Toyota has released the first images of a new concept car that hints at the future of the long-running Corolla ahead of its unveiling at the Tokyo motor show.

The company has yet to release any firm details about the Corolla Concept, but the presence of a charging port flap on the car’s front wing suggests it is either a plug-in hybrid or battery-electric. The latter seems likely, given its distinctly futuristic appearance.

It represents a dramatic jump in design compared with the current-generation Corolla, which was launched in 2018, and has little to link it to that car visually. It appears to have been sculpted to maximise its aerodynamic performance – and therefore its theoretical electrical efficiency – with a curved streamliner-style roofline, flush door handles and a small duck-tail rear spoiler. 

Notably, it is a saloon rather than a hatchback, as is sold in the UK, but the smoothly styled front end is likely to carry over to any production version offered here.

The prospect of transitioning the Corolla – one of Toyota’s longest-running and best-selling nameplates – to electric power represents a critical moment for Toyota and carries substantial risk. It is most likely that the concept car previews an EV that will be sold alongside an updated version of today’s hybrid, allowing the company to hedge its bets. 

That would mirror the strategy being followed by rival Volkswagen, which is set to launch an all-new Golf EV later this decade and will simultaneously overhaul the current combustion-engined model so it matches the EV for design and technology.

The Corolla Concept will be detailed in full at the Tokyo motor show, which kicks off on 29 October.