The world’s best-selling car of all time is going electric. Toyota’s next-generation Corolla EV will debut on a new platform as “a considerable sense of crisis” forces the company to reinvent itself.
When is Toyota launching the next-gen Corolla EV?
With 12 model changes and over 57 million units sold since its launch 60 years ago, the Toyota Corolla has surpassed the Volkswagen Beetle to become the world’s best-selling vehicle.
The Corolla is “a symbol of Toyota,” Akio Toyoda, the company’s current chairman and former CEO, said during a recent interview with Japanese media NHK.
The special broadcast that aired on Sunday, July 19, went behind the scenes at Toyota’s “top-secret” development site, where the next-generation Corolla is being built.
While Toyota remained the world’s largest automaker in 2025, the Japanese car giant is feeling the pressure as Tesla and Chinese automakers like BYD are forcing the industry to adapt or get left behind.
“There seems to be a considerable sense of crisis within the company,” Toyoda told NHK during the 50-minute interview.
Several others who were interviewed during the broadcast expressed similar concerns. One of the engineers admitted, “I think we are losing to China,” when asked for his honest opinion about Toyota.
The special went behind the scenes at the next-gen Corolla development site. During the broadcast, a few Corolla Concept prototypes and other covered Toyota vehicles were shown in the background.
The prototype remains nearly identical to the Corolla Concept Toyota revealed at the Japan Mobility Show last October, with a low-slung silhouette and sports-car-like front end.
“Whether it’s a battery EV, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, or internal combustion engine vehicle―whatever the power source―let’s make good-looking cars that everyone will want to drive!” CEO Koji Sato said after unveiling the concept.
The next-gen Corolla is “packed with innovations,” Sato promised. It will be based on a new platform that supports all powertrain configurations, from battery electric (BEV) to plug-in hybrids to gas-powered vehicles.
During the broadcast, Toyota’s engineers expressed concerns about the company’s development cycles and manufacturing methods compared with Chinese automakers like BYD.
Toyota is keeping most details a secret, but the concept did feature a closed-off grille and charge point, suggesting it was the EV version that was under development.
Despite the emerging “sense of crisis,” the new platform set to underpin the next-gen Corolla is still expected to support EV, plug-in hybrid, traditional hybrid, and internal combustion engine (ICE) powertrains.
The report comes after Toyota canceled the Lexus LF-ZC last month, its flagship EV that was expected to debut with advanced new batteries and manufacturing methods.
Author: Peter Johnson
Source: Electrek
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
