Toyota Corolla News

Toyota is preparing its new Corolla small car, which is expected to arrive in 2026.The new Corolla is expected to bring some much-needed upgrades with new hybrid powertrains.Japanese outlet, Best Car, has given us a glimpse of the new Corolla with some digital imaginings.At the heart of the new Corolla is expected to be the new 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, which is being developed along with a 2.0-litre unit.These new engines are being prepared to better accommodate electrification and will be at the heart of the brand’s new range of vehicles.The next-generation Corolla will be available with this new hybrid engine and is expected to boost power to about 110kW, up from 103kW.Improved fuel economy is the main aim of these engines and the new Corolla is expected to beat its current 4.0L/100km range and reduce its CO2 emission.This is a vital improvement as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which sets CO2 thresholds in Australia and fines carmakers that miss it, starts to bite from 2027 onwards.The new Corolla is also expected to be fitted with plug-in hybrid tech.There has been speculation the Corolla could use plug-in hybrid tech borrowed from BYD, but that is becoming increasingly unlikely.Instead Toyota could use an updated version of its plug-in hybrid system used in its Prius Prime and RAV4 Prime overseas and based on its new family of engines.This means the 1.5-litre engine could be paired with a more potent electric motor and a circa-15kWh battery to deliver meaningful electric-only range.BestCar reports the next-gen Corolla will be available in a range of body types including hatchback, sedan and wagon. Toyota isn’t expected to bring the wagon version to Australia with the majority of small-car buyers gravitating towards hatchbacks.The current-generation Corolla first went on sale in 2018, so is due to be replaced in 2026. Keep an eye out for the reveal at the 2025 Tokyo motor show in October.

Australia clocked a record number of new-car sales in 2024, proving once again how diverse our new-car market really is.

Previous reports on the next-generation Toyota Corolla suggested a shrink in body style choices, but the latest news from Japan is just the oppositeCompletely unconfirmed but with some background from inside Japanese carmaking giant Toyota, Japanese outlet BestCar believes there will be an astounding number of versions of the 2026 Toyota Corolla and it might be Toyota that saves the interesting wagon after all. Not only the hatch and sedan, a wagon version is expected and the latest news points to the revival of a lifted Subaru Outback-like wagon — the ‘Carib’ — and a Caldina GT-Four revival. Because neither of those badges have ever come to Australia, a bit of explaining is in order. In the late 1990s and early ’00s, Toyota offered a Carib version of the Corolla that, like Subaru’s Impreza Gravel Cross that morphed into today’s Crosstrek. A new version imagined by BestCar can be seen in yellow. The Caldina was based on a Corolla but was a performance-focused MPV, quite a strange vehicle, but it used the running gear from the Toyota Celica GT-Four sports car, including its turbo-petrol four-cylinder and clever all-wheel drive system. It is the white BestCar render.Why does BestCar suspect these revived names? Apparently, a cryptic email from a Toyota insider came back: “Carib = Caldina = Corolla”, that was all. For driving enthusiasts, the rebirthed Caldina GT-Four is most exciting. BestCar speculates the new model could use the GR Corolla’s 221kW 1.6-litre three-cylinder and torque splitting AWD system. The engine is getting plenty of runs on the board already, also featuring in the GR Yaris and new Lexus LBX Morizo RR. It is also expected to feature in the next GR86 sports car. The Caldina GT-Four is likely to take a closer shape to the Corolla wagon this time around, rather than the original that was a peculiar people mover. A rival to the Skoda Octavia RS, the only other true performance wagon for under $100K. As for the Carib, the much-loved Subaru Outback is soon to take on a more SUV-like form factor. That could leave the door open for Toyota to swoop in with a lifted wagon, but that’s a big stretch in Australia. Like the regular 2026 Corolla range, the new Carib is expected to use Toyota’s new down-sized Euro 7-compliant petrol-electric hybrid engines. In the Corolla’s case, a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre that will cut fuel use by 12 per cent is mooted.  A plug-in hybrid version with over 1000km driving range thanks to a BYD-supplied Blade battery is on the cards, too. Inside, expect a larger touchscreen, revisions to the cabin layout, higher quality digital instrument display and improved connected services. The new Corolla is expected to launch in 2026, around a similar time to Toyota’s new RAV4 and after the HiLux, with the small car battling the Mazda3, recently-updated Volkswagen Golf Mk8.5 and Kia's new Cerato-replacing K4. Whether additional variants like the wagon, Carib and Caldina GT-Four will come to Australia, it seems unlikely. They are not confirmed for production in general. That said, Toyota is on a roll reviving names from its back catalogue right now, including a new LFA, Celica sports car, Starlet minicar, MR2 sports car and mini Landcruiser FJ. There are also plans for new-generation GR86 and Supra sports cars in the works, so it is possible.Let us know in the comments below if you would be interested in one of Toyota’s new takes on the Corolla wagon. 

