Toyota Furia Concept Debut

What's New

Each year, Toyota sells nearly 300,000 Corollas. We'd tell you we wonder how, as it's the only car left in its class with a four-speed automatic transmission and is one of the least-sophisticated rides out there today in one of the market's most competitive segments. But the Corolla still boasts great fuel economy and it's designed to survive jihads, nuclear apocalypses, and zombies. It's now one of the oldest designs on the market, and Toyota knows it needs to make a class-leading car going into the second decade of the 21st century. Enter: the Toyota Corolla Furia Concept.

Who It's For

Before the North American International Auto Show, Toyota simply called it the "Furia." It's rumored that name could live on as a special edition of the Corolla, with aggressive styling and big wheels. It might even be a sports package. But take away the big wheels, loud paint, carbon fiber accents, and headlights and tail lights that couldn't possibly make it to production and what you have is the next Toyota Corolla. Toyota has a tough mission with it in that it has to cater to its current market (read: Those who only want basic transportation) while expanding sales to younger buyers who want sportier cars like the Ford Focus and Mazda3.

Key Features

The concept shown at the Detroit Auto Show was an exterior mockup of what the next Corolla could look like. There were no interior or engine specs. It's rumored that with no specs listed, it will closely follow the RAV4 in its powertrain options, albeit smaller and more efficient. We'll have to wait on more news from Toyota about the upcoming compact.

What We Think

CEO Akio Toyoda said not too long ago that his company's cars could no longer afford to be boring. While the Toyota Camry was a step in the right direction, the Scion FR-S, Toyota RAV4, and full-size Avalon have more demonstrated that the automaker's new no-nonsense direction.

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