2014 Concept Toyota Furia

Giacomo Balla, the Italian Futurist painter best known for his 1912 work “Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash,” had no way of knowing his style would influence the design of a compact sedan from a Japanese car company in 2014. But “Iconic Dynamism,” which describes both his painting and the more provocative design of the Toyota Furia concept unveiled at the Detroit auto show, is a theme that predicts the look of the next-generation, 2014 Corolla sedan.

Provocative? You’d be forgiven for harboring some skepticism about claims of a sportier-looking new Corolla, as we’d heard that one several times before. But look at it. The fast windshield, arching roofline, jutting nose, and dipping brow of the Furia suggest a sleeker, more aerodynamic-looking, modern design that’s studied the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra, two compacts that have been grabbing sales from Corolla, particularly with younger buyers.

The Furia’s full-width LED eyebrow and 19-inch aluminum wheels likely are little more than auto show frou-frou. But if the 2014 Corolla keeps the major design cues and long-wheelbase, cab-forward proportions of the Furia concept—and our spy photos of 2014 Corollas undergoing testing appear to confirm that—it should break the string of boring-looking, little white boxes the Japanese automaker has been giving us for decades.

To give credit where it is due, the Corolla is a worldwide-sales phenomenon. At the time of the tenth-generation model’s introduction in 2009, Toyota was touting the car’s status as the bestselling model of all time, selling 30 million of those little white boxes during its 40 years on the market. With the design changes that Toyota thinks will appeal to youthful consumers, the carmaker is hoping that the upcoming 11th-generation car will continue the sales success.
The production version of the 2014 Toyota Corolla should break cover sometime later this year.