The honeycomb grille and lamp assembly is one of the more distinctive details Toyota is revealing about the Furia Concept.
To answer the most obvious question, it’s not furry. It’s the Spanish word for “fury,” but interpreted by the Japanese this new concept car could just be the upcoming replacement for the long-in-the-tooth Toyota Corolla.
The industry giant plans to unveil the Furia Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, a few weeks from now and from the teaser Toyota has released it appears to be a midsized sports sedan.
These stills and a separate video provide a hint of some intriguing details, such as the distinctive honeycomb headlight assembly carbon fiber trunk lip spoiler, ultra-bright LED taillamps and more.
Foreign sources suggest the Toyota Furia also brings to mind the cultish Chaser model that was marketed in many parts of the world between 1977 and 2000 – but which never made it to the States.
The show car features a number of carbon fiber details, such as this trunk lip spoiler.
The sporty details are meant to remind us of the promise made by Toyota boss Akio Toyoda, who intends to put more “passion” into the brand. Certainly, nothing could use a bit of a boost than the outdated Corolla, arguably the most stodgy model in the entire Toyota line-up despite its continuing, strong sales.
A new Corolla is mercifully on the schedule for launch in late 2013 as a 2014 model.
In keeping with the styling of the Toyota Furia Concept one might expect to see a mix of sporty powertrains, as well as the stock Corolla 1.8-liter inline-four package. But considering the focus on mileage in this segment, don’t build your hopes too high.
Toyota officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly suggested that they intend to broaden their hybrid offerings and that virtually and models will ultimately offer a gas-electric option. That could very well be in store for the new Corolla.
But we’ll have to wait for more details on the Toyota Furia before then. The concept will make its debut mid-afternoon on January 14th at Detroit’s Cobo Center.