This year, the Japanese automaker Toyota is a hurricane-level company; it has presented us with a tidal wave of automotive novelties, including MY updates, refreshes, all-new generations, and first-ever nameplates.
Even if we only focus on the North American market, it's still a barrage of 'fire and brimstone' for the competition – the Prius 'Hybrid Reborn' Prime plug-in hybrid, the arrival of the Corolla Cross Hybrid as a successor to the smaller C-HR, loads of Nightshade special editions, the trio of GR limited series (GR86 Trueno, GR Corolla Circuit, GR Supra 45th Anniversary), the first-ever 2024 Grand Highlander, the all-new N400 Tacoma, and 2024 Land Cruiser, plus the 2025 Camry and 2025 Crown Signia, among many others.
However, there is always logic behind their strategy. That is why they are letting old-school stuff like the 2024 4Runner survive as we wait for the arrival of the 2024 Land Cruiser – the former might get discontinued after that, so they don't steal each other's customers. Also, with the Corolla Cross introduced as a compact crossover SUV since the 2022 model year in North America and the Corolla Cross Hybrid's arrival for 2023MY, we really don't expect any significant upgrades for the lineup for another couple of model years at least.
However, as always, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators begs to differ – mainly when it can rely on AI's assistance to produce quick futuristic designs. For example, the good folks from the AutomagzPro channel on YouTube have some AI-assisted CGI thoughts about the refresh no one asked for – the 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid facelift. Well, the compact CUV may seem a little bland to some, but a mid-cycle redesign won't go as deep as this one.
Instead, this is more appropriate for a complete change to an all-new generation. This, again, won't happen anytime soon because the Corolla Cross and Corolla Cross Hybrid were just introduced to North America. Alas, we appreciate the audacity of the resident pixel master who fully utilized the assets of AI software and came up with a bold interpretation of the model for the latter half of the decade. If you ask us, it's even appropriate for a full EV Corolla Cross. Also, there is more than one design to choose from in case you want to select a favorite.
In the real world, though, Toyota has bigger fish to fry than start thinking about a Corolla Cross Hybrid refresh already. For example, it will send the first 2024 Tacoma examples to nationwide dealerships later this month – just in time to celebrate the holiday season with the first lucky customers. Early next year, it's probably time to see the first examples of the 2024 Land Cruiser and find out if the 4Runner will survive alongside it – remember, Lexus just announced the pricing information for the 2024 GX 550 sibling!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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