Toyota is set for one of the biggest shake-ups ever for its best-selling car ever - the new Toyota Corolla is going electric.
Fully electric?
Yes, although there will be hybrid-engined variants too it seems. Toyota is still being a touch tight-lipped about the new Corolla, which is likely to go on sale in 2027, when the current model will be eight years old, but the concept version shown off at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo definitely hints at an all-battery version.
That's a big change...
It certainly is. Toyota has often been described as a laggard when it comes to the electric car revolution, but the company seems to be catching up fast from a late start. Indeed, the new Corolla could potentially have other powertrains too, as on the show stand, Koji Sato, Toyota's president and CEO, said: "Whether it's a battery EV, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, or internal combustion engine vehicle - whatever the power source - let's make good-looking cars that everyone will want to drive! This car is packed with inventions aimed at making that a reality.” The current betting is that the Corolla will have a mix of electric, plug-in hybrid and plain old combustion power.
Will the styling make it through unchanged?
Possibly - after all, the current Corolla was something of a styling revolution for the model when it arrived in 2019, and while it's certainly striking to look at, there's nothing on this new Corolla concept that's wildly out of line with the existing Toyota lineup. Have a look at the refreshed bZ4X and the incoming new RAV4 and you'll see what we mean.
Is the Corolla moving upmarket?
Almost certainly not, even though there's more than a little touch of Lexus to the concept's clean and classy interior.
However, Sato said that the Corolla has always been, and will remain, a proper people's car, 50-million sales on from where it began: "The Corolla is symbolic of our 'to you' - in other words, car-making for a specific someone. In line with the times and people's lives, the Corolla has always transformed for the "you" right in front of it. Regardless of its look or body type, it has always been the Corolla. That's why the Corolla has always been "a car for everyone.” To stay like that, how should the Corolla evolve? The Earth is vast, and the world is diverse. Roads differ, and so do energy realities. And there's one more thing... Wanting to drive a car that looks cool... I think that many of us share such a desire.”
Anything else at the show?
Toyota was also showing off an adaptable vehicle called the IMV Origin, which is designed to be partly-built at a factory, and then shipped out to countries with emerging economies where the basic box of components can then be easily locally adapted to the needs of that market - whether it be an MPV, a van, or a crew-cab pickup. Toyota calls this idea "deliberate incompleteness.”
Hang on, is that a sports car I see?
Oh yes, but don't get your hopes up. Also appearing at the Tokyo show is the Daihatsu K-Open. Daihatsu is a part of the broader Toyota group of course, and this ultra-cute little thing is clearly a new generation Copen, the current edition of which ends its production run in August of 2026.
This one is officially a concept for now, but production is all-but guaranteed. It has a retracting hardtop roof, a tiny Kei-compliant front-mounted engine, a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive.
While that sounds like our dream car, sadly Daihatsu doesn't sell cars in Europe anymore, and isn't likely to in the near future. There's always the private import route...