UPDATE: 2026/08/01 10:30 EST BY DAN CLOUGHER
We take a look at other recent releases from the world’s largest automaker.
Toyota’s next-generation Corolla concept was a wild departure from anything the company had ever built before. But it looks like that wild ride is headed to market, because a new documentary series in Japan showed it with a little more clarity than perhaps Toyota likely intended.
In the documentary, company workers are watching a new vehicle presentation that shows us the all-angles Corolla is real.
New Documentary Shows Concept Car Corolla. Maybe
New Toyota Corolla Concept JMSRoger Biermann/CarBuzz/Valnet
Toyota and Japanese broadcaster NHK are airing a series taking a look inside the automaker. One clip shows a group of employees who are being shown a series of new Toyota models. They’re all blurred, but the blue car sitting front and center is still very identifiable as the 2025 Corolla concept car made real. A post on X from GearheadCole (embedded below) shows the scenes.
The NHK documentary is well locked down outside of the country, but that hasn’t stopped still images from getting out. Along with those images, reports say that the new model will offer PHEV and fully electric variants for the first time on Corolla. The typical hybrid models will also be offered, and there will be a GR performance version.
You can clearly see the resemblance between the concept and production cars despite the filter. The two have a similar long profile with ultra-short overhangs, especially at the front. They also have the same front window cut that should improve visibility and enhance the style. Rolling the glass fully down might be an engineering challenge, though.
Will This Be The Wildest Corolla Ever?
New Toyota Corolla Concept JMSRoger Biermann/CarBuzz/Valnet
If Toyota is bringing the concept car bodywork to market, it might do the same with the cabin. Some elements of the concept car, like the floating center console, might not work. Others could, like the passenger-side screen and controls in a binnacle off of the steering wheel. Much of the dash of the concept car is similar to what you’ll find in the bZ Woodland and C-HR.
Some other stills posted to X confirm the four drive systems. There are other upcoming Toyota models hidden in the blur, but we can’t see enough to guess what they might be. One appears to be a sports car, or at least something worthy of bright orange paint. Is it the MR-2 successor? Maybe.
A Busy Time For Toyota
2027 Toyota Highlander EVToyota
The world’s largest automaker never stands still. It simply cannot afford to, as competition is always hot on its heels. Toyota has been busy debuting new and important models all throughout 2026, and the Corolla is just the latest to join this list. It also marks a refreshing change from SUV introductions, with prior arrivals being the return of the C-HR crossover, the bZ4X-replacing bZ, and bZ Woodland, plus the all-electric all-new Highlander and evergreen RAV4.
Much like the RAV4, this all-new Corolla will have huge shoes to fill. It’s models like these that will likely determine the success of Toyota as a brand over the next five-plus years, so getting it right really matters.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
New Toyota Corolla Concept JMSRoger Biermann/CarBuzz/Valnet
Toyota hasn’t exactly been a style leader, at least not for a very long time. The Corolla has reflected this going back to its origins, and even the most interesting performance-wise have been largely dull in the design department. It’s part of the model’s perceived reliability.
This new car could be Toyota’s wildest design since the Supra and possibly the most adventurous Corolla ever. That’s a big risk for a company not known for taking them. It’s certainly the closest Toyota has come to meeting former CEO Akiyo Toyoda’s call for “no boring cars.”
The current Toyota Corolla, the 12th generation of the car, first went on sale in 2018. That makes it one of Toyota’s oldest models, though it did get a mild refresh for model year 2023 in the US. With that in mind, expect the newest Corolla to arrive for model year 2027 or, more likely, the current car’s 10th anniversary.
