Toyota's wicked SUV revealed

An exciting compact SUV is in the works.

Toyota will unveil plans for a flamboyant new variant of its popular Corolla Cross at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas next month, according to North American publication CarScoops.

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It’s inspired by Mount Nasu in Japan, which is situated around 200km from Tokyo. The mountain has five major peaks known as the Nasu Five Peaks, with the biggest elevation on Sanbonyari peak standing at 1916.9 metres. 

The multi-peaked Mount Nasu makes hiking popular in the area, while there are other outdoor adventure opportunities available such as camping. 

The word nasu has dual meanings. It means ‘to achieve’ or ‘accomplishment’ as a verb and as a noun it means 'eggplant'.

Both meanings are visible in the new concept designs. The raised driving position offers greater ground clearance for all-terrain adventuring, while the colour of the car has a tint of eggplant purple smudged with the dominant colour of rustic orange. 

The Nasu gets wide fender extensions, more obvious skid plates, rock sliders and a standout hood scoop.

It has ‘Nasu’ badging both inside and outside, and gets advanced Fox suspension, with special all-terrain tyres. There are special Nasu roof racks to increase practicality and add to the adventurous feel. 

Its interior features illuminated door sills, cargo sills and puddle lamps. 

The car has the standard 2.0-litre petrol hybrid set-up that produces 164kW and 188Nm via a four-wheel drive system, to achieve 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds. 

The Corolla Cross has been a confident seller in Australia, approaching 10,000 sales for 2025. It is unclear whether the Nasu will make its way across to Aussie shores, but its increased scope for camping and other adventuring could meet the needs of outdoor-keen buyers. 

The Nasu is one of many Toyota concepts that will be revealed at the upcoming SEMA Show early next month. The SEMA Show is the largest automatic trade show globally and will run from the 4th-7th of November.