(Update: Toyota has since told Automotive News, “We don’t have anything planned. We’re not announcing anything to the dealers. I won’t even say ‘yet’ because that would suggest it’s coming. But certainly, it’s something we’ve looked at.”)
When you look at the Dodge Challenger, it’s easy to imagine it with a truck bed. Dodge may have refused to El Camino (or in this case, Rampage) the Challenger, but if it had given us the Challenger truck we deserved, we highly doubt anyone would have been surprised. But has anyone ever looked at the Toyota Corolla and thought, “Man, I really wish someone would build a Corolla truck”? OK, maybe a handful of people but not many. Apparently, though, at least one of them works for Toyota.
Automotive News recently published a list of changes that it believes will happen to the Toyota lineup, and while most of it was not particularly exciting (expect a Tacoma refresh in 2027!), one thing really stood out. Allegedly, Toyota is considering adding a Ford Maverick rival to its lineup, and it’ll be based on the Toyota Corolla. According to Automotive News, the Corollatruck isn’t a done deal just yet and “remains under discussion,” but the Japanese automaker is seriously considering it.
If Toyota actually does put the Corollatruck into production, it will reportedly be built in the same Mississippi factory as the non-truckified Corolla. Just don’t expect to see it on dealer lots before 2027 even if Toyota confirms this is happening. And honestly, we wouldn’t be surprised if it does. The Ford Maverick’s success, and to some extent the existence of the Hyundai Santa Cruz, shows the demand is there for car-based trucks. And the Corolla platform already underpins a solid crossover in the form of the Corolla Cross, so who’s to say it wouldn’t work in truck form as well?
Since this is only a rumor at this point, there aren’t any powertrain details, but you can probably assume that if the Corollatruck makes it to production, it will probably get whatever the Corolla Cross offers, which means a hybrid is almost guaranteed. But will there still be room for Toyota to take market share from its competitors by the time it finally gets around to selling a car-based truck? In four years, we may find out. The main question we have is whether or not Toyota’s performance division will also build a GR version.