Next generation Toyota Corolla Cross.
Last Updated:
Back in 2020, the Toyota Corolla Cross was going to save Toyota’s compact SUV in the US. Since the C-HR had never been successful over here with only 49,600 sold in its best year, 2018. Which came down to about 12,000 4 years later.
The much more boring Corolla Cross was their answer for the North American market. As well as a second-generation C-HR in Europe.
The Toyota Corolla Cross did much better over here with up to 93,000 units sold last year in the US alone. And yet, Toyota doesn’t seem that happy about it. That might just be because the Corolla Cross is constantly beaten by the Honda HR-V. With over 151,000 sold in the US last year. And the HR-V doesn’t even offer a hybrid option.
It took about 4 years for Toyota to realize what everyone saw the day the Corolla Cross was introduced: it is one of the most boring, lifeless designs you can imagine.
Now Toyota is considering something “more exciting” and maybe even different designs for various markets. For 2026, the Corolla Cross has received a few upgrades. And already, the European version has a totally different front end. It seems Toyota is already working towards 2 different designs for the next-generation Corolla Cross.
This is exactly what Honda has been doing with the current HR-V. Where the European model is completely different from the one we are getting over here.
The Corolla Cross has a bigger problem in Europe than in the US. And yet, it would be really nice to see something more interesting as a new Toyota Corolla Cross.
It shouldn’t be too hard at all to do better than the current one…
(The illustration above shows what a next generation could look like, in a year or two).