The Japanese automaker is struggling to regain the top dog position in the US automotive market from General Motors, and so far, with all its best efforts, it has been futile.
That's even as they are the only ones selling more than one million vehicles after the first six months of the year and with Toyota launching a tidal wave of novelties since the beginning of the year. The company offered lots of fresh options to customers – from the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid to the family-sized, three-row 2024 Grand Highlander crossover SUV, and from all the Nightshade models you could imagine to superstars like the N400 Tacoma or the 2024 Land Cruiser off-road SUV.
Speaking of 'nightshades,' the 2024 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid – the latest arrival in the Corolla family – has also joined the dark side with its own Nightshade Edition based on the well-equipped SE trim level. Of course, some might think it's not enough to keep the interest up, so perhaps the 2025 model year Corolla Cross will also welcome a refresh into the family.
Others, on the other hand, still like to refer to the recent reports flaunted by the rumor mill where Toyota is gearing up to offer a unibody compact pickup truck on the US car market. Indeed, there's logic behind such an idea as the Ford Maverick towers unchecked over its sole rival – the ritzier yet slower-selling Hyundai Santa Cruz. As such, many have discussed the potential return of the Stout nameplate to create a historical connection with Toyota's compact pickup truck past.
However, that idea has been seemingly abandoned as the whispers are now focused on the potential derivative based on the upgraded 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross. And, of course, when the rumor mill talks about something juicy and exciting, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators is never too far away from the action.
Thus, are we surprised that a couple of YouTube outlets - PoloTo and Q Cars – have also shared their opinion about the looks and technical details of the rumored Corolla Cross pickup truck? Not at all, and starting with the former, their resident pixel master has adopted the general trend of mildly modifying the current Corolla Cross into a unibody compact pickup truck. Sure, there are restyled bits and pieces and even more than one variant for the potential exterior design – as the channel heavily deploys AI assistance with their renderings.
On the other hand, the second channel will have nothing to do with a subtle AI-assisted transformation of the Corolla Cross SUV into a potentially bland and uninteresting compact pickup truck. Instead, their resident virtual artist harnessed the power of AI software to imagine a tough and rugged take on the Corolla Cross – something that's more akin to the best-selling Ford Maverick in terms of rugged charm rather than Hyundai's ritzy yet slow-selling Santa Cruz atmosphere. So, which is your favorite?
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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