It’s Toyota’s own Polo Vivo. Or, if interbrand comparisons offend, a second Tazz, which was developed from the fifth-generation Corolla. The new Toyota Corolla Quest is the previous, tenth-generation Corolla dressed down for the 2014 budget-conscious family market.

Its origins spring from a directive from Toyota Japan that allows for the brand’s regions to take greater responsibility in the development of products appropriate for that region.

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) boss Dr Johan van Zyl also serves as managing officer for the Africa region.

TSAM manufacturing group senior VP Dave Finch says the Quest, with pricing starting at R174 900, will satisfy a market need in South Africa, while it will also put much-needed additional volumes through TSAM’s Durban plant.

The Durban plant has a yearly capacity of 220 000 units, but production reached only 156 000 units in 2013. Production is projected to reach 144 000 units in 2014 as TSAM’s export markets, especially Europe, have slowed down significantly.

Quest production will add around 8 000 units to the 2014 assembly tally and the new, eleventh-generation Corolla 16 000 units. Both will be exported to Africa, with Quest exports roughly around 200 units a month.

The Quest will be produced in left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive versions, and will have a local parts content of 55%, compared with 48% on the new Corolla.

TSAM also produces the Fortuner and Hilux at the Durban facility, with semi-knock-down assembly of Hino trucks and Quantum taxis also part of the operation.

TSAM purchasing and engineering division VP Anand Pather says Toyota identified a product gap in its South African line-up following the introduction of the tenth-generation Corolla, which moved the sedan firmly into the more expensive C-segment.

This happened around 2008, when the global recession hit home and South African consumers started a firm move towards more affordable B-segment vehicles.

While TSAM could answer this market need by importing the Etios from India, it no longer had a locally produced vehicle to satisfy demand in the budget segments.

TSAM’s market share in the B- and C-segment sedan market fell from 52% in 2008 to 48% in 2010.

“A changing market, an evolving customer and a local product gap all equated to the new Quest,” says Pather.

Pricewise, the new Quest slots in above the Aygo and the Etios, with some overlap on the Yaris hatchback. The Yaris sedan has been discontinued for a while already.

Yaris sales have “not been great”, says TSAM marketing VP Glenn Crompton, so the Quest should not cannibalise Yaris numbers.

“The Quest may add 1% to 2% to our market share.”

The Quest, with its focus on value for money, will have a life cycle of six to seven years, says Crompton.

Cutting Costs
Pather says the affordable price tag for the vehicle was achieved through, for example, the use of an already amortised production facility to produce the vehicle, 22% shared componentry between the Quest and new Corolla, and the increased use of local materials.

On the tenth-generation Corolla, for example, Toyota Japan insisted on the use of some imported materials as the vehicle would be exported globally. As the Quest is now a regional product, the roof lining, among other parts, may be made from locally sourced materials.

Certain systems and parts also became unnecessary as the Quest would only be exported into Africa, and no longer Europe, such as the expansive use of body sealer on the previous-generation Corolla, with snow corrosion no longer an issue.

Pather adds that the shared componentry between the models is more a case of the new Corolla sharing its components with the Quest than the other way around. The Quest uses the new Corolla’s seat system, for example.

Costs could also be curtailed by certain cuts in the specification level, such as the absence of low-profile tyres and large-diameter wheels found on the previous-generation Corolla.

The Quest line-up has been restricted to three models with two trim levels: the standard variant – available in manual or automatic – and the Quest Plus, available solely as a manual.

All cars come standard with an immobiliser and alarm, remote central locking, front electric windows, antilock braking system, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, dual front airbags, Isofix anchor points, air conditioning and rake/reach adjustment for the steering wheel.

The Plus model adds alloy wheels (not steel as on the base model), body-coloured door handles and an audio system, which offers radio/CD playback, as well as a USB port and auxiliary jack.

The base model comes prewired to accept an audio device and speakers.

General revisions from the old Corolla model include the deletion of the overhead console, reading map light and vanity lamp in the sun visor. The front and rear cloth door inserts have been replaced with a textured vinyl material. There has also been a switch to matt black exterior trim for the grille and numberplate garnish, as well as the relocation of the side indicator lamps from the side mirrors to the fenders.

The Quest also features new headlights and redesigned rear combination lamps.

The Corolla Quest will be offered with a single engine option, a 1.6 ℓ power plant, which is used in the eleventh-generation Corolla.

Maximum power is 90 kW at 6 000 rpm, and maximum torque of 154 Nm delivered at 5 200 rpm.

The Quest is sold with a three-year/100000 km warranty, and three-year/ 45 000 km service plan.