Toyota has released the first images of a new concept car that hints at the future of the long-running Corolla ahead of its unveiling at the Tokyo motor show.
The company has yet to release any firm details about the Corolla Concept, but the presence of a charging port flap on the car’s front wing suggests it is either a plug-in hybrid or battery-electric. The latter seems likely, given its distinctly futuristic appearance.
It represents a dramatic jump in design compared with the current-generation Corolla, which was launched in 2018, and has little to link it to that car visually. It appears to have been sculpted to maximise its aerodynamic performance – and therefore its theoretical electrical efficiency – with a curved streamliner-style roofline, flush door handles and a small duck-tail rear spoiler.
Notably, it is a saloon rather than a hatchback, as is sold in the UK, but the smoothly styled front end is likely to carry over to any production version offered here.
The prospect of transitioning the Corolla – one of Toyota’s longest-running and best-selling nameplates – to electric power represents a critical moment for Toyota and carries substantial risk. It is most likely that the concept car previews an EV that will be sold alongside an updated version of today’s hybrid, allowing the company to hedge its bets.
That would mirror the strategy being followed by rival Volkswagen, which is set to launch an all-new Golf EV later this decade and will simultaneously overhaul the current combustion-engined model so it matches the EV for design and technology.
The Corolla Concept will be detailed in full at the Tokyo motor show, which kicks off on 29 October.
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I saw a rare 2025 Toyota Prius today and was reminded just how brilliant it looks in person, and this one was only Black in colour too but still had that striking shape to it. Considering just how incredibly efficient and aerodynamic it's supposed to be, I was looking at it thinking that I'd be first in line to buy one if only it was a full EV!
So, I suppse this Corolla concept means we're getting closer? It's a shame Toyota will scupper the true EV potential of their Prius/Corolla by making it a mixed use chassis for hybrids too. They should just go all in on more pure EV platforms like KIA and Hyundai have. I suppose they'd argue the market isn't there, but then KIA must be selling to somebody or they'd not have up to 5 different EV models by now with more on the way! EV2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9...
Come on, Toyota, give us the world's best EV car (not SUV) already! If anyone could, you could.
They already have a below par BEV and it's so over priced, starts from £45.5k, absolute joke. If they hadn't wasted time and money on the hydrogen powered car they'd be right up there instead of playing catch up.
Yep. Don't get me wrong, when I say this I really mean "Toyota stop messing around and just doing BEV's as compliance cars that are willfully sub-par as though to say "look EVs aren't worth it!!". Anyone who knows EVs sees what you're up to.
But I do think that if they actually tried, all that experience with their Hybrid tech should lead to some of the best EVs out there. If only they'd actually try.
Cleverly taken images haven't really given an honest appraisal of its design, but like images taken when selling a House the rooms always look bigger than they are,well these images give no real clue to what it act looks like.