I'll be honest, new Toyota Corollas rarely stoke my fire.
But as the Geneva Motor Show gets ready for a big bang, Toyota have confirmed that they will be debuting their new Toyota Corolla — the first all-new Corolla in quite some time. And a day prior to launch, the aforementioned leaked image of the new Auris (Europe's name for the Corolla) has popped up on social media.
It's a looker — certainly more so than the current hatch and sedan Corolla models. What we see in this single shot is a car with a simpler side profile, and more finessed and tucked set of contours.
At the back a shapely C pillar highlights a 'floating' roofline, while the front end is punctuated by an enormous grill. These changes are in line with a lot of current Toyota range, as well as being in line with the manufacturer's desire to be less boring.
Is the image legitimate? It looks like it, especially when compared to an official teaser image that Toyota released last week — as shown above.
Underneath it's based on Toyota's new TNGA platform, shared with the new Prius, Camry, and C-HR crossover. In short, we quite like this platform.
It's said that three different engines will be available will be available for European buyers; an 86kW 1.2-litre petrol engine, a 91kW 1.8-litre hybrid engine, and a 2.0-litre hybrid that produces a more powerful 134kW. Yet to be confirmed, however, if this is the mix of engines New Zealand will see.
A full report on the new Corolla will come in due course. But for now, things are looking good.