When photos of Toyota’s flood-damaged Prospecton plant began to emerge in the media in mid-April this year, I had serious doubts that the brand would resume operations before 2023 — if ever. The devastation reminded me of something akin to the horror Hurricane Katrina of 2005 left in her wake, albeit on a much smaller scale. The submerged facility appeared to be unsalvageable. 

During the night of 11 April, the banks of the nearby Umlazi River burst, causing a mass of water to breach the plant. Within hours, Toyota’s multibillion-rand investment of hi-tech machinery, automated equipment and thousands of vehicles — both on the line and in the lot — were flooded with dirty water. Not a square metre of the 87-hectare facility was left unscathed.

Subsequently, all production of locally produced big-sellers like the Hilux, Fortuner, HiAce, the Corolla Quest and the recently released Corolla Cross, ground to a standstill.

The flood-damaged Prospecton plant in KZN. (Photo: TMSA)

It would soon emerge that 88% of the production vehicles on site at the time were to be written off. Toyota South Africa Motors (TMSA) released a statement estimating that the suspension of operations would cause a loss of 45,000 future production units. The flood had literally put South Africa’s best-selling manufacturer in a state of disaster. 

Just five months earlier, on a bright and sunny November day in Cape Town, we’d celebrated the birth of the all-new Corolla Cross. The event was suffused with feel-good fervour, since Toyota had invested more than R2.43-billion into its Prospecton plant, creating 1,500 additional jobs along the way to support the birth of their new baby.

And so, of all the local vehicles Toyota produces, it was the loss of momentum in production and sales of the Cross that felt like the most bitter pill to swallow. 

The Corolla Cross launched in November 2021. (Photo: TMSA

Before the flood, the Corolla Cross was selling thousands of units in the highly competitive B and C compact SUV segment that hosts no less than 31 competitors, including the Ford EcoSport, the Hyundai Creta, the Mazda CX-3, Kia Seltos, Renault Duster and the Volkswagen T-Cross.

Before the flood, TMSA was enjoying an average market share of 30%. Over the following months, this shrunk to 17% in May, 18.1% in June and 16.3% in July due to an unprecedented drought in locally produced new stock.

However, against all odds, Toyota still somehow managed to hold on to its number one position in sales, thanks to imported products like the popular Starlet, Urban Cruiser, RAV and CHR.

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I was not alone in thinking that Prospecton was doomed to be non-operational until at least December 2022, but, Toyota being Toyota — and with the support of its Japanese parent company — managed the seemingly impossible. And so, amid much fanfare, TMSA triumphantly reopened the plant last month, on 16 August.

The Corolla Cross back in production at Prospecton. (Photo: TMSA)

Two weeks ago, I was invited to attend the launch of one of the first new babies to roll off the rebirthed Prospecton line — the Corolla Cross GR Sport. 

Using the same 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine as the straight Cross, the GR-S is basically a styled-up derivative with a few cosmetic changes and a “specially tuned” suspension which TMSA claims delivers “more stability during extreme cornering”. Additionally, the steering has been tweaked.

With unchanged outputs of 103kW and 172Nm, the GR-S, like the rest of the Cross range, uses a CVT gearbox, which more often than not is my least favourite of transmissions due to it often being sluggish, and usually accompanied by an irritating background whine. Thankfully, the Cross’s CVT is pretty unobtrusive and does the job just fine.

Fuel-wise, it also delivers pretty decent returns of just under 7 l/100km with a projected range of 691km.

The Cross GR-S has received black gloss treatment on its grille and side mirrors. (Photo: TMSA)

GR badging is embossed on front seats. (Photo: TMSA)

In terms of standard spec, the GR-S shares the same goodies as the top spec Corolla Cross XR derivative, but to achieve a more sporty look, it now offers a new gloss black grille and black gloss on the side mirrors, rear spoiler and roof rail.

It’s hard to miss the GR’s badging on the exterior and the large GR logo embossed on the front seat headrests. On the colour front, the GR-S is only available in red, silver and white and is not available in the hybrid guise.

On a shortish route around the Cape Peninsula, the benefit of new shock absorbers and coil springs made the GR-S a noticeably more solid drive, while the addition of power steering enabled sharper response and feedback. (The multifunctional steering wheel, found in the well-put-together cabin, also brandishes red GR stitching.)

Like its sibling XR, the GR-S offers upscaled safety by way of Toyota’s Safety Sense, which includes stuff like adaptive cruise control, hill assist, a pre-collision system, ABS, traction and stability control.

Notwithstanding the unavoidable dent in numbers during the post-flood months, the Cross appears to appeal to customers looking for a reasonably priced compact SUV with more passenger and boot space. 

It’s the largest offering in its class, with a wheelbase of 2,640mm and an overall length of 4,460mm, eclipsing most of its rivals in the proportion stakes. The generous boot space of 440 litres, and noteworthy leg and headroom for both driver and passengers, is also clearly a drawcard.

With the Cross once again moving off the Prospecton production line, it will be interesting to see how customers respond to the addition of the GR-S in the now six-strong model line-up.

With its “Corolla” badge, a sedan that has sold in excess of 50 million units over 12 generations — and now in a sought-after compact SUV form — should see sales soar.

The company is definitely back in big business, if last month’s figures are anything to go by. August was a sweet month for TMSA, posting a total of 11,138 units, up by 4,028 units compared with July. 

Pricing:

Corolla Cross 1.8 Xi                   R349,900
Corolla Cross 1.8 Xs                  R390,100
Corolla Cross 1.8 Xr                   R425,400
Corolla Cross 1.8 Hybrid Xs   R413,000
Corolla Cross 1.8 Hybrid Xr    R448,300
Corolla Cross GR-S                    R453,200 

The Corolla Cross is sold with a six services/90,000km service plan, a 3-year/100,000km warranty, while the hybrid model’s battery has an 8-year/195,000km warranty. DM