2028 Toyota Corolla Preview.
Toyota unveiled a very impressive and quite futuristic Corolla Concept last year. It even reminded me a little bit of the flying car from Blade Runner, for some reason. But as we know, the production version will have to be quite different. The illustrations above show what a new production version of the redesigned 2028 Toyota Corolla could look like.
A design that would keep many cues from the concept. However, the new Hyundai Elantra is pretty out there and it is a production car. Which does look like what concept cars used to look just a few years ago. So who knows, the new Corolla could end up looking even closer to the concept.
The concept, with its charging port, strongly suggested this could be an electric vehicle. Or at the very least, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Now we have more news. The new 13th generation Toyota Corolla is rumored to be introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Which does make sense, since that’s where the current Prius and Camry where introduced.
It is now reported the next Corolla will might introduce a new Hybrid System using a new 1.5 Liter engine. The new Engine will not have a Turbo. The new 1.5-liter unit is expected to power an improved hybrid setup. And possibly an all-new PHEV version as well. Toyota claims the engine is about 10% smaller than the one it replaces, while delivering better fuel efficiency and increased performance. That combination should help the Corolla stay competitive in a segment where efficiency numbers matter more than ever. That could also mean the next Corolla will end up being more efficient than the Prius…
The Toyota Corolla has been one of the best-selling cars in the world for decades. The current 12th generation debuted back in March 2018. In the U.S., sedans are not as dominant as they once were. Crossovers and SUVs now lead the market. And Corolla sales aren’t as high as they were during peak years like 387,000 units in 2006 or 378,000 in 2016. Still, the current Corolla remains surprisingly strong. Almost 250,000 units were sold in the U.S. last year alone. That’s quite impressive for a model that first appeared in 2018.
With a possible PHEV trim and maybe even a fully electric version on the horizon, it will be very interesting to see whether Toyota decides to go “full hybrid” with the next-generation Corolla in the U.S. Just like it recently did with the Toyota Camry. If that happens, the Corolla could enter a completely new chapter.
It seems the compact sedan segment is shaking up and becoming more interesting.
The new Elantra looks quite stunning, and this new Corolla might be a nice surprise as well. And the next Civic could morph into the Hybrid Sedan concept we saw a few weeks ago.
