Car Of The Week : Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla is a part continues the naming tradition Toyota uses for its sedans (i.e. using names derived from the Toyota Crown). In Latin, the word ‘Corolla’ means ‘small crown’. Well…don’t let the name deceive you as the Corolla remains one of Toyota’s most prized possessions! Brand Toyota prides itself on customer satisfaction, reliability, efficiency and low ownership cost (including maintenance), quality products, practicality and best customer service (pre-sales, sales and after sales). The Toyota Corolla is the best example of a Toyota product embodying all these aspects.

 Toyota introduced the Corolla in 1966. After, 4 decades, 11 generations and 40 million+ Corollas sold the legend continues to live on strongly. The predecessor of the Corolla was the Toyota Publica, a small urban sub-compact car. The Publica was made on the lines of the national car concept by the Japanese government at the time. It was basically a sub-compact sedan perfectly suited for family and daily duties. The idea of the Corolla was conceived by the rising demand for a personal vehicle for the mass public which was both affordable and reliable. The first-generation Corolla was produced from 1966 to 1970, it was sold in three body types – 2 door coupe, 4 door sedan, and a 2 door wagon. Powering this generation Corolla was a 40 bhp 1.1 L petrol engine, given the weight and dimensions of the car this was sufficient enough. 1n 1968, Toyota started exporting the Corolla to global markets. With the USA being one of the most crucial markets abroad, the Corolla tasted great success there. The first imported Toyota Corolla in the USA was available for as low as $1400! To this day the Corolla remains one of the best-selling and most popular cars in the USA. In the 1970s as the Corolla gained popularity, Toyota started manufacturing the car in global markets too. The Toyota Corolla is not only the best-selling car in the world but, also the car with the maximum manufacturing locations worldwide – Toyota manufactures the Corolla in 15+ countries across the world. In 1974, the Corolla now in its 3^rd avatar was drastically styled when compared against its previous generations. The Corolla was heavier, more powerful, rounder. Made with safety and comfort in mind at the same time maintaining its family car roots. It now came with 5 different body variations. The 3^rd generation Corolla saw great growth in global markets including the all-important USA. 1983 brought in a new era for Toyota, the first FF (i.e. Front Engine Front Wheel) drive Corolla was introduced. This was very important as it laid down the foundation for generations of Corollas to come. The FF setup allowed for more space in the car, especially in the backseat. Though the Corolla had a boxy design, it was aerodynamic – this came at a time when Japanese manufacturers jumped on the aerodynamic bandwagon, to produce more economical and fuel-efficient cars. In 1991, Toyota introduced the 7^th generation Corolla. Quite a few critics have called this generation ‘the first modern Toyota Corolla’. Rightly so! The Corolla was now bigger, more spacious, more upmarket and came with an influx of technology such as audio systems; which was not introduced in the previous generations. Previous generations of the Corolla were classified as sub-compact cars, whereas the larger 7^th generation was moved into the compact segment. It was with this generation that the Toyota Corolla became the best-selling car in history, surpassing the VW Beetle with over 22.5 million units sold worldwide. There has been no looking back since! Though the 9^th generation Corolla was introduced in 2000 it began to be locally manufactured in India in 2003 after a facelift. This generation of the Corolla was designed to attract younger buyers. The team at Toyota wanted to create a Corolla to create value in the 21^st century. The Corolla was bigger than ever, more spacious, comfortable and more powerful with a 1.8 L petrol engine. With India being a traditionally chauffeur-driven market, space and comfort the Corolla offered became a hit with the Indian masses. It was just the car corporates and executives were looking for. In its current 11^th generation the Toyota Corolla is sleeker than ever, lighter and aerodynamic, more spacious and comfortable and keeping up with the times with respect to technology and gizmos. All in all giving the driver/owner a great motoring experience.

  The Toyota Corolla is a unique car which has been both evolutionary and revolutionary with each passing generation. Just as the pole star is a constant and unwavering presence in the night sky, the Corolla is the same for the automobile industry worldwide, always leading the way, creating new benchmarks and making it difficult for the competition to knock it off the throne of the best-selling car in the world.