JMS 2025: Radical New Toyota Corolla Concept Bows With ICE & EV Power

We continue our coverage - albeit remotely - of the Japan Mobility Show 2025 (JMS 2025) happening in Tokyo, Japan this week, and we find ourselves taking time to unpack the radical-looking new Toyota Corolla Concept.

Teased prior, it’s certain that Toyota seeks to reinvent the Corolla nameplate when its 13th generation iteration makes production. And in case you forgot, the Corolla nameplate stands as the Japanese automaking giant’s best-seller, with over 50 million units shifted since 1966.

Toyota revealed a radical and futuristic vision of the next-gen Corolla - the firm's best-selling nameplate - at JMS 2025 this week.

Redesigned in line with Toyota’s sharp new design ethos, the Corolla concept appears totally removed from the Corolla that many of us are familiar with. It’s the same story inside as the concept also bears a fully revised and highly futuristic interior.

What’s even more crucial is the fact that Toyota has confirmed a slew of powertrain types will power this concept’s production version. Aligned with its ‘Multi-Pathway’ ethos, it will include combustion (ICE), partial-electrification (hybrid and plug-in hybrid), as well as fully electric (EV).

Crucially, besides confirming production intent, Toyota also confirmed that a slew of powertrain types, namely ICE, HEV, PHEV and EV, will all be prepared for this concept's production version.

Toyota also confirmed it will employ an all-new engine featuring a highly compact packaging – one that will fit in whatever space available, which will be rather scarce underneath the Corolla concept’s sharp and highly rakish, wedge-like design.

Back to the design, the Corolla concept present itself as a sleek four-door sedan featuring notable touches like a descending window line, sculpted side panels, though the conventional door-handles do look a tad out of place to an otherwise futuristic stance overall.

Full-with LED lighting is a key theme in this sharp, wedge-like design, as well sculpted panels.

Up front, the front fenders appear to house what appears to be either a charging port or fuel flap, or perhaps both given the ‘‘Multi-Pathway’ powertrain ethos detailed prior. The rear fascia is defined by a clean and integrated ducktail spoiler that extends from the roof.

Another key theme here is the full-width LED lighting spanning across the front bumper and tailgate, both flanked pixel-like LED illuminated head- and taillights. Other key touches include the ‘Corolla’ model script embedded into the tailgate, and the deeply sculpted rear bumper.

Besides the clean overall design, note the floating centre console, intuitively positioned steering wheel controls, as well as the modestly-sized digital displays.

Inside, the aforementioned futuristic cabin sees a clean dash design sporting modestly-sized digital displays for the instrumentation and infotainment interfaces. Present too is a floating centre console housing the gear selector that’s shaped like the concept’s exterior.

Notable here too is the presence of basic controls for the infotainment and climate control grouped intuitively on each side of the steering wheel. Other interesting bits present include a cabin ambient lighting suite plus rather futuristic seat design.

Despite the radical looks, Toyota promises the eventual production version will not compromise on space or functionality, regardless of powertrain type.

Crucially, Toyota also promises there won’t be any compromises in terms of space or functionality regardless of what powertrain eventually powers the production-bound version.

Whilst production intent is clear production with the Corolla concept, Toyota did not outline any exact timeline to debut said nameplate’s next-gen iteration.

For reference, the current 12th-gen model has been around since 2018, receiving a minor facelift in 2022 prior to a major one revealed in China this year. Expect the successor to which based on this radical concept to arrive in late 2026 at the earliest.