Presumably tired of Chinese rivals dominating the news cycle, Toyota has announced a veritable onslaught of concepts headed to the Japan Mobility Show (JMS) at the end of the month. This time around, the carmaker is determined to make a splash with a six-wheeled MPV, an ultra-luxurious SUV coupé, a supercar and a wholesale reinvention of what is arguably its most important nameplate.
Let’s start with the most pertinent for us – the Corolla Concept. Yes, the staid sedan is getting a makeover that will make it far more interesting, at least to look at. Judging from the few images, the car will sport a striking front end with large inverted L-shaped headlights, full-width illuminated bars, chiselled flanks, a pronounced ducktail spoiler and a distinctive plunging window line to improve forward visibility.
We can also spot a grille-less front end and a charging port on the front fender, suggesting that the car will be an EV – or at the very least, a plug-in hybrid. No word yet if the production version will replace the petrol and hybrid versions that are popular the world over.
An even bigger surprise is Lexus, which is revealing a concept previewing the forthcoming LS. The brand’s seminal luxury sedan has been canned and its replacement, as you can see from the image above, will take the form of an MPV.
And quite an outlandish one at that, sporting six wheels and a space shuttle-esque design made out of diagonal lines. The outline of the seats visible through the semi-transparent rear side windows hint that it will seat six or seven people in utmost comfort and luxury.
Of course, Lexus already sells a posh MPV in the form of the LM, which costs well over a million ringgit and can be had in ultimate towkay-spec four-seater LM500h trim. Whether this new LS will replace it or become an even more upmarket flagship – perhaps with an electric drivetrain – remains to be seen.
Staying on the luxury theme, Toyota is pushing the Century further into the realm of the SUV with the One of One show car. While no details have been released just yet, it does appear that the company is evolving the typically chauffeur-driven vehicle into the one where the driver takes over, given that rear seat space of this rather sporty-looking crossover coupé looks to be decidedly lacking.
To aid entry and egress, the One of One receives a wild forward-sliding passenger-side door and a smaller rear portal, with the driver instead getting a regular swinging door. Also visible is the Century SUV’s trademark dual-tier head- and taillights, as well as an intricate hexagonal grille mesh topped by the sub-brand’s phoenix badge. The overall effect is very Bentley EXP 15.
But perhaps the biggest bombshell is a new, long-rumoured supercar, previously shown in camouflaged form as the GT Concept at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The resemblance to the prototype is obvious, sporting the same sharp headlights joined by a gloss black bar, an X-shaped bumper design and large air intakes. Parking sensors suggest this is actually a production model, not just a concept.
You can just about spot the Gazoo Racing badge in the lower grille, which suggests that this car will be sold under the main Toyota marque rather than wearing the Lexus badge as previously rumoured. To be fair, the premium offshoot has already teased its own version in the shape of the Sport Concept at The Quail in Monterrey, California, previewing a spiritual successor to the legendary LFA – albeit with an expected twin-turbo V8 replacing the sonorous naturally-aspirated V10.
GALLERY: Toyota Century One of One Concept
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Source: Toyota teases wild Japan Mobility Show concepts – new Corolla, Lexus LS 6-wheeled MPV, GR supercar!
