Toyota is reportedly planning on a mid-life facelift for the Corolla, with the updated model rumored to debut this October in Japan, featuring mild visual and technological updates. The timing of the refreshed Corolla range would align well with the GR Corolla hot hatch that is also expected to debut later this year.
The current, 12th-generation Corolla was introduced in 2018. Since its unveiling, rivals including the VW Golf and the Honda Civic have gotten all-new generations, and while sales of Toyota’s compact model are still going strong, an update would be welcome to keep it fresh.
According to Creative Trend, the facelifted Corolla won’t change a lot in terms of exterior design. Changes will be limited to new headlight and taillight graphics, alongside a tweaked grille and an updated color palette. Besides the Corolla Hatchback, similar treatment will likely be applied to the Corolla Touring Sports and the Corolla sedan which gets a different design depending on the market.
The dashboard of the US-spec Toyota Corolla
We all know that buyers want tech and since most of the rival models in the compact segment get fully digital cockpits, it is normal for Toyota to follow the trend. Currently, the Corolla is offered with either a 4.2-inch or a 7-inch screen in the instrument cluster, but that will grow to 12.3-inches just like in the EU-spec Corolla Cross. The latter has also introduced a 10.5-inch infotainment touchscreen that would work great with the upgraded CPU found in the smaller 8-inch touchscreen units of the European 2022 Toyota Corolla which also gained over-the-air update capability.
In terms of engines, Japanese media suggest that the naturally-aspirated 1.8-liter will be replaced by the 1.5-liter from the Yaris, although it will carry on as part of the Hybrid powertrain. As for the turbocharged 1.2-liter petrol, the 1.8-liter hybrid, and the 2.0-liter hybrid options, those will most likely be retained. Finally, the standard Toyota Safety Sense suite could be updated with more features.
While we take everything mentioned above with a pinch of salt, it would make sense for Toyota to update the Corolla for 2023, following the recently revised Corolla Cross. The Corolla is the most successful nameplate ever with more than 50 million sales in 12 generations between 1966 and 2021, thus a very important model for the Japanese brand.
Keyword: Toyota Corolla Could Get A Facelift In Japan Later This Year