Toyota Corolla EV previewed: Radical concept hints Japanese car giant’s legendary small car is going electric

Toyota has revealed a shock new concept previewing its next-generation Corolla.

The concept strongly suggests Toyota is plotting an all-electric version of the world’s top-selling passenger car of all time.

Revealed ahead of its official debut on October 29 at the Tokyo motor show, full details of what will be the 13th generation Toyota Corolla have yet to be released.

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But commentators suggest the evidence of a charging port on the front fender, plus the radical styling hints heavily that the world’s largest car-maker is plotting an all-electric Corolla.

Created to supersede the current E210-series Corolla that was launched back in 2018, the new concept indicates the all-electric replacement will come with a radical new low-drag body.

It includes a low nose and front screen that incorporates the firm’s trademark hammerhead front styling.

Sharp-looking front and rear lamps, a full-width light bar at the front and rear, slim door mirrors, pop-out door handles and a large glass panoramic roof that seamlessly stretches from the bonnet to bootlid all appear far more daring than the current car.

A ducktail spoiler is more evidence of the advanced air-bending introduced to maximise range.

Previous reports suggest that as well as offering battery-electric power for the first time, the Corolla will introduce a new family of ultra-efficient combustion engines.

They include a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder, plus a plug-in hybrid version that will source components from BYD and provide a total range of more than 2100km.

In China, Toyota has already teamed up with BYD to co-develop EVs.

It’s not known if the all-new Corolla will be the latest beneficiary of the partnership.

Toyota already offers a small EV badged the bZ3 for Chinese consumers that was developed with BYD and launched back in 2023.

As part of the new strategy, the new Corolla EV could sit on an entirely different platform to the combustion and hybrid versions.

The radical reinvention of the Corolla comes as the current hatch and sedan mark eight years on-sale.

Toyota actually extended the life of its small hatch beyond the six-year lifespan of the previous three generations.