Toyota Corolla: World’s Most Popular Car


World Sales Leader with More Than 40 Million Sold
 
Toyota City, Japan, September 5, 2013—Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces today that cumulative global sales of the Toyota “Corolla”, the world’s most popular car, surpassed 40 million sales, including more than 1.3 million in Canada. This milestone marks another historic achievement for the Corolla, Toyota’s perennial global car.
 
In November 1966, Toyota opened a new plant in Takaoka, Aichi Prefecture, dedicated solely to Corolla production. Two years later, with an emphasis on providing region-specific vehicles, production began in Australia and Malaysia. From 1965 to 1968, Toyota more than doubled its total annual production from 480,000 to 1.1 million vehicles—a testament to the Corolla’s significant contribution to the growth of the company. In 1988, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) began production of the Corolla at its plant in Cambridge, Ontario.
 
The Corolla, currently produced at 15 plants worldwide, accounts for one in five vehicles sold throughout Toyota’s 76-year history.
 
Corolla exports to North America began in 1968, and early sales success in this market helped global cumulative sales of the car reach 1 million units just four years after launch. In 1997, the Corolla became the world’s best-selling nameplate, with global cumulative sales exceeding 22.65 million units. More than a million units have been sold each year since 2002; last year, a total of 3,180 Corollas were sold every day across more than 150 countries and regions.
 
 
From left: 1966 Corolla; Japan, North America, and Europe market 11th generation models
 
Marking the milestone, Corolla Chief Engineer Shinichi Yasui said: “I feel this car has been nurtured by people all over the world and I am very proud to have contributed to its foundation and grateful to all those who have owned and loved their Corollas. The key to the Corolla’s success is the faithful passing down of its original development concept from Hasegawa: that the Corolla must bring happiness and well-being to people around the world.”
 
The Corolla was originally designed to meet the changing needs of Japanese commuters in the mid-1960s. Then-Chief Engineer Tatsuo Hasegawa recognized that with Japan’s industry expanding, most consumers’ daily commuting time was increasing. The need to get around in a personal vehicle was therefore growing and this insight led Hasegawa to conceptualize the first Corolla, with his guiding principles defining the vehicle ever since: always evolving and designed to meet consumer needs in each market.
 
When the first Corolla rolled off the production line, many basic safety features were still optional. Later, to meet the needs of families, Toyota decided to include many of these features as standard. Toyota’s commitment to pursue higher and higher levels of quality and continue adding new standard features to the affordably priced Corolla has helped ensure that families around the world continue to choose it more than any other nameplate. As a testament to the quality of the Corolla, in Canada, more than 80 per cent of Corollas sold in the last twenty years are still on the road today.
 
The history of the ever-evolving Corolla, filled with examples of technology and quality improvement, is emblematic of Toyota’s efforts to anticipate customer needs and provide ever-better cars.
 
The new 2014 Corolla launched in Canada on September 4, 2013.
 
 
 
Reference 1: Current Corolla Production Bases 
Company name, country
Start of Corolla production
Takaoka Plant (TMC), Japan
November 1966 
Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd (TMT), Thailand
August 1972 
ToyotaSouth Africa Motor (Pty) Ltd. (TSAM), South Africa
May 1975
Toyota de VenezuelaC.A. (TDV), Venezuela
April 1986
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (TMMC), Canada
November 1988 
Indus Motor Company Ltd. (IMC), Pakistan
March 1993 
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey Inc. (TMMT), Turkey
September 1994* 
Toyota Motor Vietnam Co. Ltd. (TMV), Vietnam
September 1996 
Toyota do Brasil LTDA. (TDB), Brazil 
September 1998 
Kuozui Motor Ltd., Taiwan 
March 2001 
Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Ltd. (TKM), India
February 2003
Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (TFTM) China (two locations)
May 2004
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi Inc. (TMMMS), United States
October 2011 
Miyagi Ohira Plant, Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc, Japan
May 2012 
*No Corolla production between 2006 and 2013; eleventh generation Corolla production began in June 2013
 
