Toyota may be a bit behind on electric vehicles compared to some competitors, but it’s cooking up something that will help it recover a lot of lost ground. It recently revealed a daring new Corolla concept that previews the biggest makeover in the model’s 50-year history.
The current Corolla, the 12th generation of the model, is already significantly more attractive than any previous model to bear the nameplate—it even comes as a hot hatch. But if this design is any indication, the 13th iteration is shaping up to be a true revolution.
The dramatic design direction departure isn’t the biggest change for the upcoming Corolla. What’s under the skin is equally revolutionary for this nameplate that has so far only had combustion and hybrid power.
Toyota announced at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show that it’s also going to be a fully battery electric and it could possibly get hydrogen fuel cell power too.
Dramatic Redesign
Photo by: Toyota
Clearly, big changes are coming. That’s why this Corolla concept bears no resemblance to today’s model.
Its design looks like an evolution of what Toyota has done with its bZ-badged models, but it’s sharper, sportier and even more futuristic. The concept makes Toyota’s current fully electric sedan, the bZ3, look like it could use a facelift.
While Toyota says what we saw at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show is a concept, there are signs that it’s more than that. Concepts these days aren’t what they used to be, and, in most cases, they offer a pretty good look at the production model they preview.
Up front, the concept shares the same basic light signature with other bZ models, featuring a two-tier layout with daytime running lights on top and projectors hidden behind smoked glass underneath. There’s no sign of a conventional grille, but there is a central intake in the lower part of the bumper that appears to have active shutters to close it off when cooling isn’t required.
Photo by: Toyota
From the side, the study looks like a pure electric vehicle with a very short front section and a windshield that extends very far forward. This makes it unlikely for an engine as we know it to fit under there, unless Toyota develops a new, flatter power plant and mounts it lower. The proportions will likely change slightly in the finished production car, specifically to accommodate a combustion mill under the hood, no matter how much smaller Toyota is able to make it.
The greenhouse is low and swept back, making it very sporty. This doesn’t look like a typical three-box sedan. It’s a fastback, but not a liftback, since the glass doesn’t lift when you pop the trunk. It also features a dramatic dip in the front door side glass, which follows the rake of the A-pillar and produces quite a dramatic visual effect. The strake detail on the lower part of the rear door also follows the same angle, tying the design together nicely.
Photo by: Toyota
The rear gets a wrap-around light bar that cuts deep into the sides of the car. It looks like it goes into the rear fenders about 12 inches, making it visible from the side. The design is more squared off from the rear, although it’s pretty angular throughout, and it gives the car a lot of presence and there’s a definite sporty vibe with the big 21-inch wheels and the subtly integrated ducktail spoiler.
Both front fenders get what look like charging port doors. The left rear flank features a third flap, which may hide the fuel filler cap. Even though Toyota doesn’t say it directly, the concept version of the Corolla could be a plug-in hybrid, at least conceptually.
Powertrains Galore
Photo by: Toyota
Just like BMW, which plans to offer a wide range of powertrains for its lineup in the future (the next-generation X5 with five powertrain types, including a hydrogen fuel-cell), Toyota also wants to give Corolla buyers as wide a choice as possible. Five could be the magic number for the Corolla, too, since it will be available with combustion, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and pure electric power.
The next Corolla will debut an all-new platform capable of taking all these powertrain types. Its arrival will mark a change in approach, as the manufacturer has previously offered separate lineups of electric and combustion models. The new Corolla will be the first model in its lineup to offer both combustion and pure electric power in the same model.
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Source: Motor1 Brasil
Autocar suggests that a hydrogen fuel-cell variant (featuring Toyota’s next-generation FCEV powertrain) could also be offered, but it’s not a certainty. Toyota is (along with BMW and Hyundai) one of the handful of carmakers that still believe in hydrogen as a viable means of powering electrified passenger cars, so offering a Corolla FCEV is definitely not out of the question.
Toyota has been offering fuel cell power in two generations of Mirai, and they do sell, but not in great numbers. Having this option in a Corolla could help spur adoption.
Availability
Photo by: Toyota
The Corolla has always been a global vehicle—the world’s best-seller for many years. But there have also been significant variations both in the design, body styles and powertrains available around the world. This approach will likely continue with the new model, which could still be tailored to the specific needs of certain markets.
Even today, if you buy a Corolla sedan in the U.S., it will look different from the one that’s available in Europe and feature different powertrain options. The previous generation of the vehicle, which was sold until 2016, even had a diesel option in Europe, which was never an option for the American variant.
Toyota hasn’t said that much about the car thus far. It has confirmed it will come with multiple powertrain options, as well as the fact that it will be part of the company’s strategy to “make good-looking cars that everyone will want to drive.” It has also promised that it will be “packed with inventions,” but it didn’t say what any of them are yet.
More details should start to trickle in as we get closer to the model’s official launch. We don’t know exactly when that will be, though, but since the latest generation has been on sale since 2018, it’s likely coming close to the end of its lifecycle. We can expect to see the new Corolla debut next year or at the latest in 2027.
