Toyota Is Testing Its Next Small Electric Platform Under a Frankensteined Corolla Cross

Toyota has just revealed spy shots of a heavily modified prototype that looks like an updated Corolla Cross at first glance, but hides a completely different setup underneath. A closer look reveals a significantly shorter wheelbase than the real Corolla Cross’s 103.9-inch (2,640 mm) span, incorrect headlights, a visible frame under the floorpan, and a total lack of exhaust tailpipes.

Rather than a pure EV version of the current SUV—which launched in North America in late 2021 and received a facelift for the 2026 model year—this vehicle is a test mule built to trial Toyota’s newly announced next-generation vehicle architecture. This flexible multi-pathway platform is designed to handle both EVs and hybrids using a single set of hardware, potentially opening the door for the first-ever Corolla EV.

Unlike the current TNGA platform and its separate e-TNGA variant used for bZ models, the new hardware aims to streamline development and production while allowing plants to easily adjust volumes as consumer demand shifts between powertrains. Toyota states that no powertrain will be compromised, and notes that upcoming hybrid and plug-in hybrid models will achieve a 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption by utilizing a new 1.5-liter inline-3 engine that replaces previous 1.5-liter three-cylinder and 1.8-liter inline-4 units. The new engines and platform are scheduled to hit the road next year.