2023 Corolla Hybrid Final Specs

2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid jacks up the power and torque but at the cost of a mileage drop. It does have a $1,250 drop in price, probably to cover the loss in gas mileage.

Toyota Boosts 2023 Corolla Hybrid with All-New Infrared Edition, New Grades and Available AWD - Toyota USA Newsroom
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Some impressive stuff: Get an AWD option for the first time and bump in power everywhere. The rear motor is not the Prius AWD rear motor you would have expected. You are looking at a 30kW (40hp) rear motor, which incidentally is the same as the Corolla Cross Hybrid in Europe, versus the 5kW (7hp) rear motor for the Prius AWD. I would expect the rear motor to be the same as the US Corolla Cross Hybrid version when it gets the final specs. The front motor posted a jump from 53kW (71hp) to 70kW (93hp). So they want performance in their hybrids as this 2023 model posted a 11% gain of 100kW (134hp) over the 90kW (121hp) for the 2022 model. The weight hasn't changed between the 2022 and 2023 model so this will give it a nice push off the line. I'm waiting for European specs to compare the battery and specs for the European models.

Some people will be not happy with the final FWD EPA mileage specs:
City: 50mpg (4.7L/100km)
Highway: 43mpg (5.5L/100km)
Combined: 47mpg (5.0L/100km)

2022 EPA
City: 53mpg
Highway: 52mpg
Combined: 52mpg

The big question is, is this a sign for the future Prius?

 

Might be some truth to that. Makes the Prius AWD look great even though the Prius AWD outweighs Corolla Hybrid AWD by some 360lbs (163kg). Look at the Prius AWD versus the Corolla Hybrid AWD:

Prius AWD
City: 51mpg (4.6L/100km)
Highway: 47mpg (5.0L/100km)
Combined: 49mpg (4.8L/100km)

Corolla Hybrid AWD
City: 47mpg (5.0L/100km)
Highway: 41mpg (5.7L/100km)
Combined: 44mpg (5.4L/100km)

It probably is more of a sign of why Toyota estimated the Corolla Cross Hybrid at 37mpg. At probably around 3,300lb (1,497kg) the Corolla Cross Hybrid is probably 450lbs (204kg) more than the 2023 Corolla Hybrid AWD at 2,850lbs (1,293kg). Then you add in boxy SUV versus a sleek sedan = . Maybe the 2.0L is more efficient but I'm sure it can't cancel out the difference.

 

You're probably correct about the Prius - maybe and in the short term. The Japanese media thinks the WLTC consumption for the 2023 Prius (slated to go sale in December) should be around 40km/L (94mpg) that was written about in other threads. I have doubts because the new 1.8L looks like it's more powerful not more economical unless they use a different ECM for the Prius. The Prius Prime definitely looks to be a performance model with its 2.0L engine and unknown battery pack. Their assumption, reads more like a wish list than an actual prediction, is the next generation Prius should get 100km/L, but..... not without some enormous changes. Like the Prius will become a standard PHEV and, from the latest article, have a 1.5L 3-cylinder engine and a 10kWh bipolar nickel-metal hydride battery. Sorry couldn't help myself on that one. Here's the link and a partial translation:
新型プリウス今年12月発売!! トヨタしかできない!! 次期型に期待する「サプライズ」 - 自動車情報誌「ベストカー」

"If you want to improve fuel efficiency, you don't have to stick to body style
　The current Prius PHV consists of a 1.8L straight 4 gasoline engine + plug-in hybrid. The battery capacity is 8.8 kWh (RAV4 PHV is 18.1 kWh), which has been reduced as much as possible to keep vehicle prices from rising.

　The author predicts that the next-generation Prius will combine a new unit based on the 1.5L 3-cylinder engine installed in Yaris and Aqua with a power battery adjusted to an appropriate capacity (predicted to be a bipolar nickel-metal hydride battery of about 10kWh). , 100 kg weight reduction (1410 kg ← current PHV is 1510 kg), and a form that further pursues aerodynamics (Cd value 0.21 ← current Prius PHV is 0.25, 0.21 is the same as Hyundai's "IONIQ 6") I predict that it will appear in

　Fuel consumption is 100km/L. In order to improve fuel efficiency, I think that it is good to break away from the style between the hatchback and the sedan now. Just as the new Crown took a "big challenge" with its design, I'd love to see the next Prius focused on technology."

We're talking 2026 and up here.

 

Well Europe has announced they are producing the 2023 Corolla for their markets which is mostly hybrid and consists of the Corolla Sedan, Hatchback and the cool Touring Sports (their version of a real Corolla wagon). They are concentrating on the 1.8L variety where the motors and electronics are produced in Poland while UK is responsible for a new 1.8L engine and assembles the final car. This is the 140hp system. We'll get final specs on the cars shortly after.

Toyota starts production of 5th generation hybrid powertrain in Europe

 

Yeah they have to meet the "Norway target 2020" of 85 g/km of CO2 which the new 1.8L meets (the old, read current, 1.8L puts out 86 g/km) but even the new Dynamic Force 2.0L puts out 92 g/km. I think that's why Toyota is starting to focus on the 1.5L 3 cylinder (3/4s of the 2.0L Dynamic Force) for future gas engines in order to meet EU target 2025 of 80.8 g/km. Probably why some Japanese scoop sites are saying this is the future engine of the 2025 Prius Prime. Curiously both the 1.8L and 2.0L meet the current EU Target 2021 of 95 g/km but of course these are fleet measurements so they probably need to get lower to make up for the RAV4 (100 g/km - hybrid), Highlander (146 g/km - hybrid) and variants of the Land Cruiser.