2026 Toyota Corolla previewed

The next-generation Toyota Corolla has been teased in concept form ahead of the Japan Mobility Show, previewing a wedge-shaped small car more akin to a four-door sports car than mainstream consumer vehicle.

Aptly named the Corolla Concept, its reveal comes just weeks after Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley said “there’s nothing happening” regarding a 12th-gen Corolla replacement in the near future.

The concept made its debut as part of a Japanese livestream announcing five key new projects for Toyota and its Lexus, Gazoo Racing, Daihatsu and Century subsidiaries, and will be revealed in full at the Japan Mobility Show later this month.

Its slippery shape and the presence of a charging port add weight to speculation last year that the next-gen Corolla plug-in hybrid could travel up to 2100km on a full fuel load (tank and battery), thanks in part to Toyota’s ongoing ICE and EV development.

The 2026 Toyota Corolla Concept will make its public debut at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show later this month, at which point more information will be shared and we’ll get a better understanding of what to expect from the next-gen Corolla.

Our expectation is for the 13th-generation small car to be revealed next year and introduced Down Under in either late 2026 or the first half of 2027 based on previous model timelines and Hanley’s local insight.

“Typically the lifecycle of any car can be between seven to 10 years, that’s not uncommon. But [regarding a Corolla replacement], there’s nothing happening on that,” he recently told carsales.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au