Did you know that the Toyota Corolla is the world’s best-selling car?  It is, and for good reason.  Going forward into its eleventh generation, the newest Corolla offers the same legendary reliability in a more refined package – or so we think.  Revealed at a line-off ceremony at Toyota Motor Company’s newest state-of-the-art Central Motor manufacturing facility in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, the new Corolla boasts increased interior volume, vastly improved visibility, a more stylish appearance, and better fuel efficiency – thanks to a new CVT transmission and engine start/stop technology.

The Corolla is offered in two different versions in Japan – the Corolla Axio (sedan) and Corolla Fielder (wagon), with more sales volume anticipated for the Fielder (for the record, the last year the Toyota Corolla wagon was on sale in the U.S. was 1997).  The version we are most likely to receive here in the United States will be a reworked version of the sedan (most likely to with a new grille and halogen reflector-style headlamps, not HIDs), but since rumblings emerged about the likely discontinuation of the Toyota Matrix, we may receive a wagon after all.  On the technical side of things, the new Corolla will be available with a choice of two different inline-four-cylinder engines – a 1.5-liter or a 1.8-liter – and a choice of a CVT or 5-speed manual transmission.  While the 1.5-liter motor boasts better fuel economy, we’re likely to only see the 1.8-liter make it to our shores.

Inside, the Corolla’s interior looks like an updated, slightly smaller version of what we can expect from the upcoming Avalon, with hints of Scion FR-S, Camry, and Prius c – the latter of which is produced in the same factory as the new Corolla.  The Japanese model appears to come available with convenience features like automatic climate control and navigation, while boasting available luxury touches, like wooden trimmings around the power controls on each door, the shift gate, center stack, and the top section of the steering wheel – that’s right – you can be “wood-grain grippin’” in a JDM Corolla if you so desire.  The new Corolla also features a higher roofline than the previous model, and a lower belt line – which, along with an expanded cabin and thinner A-pillars – creates an unprecedented amount of all-around visibility for the driver.  All this comes in a package that is not visibly larger than the current model.

Will the Corolla we receive in the ‘States look like this?  We certainly hope so.

Source – Toyota Global Showroom
Image Credit – Toyota Global Showroom