Toyota Corolla Axio and Fielder models dropped in Japan

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The cheapest versions of the Toyota Corolla line-up in Japan – popular among Australian importers thanks to its low cost and Prius-sourced hybrid powertrain – will be dropped from the range later this year after more than a decade in showrooms.

The Toyota Corolla was the best-selling car in Japan in 2024, but two Japanese-made hybrid versions – the Toyota Corolla Axio sedan and the Toyota Corolla Fielder wagon – will end on 31 October 2025, according to Response.jp.

While neither has been sold in Australia through Toyota, the cut-price commuters have been popular here with 'grey' used vehicle importers, and popular with delivery drivers and even used as taxis.

Larger than a Toyota Yaris hatchback but smaller in most dimensions than the regular Corolla as sold in Australian showrooms, the small sedan and wagon – introduced in Japan 2012 with an update in 2015 – are cheap to buy, economical to run yet offer generous cargo space.

There is currently no compact sedan nor a conventional 'station wagon' of any size on sale in Toyota Australia showrooms, adding to the Axio and Fielder's appeal.

No reason for the axing has been speculated by the Response.jp report, however the Axio and Fielder were also part of an investigation which saw Japanese sales suspended – along with the Yaris Cross deliveries in Australia – in June 2024.

A Japanese transport ministry raid found Toyota – along with Mazda, Honda and Suzuki – submitted inaccurate safety data and used specifically modified vehicles to manipulate crash-test results.

Production resumed in September 2024 after the vehicles were retested and Toyota apologised – but this may have been the catalyst for the car maker dropping them from their range, the ageing models to be effectively replaced by the new-generation Corolla that launched in 2018.

The Axio and Fielder have been hot-sellers among budget conscious car buyers in Japan – and also in a handful of other countries including New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore – their appeal extending to used-vehicle importers here.

In Japan, a brand-new Corolla Axio hybrid starts at ¥1,639,600 ($AU16,996) – cheaper than the non-Axio Corolla's ¥2,028,600 ($AU21,028) entry-level price, and cheaper again than Corolla hybrid, priced from ¥2,418,600 ($AU25,010).

That makes the Axio a pragmatic choice, able to offer ample passenger and luggage space thanks to a slightly longer body than the Corolla sedan despite a 100mm shorter wheelbase (space between the front and rear axles).

At 1695mm-a  the Axio is 85mm narrower than a Corolla, but its interior still offers a 461L boot – only nine litres less – and features including push-button start and LED headlights, even if its manual hand brake reveals its older underpinnings.

The base model is offered in Japan with a hybrid powertrain first used in the Toyota Prius hybrid no longer sold in Australia.

In the Axio, it sees a 54kW/111Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine combined with a 45kW/169Nm electric motor and nickel-metal hydride battery for a total output of 73kW.

There's also a pricier non-hybrid version topping the range with a 76kW/132Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, all-wheel drive which is manual-transmission only.

The entry-level Axio hybrid is the value pick, though, and at 1140kg and is the most economical, with an official 'suburban' (combined) fuel figure of 27.8km/L – which equates to 3.6L/100km.

The Toyota Corolla sedan sold in Australia – offered exclusively with a 103kW/185Nm four-cylinder petrol hybrid powertrain – weighs 1430kg with a combined fuel figure of 3.9L/100km

The Corolla Fielder is essentially the wagon version of the Axio, starting at ¥1,786,400 ($AU18,473) for a front-wheel drive, manual petrol version in Japan, with the hybrid priced from ¥2,359,000 ($AU24,394).

That gives buyers the same rated fuel economy as the Axio hybrid sedan, but more luggage space, its 413L boot – with a wide 1070mm opening – growing to 872L with the second-row seating folded.

That's more load space than the Corolla Touring wagon sold in Japan, which offers 802L with its rear passenger seat folded and costs $7000 more above the Fielder while using more fuel (still a frugal 3.4L/100km).

A Corolla wagon hasn't been offered in Australia since 2007 – despite a full range including sporty GR modelson sale overseas – when the tenth-generation arrived in sedan and hatch body types only.

Toyota was the best-selling car maker globally in 2024 – with 10,159,336 vehicles sold – its home market of Japan making up 4,421,494 of its world-beating total.

It also topped the Australian sales charts for the 22nd year in a row, setting an all-time record for any brand.

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