Parra News August 31 2021

AUTO
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
The 2018 Toyota Corolla ZR (front), SX (left), and Ascent Sport (right).
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.
parra news » Tuesday, August 31, 2021
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