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Following in the footsteps of the Camry, the Toyota Corolla could get an extensive overhaul based on the current model.
Images of a 2026 Toyota Corolla sedan have surfaced, revealing a model that will receive updated styling but a carryover body structure.
Images published by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show Toyota’s new hammerhead styling cues applied at the front of the Corolla sedan, but a large portion of the bodywork left unchanged.
The move would not be unprecedented, with the current Camry and new-generation RAV4 using a similar carryover structure, albeit with more comprehensive changes.
The next Toyota HiLux also appears to follow a similar update cycle, with the chassis and cabin structure for the new model carried over from the current generation, but new front and rear bodywork to modernise the styling.
These Chinese images, which depict the Corolla Allion as it’s called there, suggest the doors, front guards, rear quarter panel, and roof of the current Corolla will be reused.
Front-end styling gets the biggest overhaul with changes to the bonnet, front bumper, and headlights.
The slim C-shaped headlight and connected grille of the Corolla adopt the styling signature seen on models like the Camry, C-HR and RAV4, as well as a range of new models sold overseas.
Rear styling also gets revised, with a new boot lid, rear bumper and tail lights.
Rear changes are less pronounced and don’t provide the same clear difference as those made to the Camry.
Styling for the current Corolla sedan sold in China differs slightly from the version sold in Australia, with unique bumpers, but body styling that’s largely the same as the version sold locally.
While the updates focus on the Corolla sedan, similar changes could be applied to the Corolla hatch.
Toyota also offers a region-specific version of the Corolla in North America, meaning the updated model may differ by market and could see different styling or more comprehensive changes in other parts of the world.
Media reports out of Japan suggest that the next model will again be offered as a hatch, sedan and wagon.
Toyota’s modular GA-C platform, which underpins the Corolla, has yet to get the same partial-update cycle as seen on vehicles like the GA-K-based Camry and RAV4.
With Toyota splitting development costs between its range of internal combustion models, and a wide range of newly-developed electric vehicles due over the coming years, the cost saving of reusing key structural components is becoming more commonplace.
The current-generation Corolla debuted in 2018, bringing it close to the end of the seven-year product lifespan usually seen from recent generations of the small car.
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