Australia’s top-selling car and the top-selling brands for 2024 have been revealed and it’s been yet another record year of sales.Last year, Australians bought 1,237,287 new vehicles, which represented a modest 1.7 per cent upswing compared with 2023 sales. It was enough to make it the biggest year of sales in Australian history.Utes and SUVs continued to dominate with just one passenger car - the Toyota Corolla - managing to remain in the top 10 best-selling models list.Almost 700,000 SUVs were sold in the calendar year compared with 270,000 light-commercial vehicles and just over 203,000 passenger cars (hatchbacks, sedans, wagons, sports cars and people movers).The top-selling model for 2024 was the Ford Ranger, repeating its 2023 win, despite a slight dip in sales to 62,593 (-1.2%).The Toyota RAV4 had its best sales year and came pretty close to toppling the Ranger, but had to settle for a still-impressive second place with 58,718 units, closely followed by its HiLux stablemate on 53,499.The Isuzu D-Max was the only other ute in the top 10, landing in fourth place with 30,194, and rounding out the top-five models was the Mitsubishi Outlander.Making up the rest of the top-10 models were Ford’s Everest, the Corolla, Mazda CX-5, MG ZS and the Kia Sportage. Check the tables below for all the figures.Toyota maintained its dominance in the industry, leading the charge with 241,296 sales, which is 12.1 per cent ahead of last year’s total.As expected, Ford leapfrogged Mazda to nab second place with a healthy 100,170 units, helped mostly by those solid Ranger and Everest numbers.Mazda dipped a little in 2024 (95,987) but remained well ahead of fourth-placed Kia on 81,787, while Mitsubishi (74,547) capped off the top-five brands.Hyundai (71,664) only just missed out on a top-five position, trailing Mitsubishi by 2883 units.MG also took a sales tumble but still stayed firm with 50,592 (-13.3%) for seventh place, while Isuzu continued to punch above its weight in eighth spot, recording 48,172 sales with just two models on sale.Nissan managed to make some gains in 2024, landing in ninth place with 45,284, and China’s GWM is now firmly a top-10 player having grabbed tenth spot with 42,782.The Chinese giant kept Subaru and Tesla out of the top list, with Subaru collecting 40,604 sales and Tesla sliding by 17 per cent to 38,347.The Model Y also just missed out on a top-10 spot for model sales, with 21,253 finding homes, a drop of 26 per cent.Despite the bumper sales year, the automotive industry’s peak body is forecasting a gloomy outlook and taking a swipe at the Federal Government’s New Vehicle Emissions Standards that kicked in on January 1.“While overall consumer preferences remain clear with SUVs and Light Commercial vehicles continuing to dominate the market and especially the top ten sales, many vehicles in these segments are either difficult or expensive to decarbonise. This will prove to be a significant challenge in meeting the extremely ambitious targets of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) which began on 1 January 2025,” Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive Tony Weber said in a media release.“The industry is responding to NVES by increasing the range of zero and low emission vehicles on offer. However, a continuation of current customer buying preferences will inevitably lead to the accrual of substantial penalties under the Government’s new scheme, which will create price inflation within the new vehicle market.”

Following its Australian launch in August 2018, the Toyota Corolla is now six years old and therefore approaching its replacement. 

