Ahead of the upcoming Japan Mobility Show (JMS) 2025, which will take place from October 30 to November 9, Toyota is teasing a Corolla-branded concept car that is reportedly chargeable.
Meaning it is either fully electric or a plug-in hybrid, a bridge between the traditional Corolla and the carmaker’s fully electric future, as it is Toyota’s best-selling nameplate ever.
Slow in EV transition
It’s an angular, sharply styled sedan design with more aggressive geometry than current Corollas, the ‘People’s Car’ that was born in 1966 to motorized postwar Japan and became the world’s best-selling car line, with over 50 million units sold worldwide.
Toyota has been slow to transition to all-electric vehicles compared to its rivals, but it has invested heavily in hybridization and solid-state battery research and development.
Now, it has teased several concept vehicles that it plans to unveil at the JMS, which include some bold experiments and others closer to possible production models.
There is the Century “One of One” coupe, an ultra-luxury two-door with forward-sliding doors, a sleek fastback silhouette, and minimal rear windows, which is likely more of a ‘halo-statement’ project than a volume production vehicle.
Six-wheel luxury van
Another eye-catcher is a radical reinterpretation of the Lexus LS, not a sedan but a large MPV luxury van with six wheels. That one is very experimental, likely a showpiece to push boundaries.
A more down-to-earth option could be a GR Supercar or LFR successor, a performance concept teased with a new front end, potentially featuring a V-8 hybrid, as the teaser plays engine sounds of an inline-6 or V10 engine.
Still, the most interesting is the Corolla concept, which appears ‘electrified’ with its full-width LED light bar at both the front and rear, and a charging port on the front fender, suggesting at least a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or full battery-electric (BEV) variant.
It’s definitely a Corolla family member because the name tag is clearly visible on the rear of the teaser images. Because the concept still has some ‘conventional’ elements (mirrors, defined sedan shape), the production version may not be as radical, but will likely take much inspiration from this concept.
Little to nothing is known yet
Furthermore, there is currently no information available about the ‘next-generation-Corolla’. No powertrain options, interior views, tech features, and how close this is to a production car.
Given Toyota’s pioneering role and attachment to the hybrid concept, it’s likely Toyota will still offer internal combustion or hybrid options as those are today successful globally, bridging the ICE and EV eras.
Essentially, Toyota seems to be reclaiming the Corolla’s original spirit, but for the EV era. When it debuted in the 1960s, the Corolla made modern personal transport attainable for average people. Now, this new concept hints that Toyota wants to make EV mobility equally accessible, a ‘people’s electric car.’
Introduced in 1966, the first Corolla was a compact, affordable sedan meant to motorize postwar Japan. It was simple, reliable, and economical, and instantly successful in Japan and later globally.
By 1974, it became the world’s best-selling car line, a position it has held for decades. Typical traits included a front-engine, rear-wheel drive configuration, small 1.1- to 1.6-liter engines, a very light design, and a focus on fuel economy and ease of ownership.
In the 80s, the Corolla became Toyota’s global flagship compact, built in plants worldwide. In 1983, it shifted to front-wheel drive (E80 generation), marking a major mechanical transformation.
Extremely conservative
The design of the Corolla in the 90s remained extremely conservative, as Toyota’s main goal was to achieve universal appeal and low cost of ownership. Toyota’s obsessive quality control made these 1990s models virtually unkillable, a key reason for the Corolla’s long-term reputation.
Hybrids and new safety technologies emerged in the 2010s, with 2018 marking a significant leap in design and engineering. This made the vehicles less boring, featuring sharper, more aggressive styling and utilizing the TNGA platform.
The result was a lower center of gravity, a stiffer body, and sportier handling, as well as more global unification: the hatch, sedan, and wagon now shared more design DNA.
The Corolla is to Toyota what the Golf is to Volkswagen, or the Civic is to Honda, the brand’s global core identity. If Toyota turns the Corolla into an authentic EV and not just a hybrid, it signals a mainstreaming of Toyota’s electric strategy. Wait and see.
