Toyota’s new Corolla, slated for launch by 2030, is reportedly set to offer an optional new hybrid system targeting real-world fuel economy of nearly 35 km/L. When design images reported by autocar.jp were posted to 5ch’s Hello! Project board, the sweeping front end and coupe-like silhouette drew a wave of reactions like “More angular than the Prius” and “I’d believe you if you told me this was the next Lexus IS.” Some pointed out the car appears to lose its trunk, while others speculated it might be linked to rumors of the Prius being discontinued, sparking discussion about how far the Corolla has drifted from its old reputation as an everyman’s car.
Toyota plans to launch the new Corolla by 2030, with an optional new hybrid system said to achieve close to 35 km/L in real-world driving.
Looks like current Lexus styling. I'd actually believe you if you told me this was the next IS
13AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:42
Looking at this makes me think the rumors about the Prius getting discontinued are true
14AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:42
My parents bought the new Prius, and whenever I borrow it
I'm about 180cm and just sitting normally my head touches the ceiling
There's no way a Western person could ride in that
17AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:45
If they made a boxy sedan like this it'd probably sell
Kind of like what the Jimny did
19AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:46
The front end's nice
Not one of those tacky oversized grilles that are trendy right now
22AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:49
I personally hated Toyota's design up until a few years ago, but the current Prius is a design that'll go down in automotive history
This one's cool too
23AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:50
By the time it actually reaches showrooms it'll probably be toned down from this
24AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:51
If this is what Toyota's doing with the Corolla, what's the Lexus IS going to look like?
26AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:51
The Prius got a bad brand image after becoming infamous as the "missile" (slang from runaway-acceleration crash cases blamed on Prius drivers)
27AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:52
The other day I saw a test car on a regular road for the first time wrapped in some kind of camo, or mosaic-pattern wrap
Wonder what that was about
28AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:53
So the Corolla's losing its trunk
No room for golf bags — or girls — in this thing then
29AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:54
Saw somewhere that the Prius might get discontinued
Apparently since almost every model's going hybrid now, there's no more reason to specifically pick a Prius
30AnonymousNov 9, 2026 10:54
A Corolla that looks this futuristic and "cool" (not saying it actually is cool)
doesn't really feel like a Corolla anymore
even though being a little uncool was kind of its whole identity
33AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:01
What's even going on with each model's design concept these days
35AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:04
It looks cool, but it's not what I want from a Corolla
36AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:04
The old Corolla's role has basically been taken over by the Yaris
37AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:05
These past few years I've really started feeling like the day would actually come when we'd be driving cars that look like those fantasy prototype concepts from old car magazines
40AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:11
41AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:14
Back in the day basically nobody drove kei cars
and the Corolla was the car poor people drove
but now it's turned into a luxury car
These days kei cars are the norm,
and plenty of working adults can't even afford a car at all
44AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:15
This is exactly what future cars looked like in 20th-century movies, so it's exciting
45AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:16
Kei cars are "the norm"? Haven't sales dropped compared to 10 years ago?
46AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:16
That's totally ripping off the Prelude's face
47AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:17
Isn't the best-selling car in Japan the N-BOX?
48AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:17
Way too Korean-car-looking
Though it's a decent design in a market flooded with lame SUVs lately
61AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:41
Re: #48
The design work is done in America, and there are Korean designers on staff there
50AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:18
The Cybertruck is actually an homage to '80s sci-fi like Blade Runner and Aliens though
51AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:19
Oh right, I heard the Cybertruck got discontinued
52AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:20
A design that doesn't give off a trace of human warmth
54AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:22
Had to laugh — it gets double the mileage of my big motorcycle
57AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:33
If they actually sell it looking like this, it'll be about as shocking as the Isuzu VehiCROSS was
58AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:33
My sister bought a Prius but the A-pillars are brutal (massive blind spots)
59AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:33
A Flip Clip That Leans a Little Too Hard Into the Moon 【Made Seriously by JAXA Researchers】【JAXA Sagamihara Campus Open Day 2026】 – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WeN7fSwezI
64AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:44
Aren't all concept cars like this anyway?
66AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:45
"Wolf" (likely a poster's handle) — at this point it's nothing but people gushing over BYD
68AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:48
"This is the only manual transmission car we've got"
Squeezing money out of old folks
70AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:51
If I could get it for 2 million yen, I wouldn't mind trading in for one
71AnonymousNov 9, 2026 11:53
Give us an Estima with this same design language!
74AnonymousNov 9, 2026 12:03
It's not actually coming out looking exactly like this, right?
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
The Corolla was once synonymous with Japan’s best-selling “car for the everyman,” but as commenters in the thread note, the Yaris has taken over that role in recent years, while the kei-class N-BOX now holds the top spot in domestic sales. Meanwhile, Toyota has been pushing hybrid powertrains across its lineup, and car enthusiasts have long speculated that this is eroding the Prius’s reason to exist as a dedicated hybrid model. The thread split between those praising the futuristic design and those who felt it clashed with what a “Corolla” is supposed to be, with the apparent loss of a trunk also becoming a point of concern over practicality. Note that the images in question depict a pre-production concept stage, so the design is likely to be toned down by the time an actual model goes on sale.
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