Toyota Corolla Amasses 40 Million Sales
Sep 6, 2013 By Toyota Australia.
The world's best-selling car, Toyota Corolla, has scaled new heights with confirmation today it has achieved an unprecedented 40 million sales.
Parked nose to tail around the equator, the 40 million Corolla sedans, hatches, wagons and other body styles would circle the Earth four times.
To drive past all those cars, sitting on 100km/h for 24 hours a day, it would take almost 67 days to complete the journey.
Since production began in 1966, one Corolla has been built and sold every 37 seconds on average. Today, the rate is even faster at one car every 27 seconds.
It took four years to reach one million Corolla sales, a decade to reach five million sales and 16 years to pass 10 million. The most recent 10 million were produced and sold in just eight years.
Corolla became the world's best selling nameplate in 1997 when global cumulative sales exceeded 22.656 million units.
Today, the Corolla is produced at 15 plants worldwide and last year more than 1.161 million vehicles were sold globally more than 3,170 every day in more than 150 countries and regions.
Toyota has calculated that at least 26 million Corollas are still operating today a great tribute to the car's quality.
Toyota Australia's executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb said the milestone car was sold in late July, according to global data received from the parent company.
"Australia has figured prominently in the global history of Corolla, so it wouldn't surprise me if the 40-millionth car was actually bought by one of our local customers," Mr Cramb said.
Corolla is Toyota's best-selling model in Australia and is the most in-demand vehicle in the country so far this year.
One out of every five Toyota vehicles ever sold in Australia is a Corolla a total of 1.24 million 21.7 per cent of 5.7 million Toyota vehicles sold locally.
Australia was the first country to receive Corolla exports when 15 were shipped to Australia in November 1966 just one month after Corolla was launched in Japan.
Corolla was built in Australia from 1968 until 1999 and it achieved its first motorsport success here in the Bathurst enduro, followed by a string of victories in touring car racing and rallying.
Mr Cramb said Corolla had built the worldwide reputation of Toyota because it always captured the imagination of the buying public.
"Corolla owes its success to the fact it has always moved with the times, which is why it is renowned today for its quality, style, leadership, customer appeal and heritage," Mr Cramb said.
"Eleven generations of Corolla over 47 years have given us great insights into the market and into customer requirements for dependable, fuel-efficient, affordable and fun-to-drive motoring," he said.
"With each new generation, the world's best-selling car is becoming more aspirational with progressive styling, refined comfort and a more engaging driving experience all underpinned by Toyota's superior quality."
The 11th generation Corolla hatch was launched in Australia last year and the new sedan is due to be released here in the first half of 2014.
The name Corolla is Latin for "crown of flowers". It was chosen because Toyota hoped its new car would bloom in world markets.
For details of Corolla's history, visit: www.toyota-global.com/showroom/vehicle_heritage/corolla
COROLLA THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
Toyota Corolla is an incredible global success story the world's best-selling car with 40 million sales.
Each generation has built on the Corolla heritage, introducing advanced features that appeal to an even broader market.
As a result, Corolla has been the staple diet of car buyers in every country in which Toyota vehicles are sold.
Here is an overview of each of the 11 generations of the automotive icon that is Corolla.
1967 - KE10 series: With the launch of Toyota's small two-door sedan, Corolla soon became known as an affordable, high-quality vehicle. Australia was the first market to receive a Corolla exported from Japan. Toyota began assembling Corolla at Port Melbourne in 1968. Corolla won its class at Bathurst in 1968 and 1969.
1970 - KE20 series: Corolla was an immediate hit with young people. The two-door sedan featured revised styling, a longer wheelbase and greatly improved front suspension. Noted for its eye-catching lines, lively character and seemingly unbreakable engine, it became the second-best selling car in the world that year.
1975 - KE30/50 series: Corolla's excellent fuel efficiency ensured it gained popularity in the wake of the global fuel crisis. It matched its performance, quality and reliability with major body changes, including two-door, four-door hardtop, wagon and van models. Annual sales in Australia topped 20,000 for the first time in 1975 - and have remained above that level ever since.
1981 - KE70 series: Toyota introduced a wedge-shaped Corolla - the last to have rear-wheel drive across the range. After just 16 years and four months, Corolla reached production of 10 million vehicles in March 1983.
1985 - AE80 series: Corolla was transformed into a modern front-wheel drive car from the fifth generation. It became the first mass-produced small car in the world to feature twin-cam multi-valve technology. Corolla entered the Guinness Book of Records with 24 consecutive class wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship (1985-86).
1989 - AE90 series: The spacious interior and seating comfort of the sixth-generation Corolla were mated to the sportiness of twin-cam 1.6 and, later, 1.8-litre engines. Corolla was vital in Toyota becoming market leader in Australia for the first time in 1991.
1994 - AE100 series: Toyota launched a 13-model locally manufactured Corolla range. It was the seventh generation offered in Australia and the first vehicle to be built at the company's Altona plant in Melbourne. For the first time, Corolla had the options of ABS anti-skid brakes and driver's SRS airbags. Neal Bates gave the Corolla World Rally car its first international victory in 1997.
1994 - AE100 series: Toyota launched a new European-style Corolla Liftback. Joining an extensive locally manufactured range, the fully imported Liftback was the eighth-generation Corolla and the first Corolla offered in Australia with a front passenger airbag. Toyota celebrated its 40th year in Australia by gaining outright market leadership for the fifth time.
2001 - ZZE120 series: The new Corolla featured edgier styling, a longer wheelbase and new technology, including intelligent variable valve timing across the range and side airbags for the front seats. It was available with hatchback Seca, sedan and wagon bodies. A month before the launch of this ninth generation, total Corolla sales in Australia passed the 750,000 mark.
2001 - ZZE120 series: The 10th generation of the world's best-selling nameplate coincided with the 40th anniversary of Corolla in Australia. It introduced a new 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine developing 100kW and a new six-speed manual transmission. It was the first vehicle in its class with dual variable valve timing and the first to offer a driver's knee airbag. Cumulative local sales passed one million in late 2007. Facelifts of the sedan and hatch in 2010 improved value and made seven airbags standard across the range.
2012 - ZRE180 series: The 11th generation Corolla was launched in Australia with four hatch grades that exhibit a bolder, more confident design, smart packaging and a spacious interior. Among its advanced features is a new continuously variable automatic transmission, contributing to significant reductions in fuel use and emissions. In addition, engine enhancements, aerodynamic improvements, weight savings and other measures contributed to dynamic and efficiency gains across the range. The new-generation Corolla sedan is due to be launched in Australia in 2014.