2014 Toyota Corolla spied in India

These are the first spy shots of the all-new 2014 Toyota Corolla caught testing in India. The new car borrows styling cues from the Corolla Furia concept car showcased at the Detroit motor show in January, with the intention of appealing to a younger audience.

The new Toyota Corolla will get significant revisions to the exteriors which give the car a more sophisticated look. At the front, there’s a large three-bar chrome grille and a less prominent, more subdued lower grille in the bumper. The fog lamp recesses aren't as dramatic either, but they have been lined with chrome. Sprouting from the grille are sharp headlamps that cut upwards into the front flanks. At the rear the tail-lamps are not as sharp and more like the Camry's, with a band of chrome running between them. Continued..

The engines that will power the new Corolla are expected to be similar to the ones that power the car currently on sale in India. Both the 1.8 petrol and the 1.4 diesel will be updated to improve performance and power delivery.

The 1.8 petrol will get dual VVTi, as earlier and both the engine and gearing are likely to be optimised to make the new Corolla more efficient, with the option of a seven-step CVT-based automatic gearbox, similar to the one on the current car. The 1.4 diesel will carry on with the variable geometry turbo seen on the current Altis, and while power isn’t expected to cross 90bhp, Toyota is working hard to improve driveability. Levels of efficiency will be improved on both petrol and diesel with the addition of an all-new electric power steering system which typically improves efficiency by 3-5 percent. Continued..

The interiors will be all-new as well. They have been given the new Toyota family look with multiple colours, textures and surfaces. There's blue LED backlighting in the dashboard, the climate control buttons and vents use a different layout and the instrument binnacle is made up of two upmarket looking dials on either side of a larger multi-information display.

Like the exteriors, the insides will get sporty touches as well – while the version of the car expected in India is likely to have lighter beige interiors, Toyota could also provide the option of a sportier two-tone package.

Toyota is expected to launch the new Corolla here in early 2014.