Just when you thought utes and SUVs were about to completely take over Australia’s automotive scene, small cars are making something of a comeback.And it’s not the usual suspects like the Toyota Corollas and Mazda3s of the world that are bumping up interest in small sedans and hatchbacks. It is also electric cars.According to official year-to-date sales data to the end of November this year, small-car sales are up by 12 per cent compared with the same period in 2023. While that doesn’t sound like a massive increase, it represents the biggest percentage increase out of any SUV or passenger car segment.So what is driving this interest in smaller models? A couple of factors it turns out.The biggest contributor to the rise in sales is the influx of electric cars to the segment. Previously, the only electric small car was the Nissan Leaf which, while it was a pioneering EV model, never sold in huge numbers.Now there are a trio of EVs boosting the segment. The biggest selling small EV in Australia, by some margin, is the MG4 hatch. With 6079 sales, an increase of 140.6 per cent to the end of November, the MG4 is also the fifth best-selling small car.Sharp retail deals on model year 2023 MG4s, including a limited $30,990 drive-away price on the entry-level 51 Excite, helped boost interest in the Chinese-built EV.Another couple of small Chinese electric hatchbacks that are selling well include the BYD Dolphin which has found 1885 homes so far this year, an increase of 174 per cent over 2023.The GWM Ora has also nabbed 1182 sales, up by 175.5 per cent year on year.Two small EVs have seen sales drops, like the Cupra Born which has dipped by 47 per cent to 439 units, as well as the Nissan Leaf, which is down by 30.5 per cent, but that model is in runout in Australia following the end of UK production earlier this year.While EVs are doing the heavy lifting in the resurgent small-car sector, traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) small models are doing their part too.After a serious sales blip due to stock issues, the Kia Cerato is having a bumper year, with sales up by 187.5 per cent to 14,807 units, making it the second best-selling small car behind the dominant Toyota Corolla.The Cerato result is interesting given this generation went on sale in mid-2018. It is also now in runout ahead of quarter one, 2025 launch of its replacement, now dubbed the K4.The Corolla is also having a good run this year with 22,526 sales (up by 24.5%), ensuring a likely top 10 placing in the overall make/model sales chart. The Mazda3 is also in positive territory, up 13 per cent to 9618.A couple of other famous nameplates have seen sales declines, like the Hyundai i30 (11,616, -40.7%) and Volkswagen Golf (2593, -22.6%).At one point in history small cars made up one of the largest sales categories, but now with a 7.7 per cent slice of the overall market, it trails medium SUVs, 4x4 pick-ups, small SUVs and large SUVs.From 2011 to 2015 small cars ruled the top spot of the sales charts in Australia, with the Mazda3, then the Toyota Corolla taking top spot, before the Toyota HiLux ute came along and changed the face of the new-car market in 2016.

Are older cars less safe than new ones? Okay, let’s rephrase that — what if the older car was once considered very safe and the new one didn’t score so well, which is safer then?

The small-car segment is stagnant at the moment and consumers are starting to wonder where the replacements for the ageing Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 are, amongst others. Well, some are coming, others may not, and Kia may just have the answer you seek.

Toyota has announced a recall for 38,072 examples of the Corolla small car.The recall affects vehicles built from 2022 to 2024, sedan and hatchback body shapes across Ascent Sport, SX and ZR model grades.The recall notice posted by the Federal Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts states that the impacted vehicles could have an issue with braking performance.It is due to a software issue in the skid control unit, which may require higher pedal force that could result in increased braking distance under certain conditions.The recall notice says a reduction in braking performance could result in an increased risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.Toyota will contact affected owners and urge them to schedule an appointment at their closest dealership to have the software updated for free.Owners can contact the Toyota Recall Assist helpline on 1800 987 366 for more information.The Corolla recall follows just days after the company issued a recall for the Corolla Cross SUV for a potential manufacturer defect that could lead to a loss of steering.

Toyota has recalled 1271 Corolla sedan hybrids and Corolla Cross SUVs built between 2023 and 2024 due to a manufacturing defect that may cause a loss of steering control.Affected variants include the Corolla Cross hybrid (Atmos, GX, GXL), Corolla Cross petrol (Atmos, GX, GXL) and Corolla sedan hybrid (Ascent, Sport, SX).The recall notice, lodged with the Australian Government’s recall regulator, reads: “due to a manufacturing defect, cracks may develop in the upper universal joint of the steering intermediate shaft assembly.“Over time, these cracks can widen due to repeated stress and can lead to a loss of steering control.”In extreme cases, the recall notice said a loss of steering on affected vehicles could increase the risk of severe injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users.Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by a Toyota representative directly who will arrange a time to have the steering intermediate shaft replaced, free of charge.To check whether your vehicle has been impacted, you can search your VIN number on the Australian Government's Vehicle Recalls website.Alternatively, you can visit the Toyota website to find a local dealer or call 1800 987 366 for further information.