no exact date yet but it will be launched within the year. Given this information, perhaps TMP will reveal the sport-style hybrid sedan at this year’s Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS).

After all, Atty. Rommel Guitierrez, the president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) which organizes PIMS, has confirmed with us that the 8th iteration of the motor show will take place this September.

Given that we already have the GR-S version of the Corolla Altis here, we won’t be surprised if it will have the same exterior and interior styling as the 1.6 version. That means blacked-out exterior accents, sportier bumpers, a full-leather interior with red contrast stitching, GR Sport emblems, and badges, and the aforementioned Toyota Safety Sense will make their way to the hybrid sedan.

With the standard Corolla Altis HEV already selling for PHP 1.585 million, expect the GR Sport version of the hybrid to be (slightly) more expensive. With that, would you pay over PHP 1.6 million to have the Corolla HEV fitted with GR Sport goodies? Share your comments.