Toyota unveils the next-generation Corolla sedan

Ford Focus might be giving tough times to it over the last two years but the undeniable truth is that the Toyota Corolla is the largest selling automotive nameplate in history. Yes, the Corolla has sold more units than iconic big-sellers like the Beetle and Golf from Volkswagen and the Model T and F-Series from Ford.

Since its debut in 1966, the Corolla has amassed sales of nearly 40 million units spread across ten generations over 47 years. Built in 16 locations, the Corolla is sold in 154 countries around the world. When the wraps of the next-generation version of such a car is taken off, it is nothing but history in the making.

Over the years, the Corolla might have earned a staggering reputation for reliability but it's design and styling has never been its forte. No, the Corolla has never been declared ugly, but it has never been a stunner as well. All that is about to change, as Toyota has taken the feedback on the staid design of the previous Corolla quite seriously. As a result, the 11th generation Corolla looks aggressive and sporty. Gone are the unoffensive lines and in their place come muscular cuts and creases.

While the Corolla Furia Concept previewed the design direction of the new Corolla at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year, we didn't quite expect most of those elements to carry over to the production model. That's where Toyota has surprised us this time. The images in this post are of the North American Corolla, which is what we usually get in India and rest of Asia. European version of the Corolla follows the same design theme, but looks slightly different.

The front end is dominated by a large trapezoidal grille that rests below a thin air intake with the Toyota logo at the center. Though the kinked headlamps are not new , their treatment in the form of LED illumination and sharp angles on all sides is quite new. The profile is dominated by a character line that runs along the length of the car, flared wheel arches and chiseled front and rear fenders. The headlight, door handles and taillight are in sync with the character line at various points in profile. A dual-tone bumper, short deck spoiler and sharply-cut taillights are the highlights at the rear. The sporty 'S' variant with its gloss black treatment in the front grille, subtle chrome touches and meatier tires with sporty 17-inch alloy wheels look particularly impressive.

With good-looking competition in the form of Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze, the existing Toyota Corolla looked lost in the crowd. This new model will help Toyota regain a few brownie points for its design.

Looking at the image released by Toyota, the interiors doesn't look to break new ground with piano-black trim and metallic inserts occupying prominent space in the cabin. The positioning and shape of the central air-conditioner vents, for some reason, look very retro to us. In major global markets, the new Corolla is expected to be powered by a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine with two different states of tune and mated to an array of transmissions ranging from an outdated 4-speed automatic to the new 7-speed CVTi-S where 'i-S' stands for Intelligent Shift. Two driving modes, Eco and Sport would be on offer and an entire gamut of safety features would be available as standard, keeping up with the current trend. With a Coefficient of Drag of 0.28, the Corolla promises to offer excellent aerodynamics and fuel-efficiency as well.

Despite its age compared to the competition, the existing Corolla is still the top-selling car in its segment in most markets. Once this new 11th generation model goes on sale, expect the Corolla to run away with sales giving Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and Hyundai a few sleepless nights.