Toyota Corolla Sedan.

It looks like Toyota is not ready to give us an all-new generation of the Corolla yet. Meanwhile, it will try to make the current model look a bit more like the Prius. At least in the Chinese market. Not sure yet of these changes are coming over here or not. Or even it the interior has been modified as well. (Probably not…)

The Toyota Corolla has been one of the most popular cars in the world for many years. The current, 12th generation, came out back in March 2018. That means a new one is due out pretty soon.

In the US, sedans are not as popular as they used to be, and sales of the current Corolla aren’t as high as previous generations. With stratospheric numbers like 387,000 in 2006 or 378,000 in 2016. However, the current Toyota Corolla is still very popular over here with over 232,000 units sold in the US last year. Not bad for a car that came out in 2018. Even if that is about 10,000 units shy of the newer Honda Civic.

Besides a few revisions, the main event could be the all-new 1.5-liter engine. However, Toyota’s new engines might not be ready until the next-generation.

The new unit will be used in the improved Hybrid powertrain as well. And with an all-new PHEV version. The new 1.5 engine is about 10% smaller than the engine it will replace and will be more fuel efficient as well as more powerful. 

The new 1.5 Turbo was also shown at a press conference last year, and it was mentioned to be 20% smaller than the current 2.5-liter. Which could mean it will soon replace the much larger 2.5-liter used in many Toyota models. A 2.0 2.0-liter turbo was also displayed and compared to the current 2.4-liter turbo. 

These are weird comparisons since, of course, a 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter engine would obviously be smaller and more efficient than today’s larger 2.5-liter or 2.4-liter engines. It seems Toyota really wants to make sure people know they are still developing new ICE engines, even if these will mostly be used in new Hybrid powertrains. These new engines will also be used in various Mazda and Subaru models. Again, as part of Hybrid powertrains. 

With a new PHEV trim available, it will be interesting to see if Toyota will go “full hybrid” with the next-generation Corolla in the US. Just like they did with the Camry.