Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has announced that cumulative global sales of the Toyota Corolla, the world's most popular vehicle, exceeded 40 million this past July. This milestone represents another historic achievement for the Corolla.
In November 1966, Toyota opened a new plant in Takaoka (Aichi Prefecture), dedicated exclusively to the production of the Corolla. Two years later, production began in Australia and Malaysia, focused on vehicles specific to each region. Between 1965 and 1968, Toyota more than doubled its total annual production, from 480,000 to 1.1 million vehicles, a testament to the Corolla's remarkable contribution to the company's growth.
One in five vehicles sold by Toyota in its 76-year history is a Corolla, which is currently manufactured in 15 plants worldwide.
Corolla exports to North America began in 1968, and the rapid sales success in this market helped the vehicle's cumulative global sales reach one million units just four years after its launch. In 1997, the Corolla became the world's best-selling model, with cumulative global sales of more than 22.65 million units.
Since 2002, more than one million units have been sold per year; last year, a total of 3,180 Corollas were sold per day in more than 150 countries and regions.
To mark this milestone, Corolla Chief Engineer Shinichi Yasui said: "I have the feeling that this vehicle has grown thanks to people all over the world, and I am very proud to have contributed to its appearance and grateful to everyone who has owned and loved a Corolla. The key to the Corolla's success is the faithful transmission of Tatsuo Hasegawa's original development concept: that the Corolla should bring enthusiasm and well-being to people all over the world."
The original Corolla design aimed to meet the changing needs of workers in Japanese metropolitan areas in the mid-1960s. The then Chief Engineer, Tatsuo Hasegawa, observed that, with Japan's industrial expansion, workers' daily commute time was getting longer. Thus, the need to move around in a private vehicle was growing, and this perception led Hasegawa to devise the first Corolla, with the basic principles that have defined the vehicle ever since: constantly evolving and designed to meet the needs of customers in all markets.
When the first Corolla came off the production line, many basic safety features were still optional. Later, to meet the needs of more families, Toyota decided to include many of these specifications as standard. Toyota's commitment to seeking ever higher levels of quality and continuing to incorporate new standard features into an affordable Corolla has made it possible for families around the world to continue to choose it over any other model.
The history of the Corolla, in constant evolution, full of examples of technological and quality improvements, is representative of Toyota's efforts to anticipate customer needs and offer ever better vehicles.
