Having the largest model array of any brand means that Toyota is also planning and spending on a grand scale. Its range of vehicles available in the Japanese, US, Chinese and European markets is vast. This first of two reports looks at highlights of the global line-up and what should replace them, along with certain potential additions.
A tiny player in teeny cars, Toyota competes in Japan’s Kei segment with the aged Pixis series plus the Copen GR Sport. Volume is so small that it would not be surprising if Daihatsu has no plans to supply new equivalents when it replaces the originals.
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Even smaller than the Japanese market minis is a future rival for the Citroën Ami, Opel Rocks and Fiat Topolino. Previewed by the FT-Me at a special event in Toyota Motor Europe’s HQ city of Brussels three months ago, the prototype was 2.5 m long. Production numbers would not be large. As for where it would be manufactured, TME is not saying (Stellantis builds its triplets in low-cost Morocco).
A longer nose for the Aygo X: bigger engine coming
One size up, namely the European A segment, could not be more of a contrast. The Aygo X is a big deal and plays a major part in keeping its maker the regional number two brand. The little hatchback is to be facelifted later this year, while the base 1.0-litre engine will be replaced by a hybrid powertrain. A successor should arrive in 2028 and again built at the Kolin factory in the Czech Republic.
Big in Japan and again, Europe too, the Yaris and Yaris Cross are huge sellers. The first of these two was revealed in 2019 so the replacement will debut by 2026. Edgy styling has worked well for the hatchback and that will surely also feature next time around. The Cross should therefore gain a radical look when it is rebodied in 2027.
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By GlobalDataCorolla & Camry: still big in the PRC and the USA
Why the current E210 series Corolla has reached seven years of production is perplexing. Certainly the car sells incredibly well, especially in the USA though China and Europe are other major markets. TMC has gambled that it could extend the life of E210 and this has (so far) paid off but a new model cannot now be far away.
Facelifted for the 2025 model year in April 2024, the Camry remains a big seller in North America. There is a lot of demand for sedans of this size in the USA, as Kia, for example, has been discovering. The K5 has gone from just over 9,000 sales during the first five months of 2024 to just shy of 29,000 in 2025 (quite the contrast to what’s happening with its EV6 and EV9). Sedans of this size also do incredibly well in China; the Camry and Accord especially.
Many were stunned by TMC’s decision to break with the tradition of introducing a new model every five to six years, the XV80 series car being merely a restyle of XV70 which debuted in 2017. For this reason, a truly fresh Camry might appear as soon as 2026 or 2027, possibly bringing with it an EV option for the first time.
Gazoo Racing: MR-2 and Celica returning?
A revival of the Celica is also planned for next year or 2027, the car differing greatly from what Honda is planning for its Prelude reprise. Several generations of these models were once competitors. Whereas the latter is to be a hybrid, the Toyota should instead be powered by G20E.
A high-output 2.0-litre turbo, this engine premiered at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January. Motorsports being fundamental to the Gazoo Racing sub-brand, TMC may even return to world championship rallying with the Celica. Meanwhile, G20E should also feature in a new MR-2, the mid-engined sports car being expected to debut in 2028.
Will there also be a new 86? Apparently yes, is the surprising answer. While the USA continues to be the present model’s number one market, even there, only around 11,000 were sold in 2024. The timing of any follow-up is yet to be confirmed. Given how few of its own variant have been produced, it would be surprising if Subaru was again involved. Yet that raises the question of a production plant, not to mention engine, gearbox and platform.
A new Supra: really?
As with the Hachi Roku, it seems strange to think that a case could be made for another Supra but it seems that there will indeed be one. Akio Toyoda is especially keen to continue making GR-branded models, linking them to the company’s racing activities.
Even though Supra production is about to end, a ‘V8 Supracar’ will be entered in Australia’s much-watched V8 Supercars series next year. A full-size model was revealed at the famous Bathurst race last October with a working prototype surely certain to be revealed at this year’s event. But what will power it, and what will be the basis of the next production model?
A possible future Supra might have a Lexus (or BMW) V8 rather than a BMW straight-six turbo. There are even whispers of TMC potentially tapping Mazda for both platform and engine. It is worth noting however, that no camouflaged cars have been seen testing in Japan or elsewhere.
Half the size of BYD in China but still a big player
Number four behind BYD, VW and Geely, Toyota remains a major force in China. With more than half a million locally manufactured passenger vehicles delivered year to date, the brand is way ahead of next placed Wuling. Unusually, four models all do a fairly similar amount of sales volume, these being the Camry, Corolla and RAV4, along with the Front Lander, a special vehicle for the PRC.
Relatively weak in EVs, Toyota is nonetheless catching up fast: in only its second month on the market, deliveries of the new bZ3X exceeded 6,000 units. This low-priced electric 4.6 m long SUV is a JV with GAC, whereas its bZ3C crossover brother is part of a three-way alliance with FAW and BYD. The life cycles of both models should be six-seven years so a next generation bZ3X would be due in 2031/2032 after a facelift in 2028 or 2029.
Will a big electric sedan do better than China’s VW ID.7?
Another EV in the bZ series is coming in 2026. Developed specifically for China by GAC-Toyota, the bZ7 will be a large sedan. A 5m+ long prototype debuted at Auto Shanghai in April. This model will be positioned above the bZ5, production of which has just commenced in Tianjin. The platform is eTNGA. A six-year lifecycle can be presumed so a facelift is due in mid-2028.
FAW-Toyota developed the bZ5, premiering it at Auto Shanghai in April. The 4,780 mm long electric SUV evolved out of the bZ3C and bZ Sport Crossover concept prototypes. It features a 200 kW motor along with (BYD-owned) FinDreams 65 kW and 74 kWh Blade batteries. Sales are off to an especially strong start, helped greatly by pricing which commences below 130,000 yuan or circa 18,000 US dollars.
Hydrogen fuel cells & Solid-state batteries
TMC refuses to give up on hydrogen. The current Mirai has been greatly admired though for all the usual reasons with fuel cell vehicles, production ticks along fairly slowly. A replacement is coming in 2028, part of a venture with BMW AG.
All-Solid-State-Batteries are also another fledgling technology which continues to be worked on quietly. TMC does not see itself selling tens of thousands of ASSB-equipped EVs annually until the 2030s. The company continues to work with Idemitsu Kosan, an oil refiner, in developing such cells packs, initially for the Japanese and Chinese markets.
