New Toyota Corolla concept to preview humble hatchback’s bold EV future at Tokyo Motor Show

It’s almost hard to believe, but this ultra-futuristic-looking concept could be our first peek at the next generation of the humble Toyota Corolla. How do we know? It says Corolla on the bootlid. 

So far, Toyota has only released these teaser images and confirmed the new concept will be one of several new creations it’s bringing to the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens its doors on 30 October. 

Another peek through a magnifying glass reveals the concept has what looks to be a charging port on the front wing. This suggests this new Corolla is either going to feature plug-in hybrid power – like the latest Toyota Prius – or it’ll be purely electric.

Our money is on the latter because Toyota has recently started to expand its range of electric cars, and an electric Corolla would finally give the Japanese brand a rival to the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3, Kia EV4 and Volvo EX30. 

If true, we think an electric Corolla would be sold alongside the current hybrid-powered model, similar to what Toyota has already done with the C-HR hybrid crossover and its all-electric C-HR+ sibling.

We’re a long way off an electric Corolla arriving in showrooms but the current hybrid model starts from around £31,000 on our Buy A Car service with Toyota dealers offering discounts of over £1,500 on top. With the CH-R starting at a similar price point and the electric CH-R+ expected to be £5,000 more, a Corolla EV might open around the £36,000 mark. 

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Toyota Corolla concept design details

You might struggle to tell that this is a Corolla because it has almost no resemblance to the current model. The sharp, angular nose design is similar to the C-HR+, but adds a full-width light bar and vertical headlights. Meanwhile the rear will have pixel-style lighting and a small ducktail spoiler, a bit like the one on the super-streamline Hyundai Ioniq 6. 

The concept isn’t a traditional hatchback either, and has a more saloon-like shape similar to the Kia EV4 Fastback. The slippier shape would help boost efficiency if this really is an EV, while having the wheels pushed out to the corners of the car will maximise cabin space. 

This is just a concept for now, and at the time of writing Toyota hasn’t shared any kind of technical details. But the Small Urban SUV concept it showed in late 2023 would go on to become the new Urban Cruiser that we drove in the summer, and the Sport Crossover concept unveiled at the same time previewed the C-HR+.

The designs of those concepts were tuned down for the road-going versions, as is often the case. Nevertheless, Toyota’s decision to use the Corolla name here suggests to us this is not a ‘pie in the sky’ kind of show car, and will give way (eventually) to a production model. 

Corolla naming strategy pushes familiarity

The use of the Corolla badge is part of Toyota’s latest naming strategy for its EVs that sees them borrow very familiar names to capitalise on their household recognition and any related nostalgia felt by the buying public.

Toyota’s UK managing director Scott Thompson told Auto Express that “Creating a brand new name plate from scratch is a fairly expensive exercise from a marketing and branding point of view.” He added, “We’ve got to try and utilise as much of our history as we can.”

Corolla is one of the longest-serving nameplates in the motoring world, having been introduced all the way back in 1966 – nearly a decade before anyone ever heard of a Volkswagen Golf. There have been 12 generations of the Corolla since then, and more than 50 million sold worldwide, so it makes sense Toyota would use such a globally recognised name for a similarly-sized EV. 

Toyota isn’t the only brand adopting this strategy. Next year Subaru will launch a rugged electric estate car called the E-Outback, meanwhile Volkswagen’s new zero-emissions supermini has officially been christened the ID. Polo. 

Earlier this year, Toyota pledged to launch nine new electric cars by the end of 2026. A Corolla wasn’t part of those plans, meaning it’s more than a year away, but among them will be the large off-roader that was previewed by the Land Cruiser Se concept from 2023 and a pick-up truck, which will surely wear the Hilux name. 

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