Toyota Motor Corporation says it has sold its 50 millionth Corolla, cementing its position as the world’s most popular model.
More than 1.5 million Corollas have been sold in Australia in the past 54 years since the car was introduced here in 1967.
The Corolla’s first chief engineer Tatsuo Hasegawa, a former aircraft designer, wanted to develop a car that was comfortable, quiet, affordable and safe but with a sporting aesthetic.
Launched in Japan in 1966, it featured design elements such as subtle curves in the body, and a semi-fastback roof line.
Australia was the Corollas first export market when 15 examples of the new car left the Japanese factory in November 1966. The 1.1-litre KE10 Corolla two-door coupe went on sale in 1967 and was immediately embraced by the car-buying public.
Toyota Australia sales, marketing and franchise operations vice president Sean Hanley says the success of Corolla was built on its durability and reliability and every owner had a story to tell.
He says the Corolla has often been a first car for many Australian motorists.
“Among the millions of owners, there are more than a few fond memories and here in Australia it has been so warmly received that it has become part of our cultural landscape,” he says.
Toyota started local assembly of the Corolla at a factory in Port Melbourne in 1968 – the first such operation outside of Japan.
Toyota Australia built more than 666,000 Corollas until 1999 at factories in Port Melbourne, Dandenong and Altona.
Australia was also the scene for Corolla’s first win in international motorsport with a class victory in the 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst.
This began a career for Corolla in Australian motorsport, which included winning the 2008 Australian Rally Championship in the hands of Neal Bates and Coral Taylor.
The success of Corolla in Australia has been replicated across the globe. In 1997, it became the world’s most popular nameplate and last year, it was bought by more than 1.1 million customers.
It is sold in more than 150 countries and regions at the rate of approximately one every 28 seconds over the past year and is produced at 12 plants across the world in Japan, Brazil, Venezuela, China, Pakistan, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, US and the UK.
In September 2007, 40 years after the original Corolla went on sale, it notched up its millionth sale in Australia.
Since then, a further 500,000 Australian customers have bought a new Corolla with the car being the most popular passenger car in Australia for the past eight years says Toyota Australia.
Join the conversation