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Always the people’s car

How the Toyota Corolla established itself as a market leader internationally

NATHAN TAYLOR

Toyota has sold its 50 millionth Corolla, cementing its position as the world’s most popular model.

Over the course of the past 54 years, Australians have played a significant role in its success with more than 1.5 million Corollas sold locally.

Australia was the first export market for Corolla when 15 examples of the small 1.1-litre KE10 two-door sedan left the factory in Japan in November 1966.

They went on sale here the following year and every generation since has been warmly embraced by Aussie car buyers.

Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, Sean Hanley, said the success of Corolla was built on its quality, durability and reliability and every owner had a story to tell.

“For many people, the affordability, efficiency and fun-to-drive attitude that Corolla has always epitomised meant it was often a first car,” he said.

“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.

“We would like to thank those millions of people that have put their trust in Toyota and made Corolla the world’s most popular nameplate.”

Such was the appeal of Japan’s “people’s car” in Australia that in 1968, Toyota started local assembly of the Corolla at a factory in Port Melbourne – the first such operation outside of Japan.

Toyota Australia went on to build 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 Hardi-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst.

This began a strong motorsport 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.

Here in Australia, the car’s enduring reputation for quality, durability and reliability was a key attraction for its customers.

In September 2007, 40 years after the original Corolla went on sale, it notched up its millionth sale.

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.

From the very beginning, Corolla was designed to be affordable, safe, efficient and practical with a fun to drive attitude. It is those qualities, along with its legendary reliability, that have won customers across the world.

The 2018 Toyota Corolla ZR (front), SX (left), and Ascent Sport (right).

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