Toyota Teases New Corolla, Luxury Coupe, and Six-Wheeled Lexus Van
Toyota is going all out for the Japan Mobility Show and announced a reveal date for its new supercar in early December.
toyota corolla concept
Toyota
Toyota teased several concepts ahead of the Japan Mobility Show that will be held later this month.
The Lexus LS name appears to be returning on a six-wheeled minivan concept, while the luxurious Century seems to be morphing into a high-riding coupe.
Toyota also appears to be working on a next-generation Corolla, presenting an electric sedan concept with an angular design.
Last week, Toyota teased its upcoming GR-badged supercar—expected to be sold as a Lexus in the United States—with a billboard at Fuji Speedway, putting the new model alongside two legends, the Toyota 2000GT and Lexus LFA. We thought Toyota might have revealed the supercar during a livestream early this morning, and while we will still have to wait a bit longer to see the high-performance coupe, the livestream was packed with interesting teasers. Specifically, Toyota hinted at a series of new concept vehicles that we expect to be unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo later this month.
A Peek Into the Future of Corolla
The current-generation Toyota Corolla sedan was introduced in the 2020 model year, and it appears Toyota is gearing up to overhaul one of its bestsellers, showing off an angular, assertive Corolla concept. Toyota didn’t release any details just yet, although what appears to be a charge port door on the front fender makes us think this sedan is electric.
Toyota
The Corolla concept’s look is futuristic and dynamic, centered around a light bar that stretches across the front end and sits beneath sharp LED eyebrows, with the main headlight units situated vertically, framing the sedan’s face. The sideview mirrors are mounted on a black band that sits on the leading edge of the front doors, while a divot is carved out of the side doors to add some visual pizzazz.
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The windshield has a dramatic rake, adding to the Corolla concept’s dynamic look, and it’s accentuated by a slanted bottom to the front side windows. At the rear, visible in a teaser video published by Toyota, there’s a full-width light bar and a small spoiler. While the concept seems to be an EV, we expect the next-generation Corolla to still be offered with internal-combustion engines, although the sedan could follow the path set out by the Camry and RAV4 by going hybrid-only.
The LS Is Back, But Not Like We Remembered
Lexus recently announced that it was discontinuing the LS sedan, the flagship that launched the brand back in 1989 and has sat atop the lineup ever since. But it appears the LS name may not be dead forever, although when it returns, it may look a bit different.
Toyota
The LS concept teased during Toyota’s livestream is not a sedan; it’s a six-wheeled minivan. Yep, you read that right. Lexus has already gotten in on the lucrative luxury minivan market in countries such as China and Japan with the LM, but this LS concept shows the brand is ready to take the people-carrier to new heights.
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Only one dark image was released, so many details are still unknown, but the glowing wheels clearly display the LS concept’s unorthodox setup. Otherwise, all we can spot are the edges of the LED lights and the faint outline of the hulking side profile. The teaser video shows the massive door sliding open to reveal a decadent interior, but we’ll have to wait for more information on this wacky concept.
A Two-Door Century
In Japan, Lexus isn’t the only luxury marque under the Toyota umbrella. For decades, the Century sedan has served as the luxury cruiser of choice for Japanese VIPs, and Toyota expanded the Century lineup with an SUV variant in 2023. Now, Toyota is teasing a Century coupe, but it’s unclear if this is a concept car or a one-off production model.
Toyota
Toyota
The front end carries a similar gravitas as the SUV, with blocky headlights and a rectangular grille that wears a cascading pattern of hexagons that transitions from indentations to actual cutouts. The side profile has a whiff of the Bentley EXP 15 concept shown this summer, with its fastback roofline, upright front end, and lifted ride height.
Toyota
Toyota
The Century coupe features a wild set of doors that appear to slide forward, while the hood features a pair of sleek vents. There appears to be no rear window, while the taillights wear the same chunky look as the headlights. If the Century coupe does reach production, it would, unfortunately, likely be restricted to the Japanese market.
The Toyota GR GT Is Nearly Here
While the Toyota GR GT supercar, which could wear the name Lexus LFR for the United States market, didn’t make its debut this morning as we had hoped, Toyota did confirm that the GR GT will debut on December 4, ahead of the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon in January.
During the livestream, Toyota also played a recording of the upcoming supercar’s engine note. To our ears, it sounded undeniably like a V-8, with a rich roar and some crackles on the downshifts. Current rumors point to a twin-turbocharged V-8 hybrid powertrain, but we’ll have to wait a few more months before it is confirmed.
Daihatsu Revives the Midget
Daihatsus were only briefly sold in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but fans of the Gran Turismo video games will be familiar with the goofy-looking Midget II, a tiny pickup truck that wears its spare tire on the front end, giving it a cyclops-like face. The Midget was discontinued over 20 years ago, but Daihatsu seems to be ready to revive the kei car, revealing a new concept called Midget X.
Toyota
Now an EV, the Midget X has a retro look, with cheery round headlights that stick out from the tall but short body. The wheels sit at the outer edges of the car, partially exposed, and the Midget X appears to have a small storage container hanging off the rear of the cabin like a backpack. While it’s still just a concept, we could easily see the Midget X going into production, although it would likely be confined to roaming the crowded streets of Japan.
More Toyota Concepts
Toyota Compact Cruiser EV Looks Cool in New Photos
Toyota Goes Micro with the FT-Me Concept
Toyota Reveals FT-Se Electric Sports-Car Concept
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Caleb Miller
Associate News Editor
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
