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On January 4, Toyota officially launched two domestic three-cylinder models. The price range of the new GAC Toyota Leiling is 11.38-139800 yuan, and that of the new FAW Toyota Corolla is 11.98-159800 yuan. In addition to the current model's 1.2T four-cylinder turbocharged engine and 1.8L hybrid system, the new car also adds a 1.5L three-cylinder naturally aspirated engine, which is also the biggest change in the launch of the new car.

The new model continues the design language of the old model, and there is no big change in appearance. The appearance of the new Corolla is consistent with that of the models on sale, and the large forward air grille with C-shaped decoration on both sides is still slightly old-fashioned in shape. The new Leiling is still a black medium grid design, the front face style has increased compared with the previous generation of lines, the front wing panels on both sides are raised, and the headlights become barbed style. As for interior decoration, the two new cars also continue the design of the old model, only for some details and configuration adjustments, the overall change is not significant.

The biggest change in the launch of this new car is the addition of 1.5L three-cylinder engine models on the basis of 1.2T four-cylinder engine and 1.8L hybrid system. In terms of price, the price range of 1.5L Leiling is 11.38-127800 yuan, and that of 1.5L Carola is 10.98-132800 yuan. In terms of power, the 1.5L three-cylinder naturally aspirated engine with a maximum power of 89kw, a peak torque of 148N ·m, and a transmission system match the analog 10-speed CVT gearbox. In comparison, the power output of 1.5L three-cylinder engine is slightly better than 1.2T four-cylinder turbocharged engine, but the torque performance is obviously lower than 1.2T model.

It is worth noting that the prices of the two models have been reduced. The starting price of 1.5L Leiling is 113800 yuan, and the starting price of 1.5L Carola is 109800 yuan. The price of the two models is 2000 yuan lower than that of older models, and the price sinks or makes concessions for the development of the three-cylinder engine market.

Will Toyota's three-cylinder engine be recognized by consumers? From the perspective of power output, although the new car is equipped with 1.5L three-cylinder naturally aspirated engine, its power output is not inferior to 1.2T four-cylinder turbocharged engine, of course, 1.5L power output does not have much room to improve.

From the point of view of the market, the general acceptance of the three-cylinder engine by consumers is not high. Due to the physical factors, the three-cylinder engine has the characteristics of jitter, uneven operation and high noise, which can only be solved by various technical means. The optimization effects of different manufacturers are also very different.

From the above analysis, the increase in power output is not obvious and the torque performance is not as good as 1.2T model, although the price is down, but the room for reduction is only 2000 yuan, will consumers give up the four-cylinder model for 2000 yuan?

At present, Toyota will not use 1.5L naturally aspirated engine to completely replace 1.2T turbocharged engine in the short term, but will gradually reduce 1.2T models and expand 1.5L models to test consumers' acceptance of three-cylinder vehicles.

Industry insiders said, "Toyota does not dare to take this risk. All of a sudden, three cylinders may follow the old path of Ford and GM, and sales fall off the cliff, so Toyota chooses to keep the four-cylinder engine and increase the three-cylinder model to test the water." give consumers two choices. "

This is a "double insurance" strategy, after all, domestic consumers' acceptance of the three-cylinder engine is not high, and many brands have stumbled on the three-cylinder engine strategy. Toyota, as the world's highest-selling Toyota, has not shown absolute confidence in this particular market.

As we all know, Leiling / Corolla is the highest-selling model under GAC Toyota / FAW Toyota. Figures show that Corolla sales were 354165 in 2020, compared with Leiling's cumulative sales of 157542 in the previous November.

As the largest model under the brand, Toyota took the lead in choosing these two models with 1.5L three-cylinder engine, which also shows that Toyota has made some preparations. However, the success of Toyota's three-cylinder engine strategy will not be like other brands due to the failure of the market will give the final result.

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