 
Reference 2: The History of the Corolla 
Year
Month
Key milestones
1966
Sept.
Line-off of first Corolla at TMC’s Takaoka Plant inToyotaCity
Nov.
- Sales of two-door sedan with four-speed floor shift transmission begin inJapan at Toyota Publica dealers;Tokyo prices range from 432,000 yen for standard model to 495,000 yen for deluxe model 
- Exports toAustralia begin
1967
May
Four-door sedan and light van added
1968
Feb.
Overseas production begins at Assembly Services Sdn. Bhd. (ASSB) inMalaysia
Apr.
Exports toU.S. begin
May
Exports toCanada begin
July
Production begins at what is now Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Ltd. (TMCA)
1969
Mar.
Toyota Publica dealer channel changes name to Toyota Corolla
-
Start of 33-year run as best-selling car in Japan
1970
May
Second generation launched
-
Millionth unit sold
1972
Aug.
Production begins at Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd.
1973
Feb.
Production begins at Toyota Ireland (TI)
1974
Apr.
Third generation launched
1975
May
Production begins at Toyota South Africa Motor (Pty) Ltd.
1976
-
5 millionth unit sold
1979
Mar.
Fourth generation launched
1981
Dec.
Production at TI ends
1982
-
10 millionth unit sold
1983
May
Fifth generation launched
1986
Apr.
Production begins at what is now Toyota de VenezuelaC.A.
Sept.
Corolla FX production begins at New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) inU.S.
1987
May
Sixth generation launched
1988
Nov.
Production begins at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.
1989
Oct.
Production begins at Toyota Motor Philippines Corp.
-
15 millionth unit sold
1991
June
Seventh generation launched
1993
Mar.
Production begins at Indus Motor Company Ltd. inPakistan
1994
Sept.
- 20 millionth unit sold
- Production begins at what is now Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey Inc. (TMMT)
1995
May
Eighth generation launched
1996
Sept.
Production begins at Toyota Motor Vietnam Co. Ltd.
Dec.
Production at TMMT ends
1998
Mar.
Production begins at PT. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN)
Aug.
Production begins atToyota do Brasil Ltda.’s Indaiatuba Plant
Sept.
Corolla liftback production begins at Toyota Motor Manufacturing (U.K.) Ltd.
1999
July
Production at TMCA ends
2000
Aug.
Ninth generation launched
-
25 millionth unit sold
2001
Mar.
Production begins at Kuozui Motor Ltd. inTaiwan
2003
Jan.
Production begins at Kirloskar Motor Private Ltd. inIndia
Oct.
Production at TMMIN ends
2004
Feb.
Production begins at Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.’s (TFTM’s) Xiqing Plant inChina
2005
-
30 millionth unit sold
2006
Oct.
Tenth generation launched
Dec.
Production at TMUK ends
2007
Mar.
Toyota Canada Inc. sells its 1 millionth Corolla
May.
Production begins at TFTM’s TEDA Plant in China
Aug.
Production at ASSB ends
Dec.
Production at TMP ends
2009
-
35 millionth unit sold
2010
Apr.
Production at NUMMI ends
2011
Oct.
Production begins at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi Inc. in U.S.
2012
May
- Production begins at what is now Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc.’s Ohira Plant inMiyagiPrefecture
- Eleventh generation launched
- Production begins at Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.’s (SFTM’s) Changchun Plant inChina
2013
July
- Production begins at TMMT
- 40 millionth unit sold
- Production at SFTM ends
2013
Sept.
11th generation Corolla launches in Canada 
 
NOTE: “Corolla” refers to vehicles sold under the Corolla name, as listed below.  Models sold currently are listed in bold.
 
Japan: Corolla AxioCorolla FielderCorolla Rumion, Corolla sedan, Corolla van, Corolla coupé, Corolla Levin, Corolla Hardtop, Corolla Liftback, Corolla wagon, Corolla FX, Corolla Ceres, Corolla Spacio, Corolla Runx
 
Outside Japan: Corolla (sedan, wagon, hatchback), Corolla EXCorolla AltisCorolla Millenium, Corolla Verso, Corolla Matrix
 

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