Ohayo from Tokyo Big Sight, home of the Japan Mobility Show, previously known as the Tokyo Motor Show. Toyota took the venue’s entire South Hall to show its strength in depth – you’ll find the future of everything from Daihatsu’s kei cars (take my money please, my wallet is K-Open!) to the giants of the Century Brand. Those two extremes are very cool, but what’s matters more to most people across the world are products from the company’s eponymous brand. And from Toyota’s catalogue, few names have served as many families across generations as Corolla. We have a new Corolla here at JMS 2025 and it’s a shocker – just look at this thing! “The Corolla is symbolic of our ‘to you’ ― in other words, car-making for a specific someone. In line with the times and people’s lives, the Corolla has always transformed for the ‘you’ right in front of it. Regardless of its look or body type, it has always been the Corolla. That’s why the Corolla has always been ‘a car for everyone’. To stay like that, how should the Corolla evolve?” Toyota president and CEO Koji Sato mused on stage. The Corolla sedan has always been an inoffensive ‘people’s car’, and the current version in showrooms follows the trend. But if this concept is anything to go by, Toyota is ready to shock with the Corolla, just like how it did with the current Crown range in 2022. Looking very much like a concept car, the JMS showcar has clearly demarcated top and bottom portions. The roof part of the car features huge glass panels (see how far back the windscreen stretches) and visibility is further enhanced with the bottom line of the daylight opening dropping dramatically to go under the wing mirrors. It’s going to be ‘very spaceship’ from inside. That prominent feature joints a vertical strip with some lighting, which reminds us of the FT-3e Concept from JMS 2023, which also made a visit to Malaysia for KLIMS 2024. In fact, this Corolla proposal is sort of like a lowered sedan version of the FT-3e SUV. In front, Toyota’s current ‘hammerhead’ look pioneered by the fifth-generation Prius in 2022 gets an LED light strip to bridge the lights. There’s a square ‘jaw’ to frame the face, but no grille – this Corolla concept looks very much an EV, but… “Whether it’s a battery EV, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, or internal combustion engine vehicle – whatever the power source – let’s make good-looking cars that everyone will want to drive! This car is packed with inventions aimed at making that a reality,” Sato said. “The earth is vast, and the world is diverse. Roads differ, and so do energy realities. That said, there’s one thing that we all share: a sense of caring for the earth. And there’s one more thing… wanting to drive a car that looks cool… I think that many of us share such a desire,” Sato added. Expect multi paths to carbon neutrality from Toyota. Note the charging flap on the front wing. At the back, the dark glasshouse is ‘pinched’ into a narrow middle section highlighted by a spoiler, and flanked by broad shoulders. A wraparound LED strip sits above central ‘Corolla’ branding, and there’s as much empty space as the front end. The Corolla Concept’s super minimalist cockpit is a big departure from the central screen layout that’s now common in the industry. The driver gets a screen as his/her instrument display, and the other screen is exclusively for the front passenger, divided by a centre console that looks like a fancy nightstand. The big windscreen we mentioned earlier? The floating rear-view mirror illustrates how far it recedes. No technical details or timeline yet, but the left-hand-drive JMS showcar could be a possible hint at the priority for the Corolla, which is definitely not Japan – here, cars are often smaller or bigger than the Corolla and its rivals like the Civic. For now, what do you think of this next-gen Toyota Corolla proposal? Do you like where the big T is going with design? GALLERY: 2025 Toyota Corolla Concept Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater.