Toyota Corolla Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Toyota Corolla | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Toyota |
| Production: | 1960s – to date |
| Class: | Sedan Performance |
| Body Styles: | 3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback 4-door sedan 5-door station wagon 5-door minivan 2-door coupé |
| Similar models: | Mazda 323 Honda Civic Nissan Almera Mitsubishi Lancer Ford Focus GM Astra VW Golf |
| This article is part of the automobile series. | |
The Toyota Corolla is a small family car produced by Toyota of Japan. It is one of the best selling cars in the world, and is known worldwide for its reliability, but also its conventional engineering. Corollas are manufactured in the United States, the United Kingdom, India, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey and Thailand, as well as being assembled in other countries around the world.
A slightly upmarket version is called the Toyota Sprinter, sold in the Japanese home market. It was replaced in 2001 by the Toyota Allex.
The Corolla was launched in 1966. Toyota has been almost steadfast in facelifting each generation after two years, and replacing it with an all-new model every four years.
The second-generation model, launched 1970, had "coke-bottle" styling.
The third-generation Toyota Corolla (1974–81), or the Corolla 30, marked Toyota's greatest growth in the United States in the wake of the fuel crisis. In addition to the Sprinter, there was a rebodied version built by Toyota affiliate Daihatsu, called the Daihatsu Charmant.
The fourth-generation model released in 1979 was a boxy, rear-wheel-drive range. Although most of the fourth generation was replaced by 1984, the station wagon and van versions soldiered on into 1987. Equally, there was a Daihatsu Charmant variant.
The fifth generation is generally regarded as the finest Corolla when measured against its contemporaries. This model, from 1983, moved the Corolla into front-wheel-drive. It was the first Corolla to top the New Zealand top-10 lists, ending Ford's dominance of that market. A short hatchback range, called the Corolla FX in Japan and the Corolla Compact in Germany, arrived in 1984. Although there was a five-door liftback model of the basic Corolla, the FX-based hatchback was sold alongside it. The liftback was sold with the Corolla Seca name in Australia and the nameplate survived on successive five-door models.
Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-generation Corollas were marked more by their increasing domestic-appliance dullness, as reliable and faithful cars, though they were always among the global top-seller lists. One interesting addition, however, was a four-wheel-drive model from 1988 to 1994 that had different bodywork to other Corollas, called the Sprinter Carib in Japan and sold with the Tercel or Corolla name in some countries. The station wagon finally moved to front-wheel drive along with the rest of the range.
The sixth-generation five-door hatchback is still made in South Africa as an entry-level model called the Toyota Tazz. The three-door is sold as a panel van model there, called the Toyota Carri. These generations were also favoured by tuners.
The eighth generation, which shared its platform (and doors, on some models) with its predecessor, marked the beginning of the end of the Sprinter. Formerly with its own bodyshell, the eighth generation shared its body panels with the basic Corolla. A European range had different front and rear ends (this was sold in Australia and New Zealand, too). In 1997, the Corolla Spacio was introduced as a two-box minivan version and sold as the Corolla Verso in Europe and the Toyota Verso in New Zealand.
The ninth-generation Corolla (from August 2000) marks a return to the excellence exhibited by the fifth-generation, the result of R&D teams in Europe and Japan. The station wagon model is called the Toyota Corolla Fielder in Japan, and the five-door the Toyota Corolla Runx. It is built on a shortened Toyota Vista platform—the Vista being a mid-sized, rather than compact, car.
Over the years, there have been rebadged versions of the Corolla, including the 1980s’ Holden Nova of Australia, and the Sprinter-based Chevrolet Nova, Geo Prizm and Chevrolet Prizm of the United States. In Australia, the Corolla hatchback coupé was at one point badged the T-18.