Toyota's Prospecton manufacturing plant in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
Toyota City, Japan —Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces today that cumulative global sales of the Toyota Corolla, the world’s most popular car, surpassed 40 million in July, reaching 40.01 million units. This milestone marks another historic achievement for the Corolla, Toyota’s perennial global car.
In November 1966, Toyota opened a new plant in Takaoka, Aichi Prefecture, dedicated solely to Corolla production. Two years later, with an emphasis on providing region-specific vehicles, production began in Australia and Malaysia. From 1965 to 1968, Toyota more than doubled its total annual production from 480,000 to 1.1 million vehicles—a testament to the Corolla’s significant contribution to the growth of the company.
The Corolla, currently produced at 15 plants worldwide, accounts for one in five vehicles sold in Toyota’s 76-year history.
Corolla exports to North America began in 1968, and early sales success in this market helped global cumulative sales of the car reach 1 million units just four years after launch. In 1997, the Corolla became the world’s best-selling nameplate, with global cumulative sales exceeding 22.65 million units. More than a million units have been sold each year since 2002; last year, a total of 3,180 Corollas were sold every day across more than 150 countries and regions. That equates roughly to one vehicle every 30 seconds.
From left: 1966 Corolla; Japan, North America, and Europe market 11th generation models
Marking the milestone, Corolla Chief Engineer Shinichi Yasui said: “I feel this car has been nurtured by people all over the world and I am very proud to have contributed to its foundation and grateful to all those who have owned and loved their Corollas. The key to the Corolla’s success is the faithful passing down of its original development concept from Tatsuo Hasegawa: that the Corolla must bring happiness and well-being to people around the world.”
The Corolla was originally designed to meet the changing needs of Japanese commuters in the mid-1960s. Then-Chief Engineer Tatsuo Hasegawa recognized that with Japan’s industry expanding, most consumers’ daily commuting time was increasing. The need to get around in a personal vehicle was therefore growing and this insight led Hasegawa to conceptualise the first Corolla, with his guiding principles defining the vehicle ever since: always evolving and designed to meet consumer needs in each market.
When the first Corolla rolled off the production line, many basic safety features were still optional. Later, to meet the needs of families, Toyota decided to include many of these features as standard. Toyota’s commitment to pursue higher and higher levels of quality and continue adding new standard features to the affordably priced Corolla has helped ensure that families around the world continue to choose it more than any other nameplate.
The history of the ever-evolving Corolla, filled with examples of technology and quality improvement, is emblematic of Toyota’s efforts to anticipate customer needs and provide ever-better cars.
More Corolla history: http://www.toyota-global.com/showroom/vehicle_heritage/corolla/
Reference 1: Current Corolla Production Bases
| Company name, country | Start of Corolla production |
| Takaoka Plant (TMC), Japan | November 1966 |
| Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd (TMT), Thailand | August 1972 |
| Toyota South Africa Motor (Pty) Ltd. (TSAM), South Africa | May 1975 |
| Toyota de Venezuela C.A. (TDV), Venezuela | April 1986 |
| Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (TMMC), Canada | November 1988 |
| Indus Motor Company Ltd. (IMC), Pakistan | March 1993 |
| Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey Inc. (TMMT), Turkey | September 1994* |
| Toyota Motor Vietnam Co. Ltd. (TMV), Vietnam | September 1996 |
| Toyota do Brasil LTDA. (TDB), Brazil | September 1998 |
| Kuozui Motor Ltd., Taiwan | March 2001 |
| Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Ltd. (TKM), India | February 2003 |
| Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (TFTM) China (two locations) | May 2004 |
| Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi Inc. (TMMMS), United States | October 2011 |
| Miyagi Ohira Plant, Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc, Japan | May 2012 |
| *No Corolla production between January 2007 and June 2013; eleventh generation Corolla production began on June 17, 2013 | |
Reference 2: The History of the Corolla
| Year | Month | Key milestones |
| 1966 | Sept. | Line-off of first Corolla at TMC’s Takaoka Plant in Toyota City |
| Nov. | – Sales of two-door sedan with four-speed floor shift transmission begin in Japan at Toyota Publica dealers; Tokyo prices range from 432,000 yen for standard model to 495,000 yen for deluxe model
– Exports to Australia begin |
|
| 1967 | May | Four-door sedan and light van added |
| 1968 | Feb. | Overseas production begins at Assembly Services Sdn. Bhd. (ASSB) in Malaysia |
| Apr. | Exports to U.S. begin | |
| May | Exports to Canada begin | |
| July | Production begins at what is now Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Ltd. (TMCA) | |
| 1969 | Mar. | Toyota Publica dealer channel changes name to Toyota Corolla |
| – | Start of 33-year run as best-selling car in Japan | |
| 1970 | May | Second generation launched |
| – | Millionth unit sold | |
| 1972 | Aug. | Production begins at Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. |
| 1973 | Feb. | Production begins at Toyota Ireland (TI) |
| 1974 | Apr. | Third generation launched |
| 1975 | May | Production begins at Toyota South Africa Motor (Pty) Ltd. |
| 1976 | – | 5 millionth unit sold |
| 1979 | Mar. | Fourth generation launched |
| 1981 | Dec. | Production at TI ends |
| 1982 | – | 10 millionth unit sold |
| 1983 | May | Fifth generation launched |
| 1986 | Apr. | Production begins at what is now Toyota de Venezuela C.A. |
| Sept. | Corolla FX production begins at New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) in U.S. | |
| 1987 | May | Sixth generation launched |
| 1988 | Nov. | Production begins at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. |
| 1989 | Oct. | Production begins at Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. |
| – | 15 millionth unit sold | |
| 1991 | June | Seventh generation launched |
| 1993 | Mar. | Production begins at Indus Motor Company Ltd. in Pakistan |
| 1994 | Sept. | – 20 millionth unit sold
– Production begins at what is now Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey Inc. (TMMT) |
| 1995 | May | Eighth generation launched |
| 1996 | Sept. | Production begins at Toyota Motor Vietnam Co. Ltd. |
| Dec. | Production at TMMT ends | |
| 1998 | Mar. | Production begins at PT. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN) |
| Aug. | Production begins at Toyota do Brasil Ltda.’s Indaiatuba Plant | |
| Sept. | Corolla liftback production begins at Toyota Motor Manufacturing (U.K.) Ltd. | |
| 1999 | July | Production at TMCA ends |
| 2000 | Aug. | Ninth generation launched |
| – | 25 millionth unit sold | |
| 2001 | Mar. | Production begins at Kuozui Motor Ltd. in Taiwan |
| 2003 | Jan. | Production begins at Kirloskar Motor Private Ltd. in India |
| Oct. | Production at TMMIN ends | |
| 2004 | Feb. | Production begins at Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.’s (TFTM’s) Xiqing Plant in China |
| 2005 | – | 30 millionth unit sold |
| 2006 | Oct. | Tenth generation launched |
| Dec. | Production at TMUK ends | |
| 2007 | May. | Production begins at TFTM’s TEDA Plant in China |
| Aug. | Production at ASSB ends | |
| Dec. | Production at TMP ends | |
| 2009 | – | 35 millionth unit sold |
| 2010 | Apr. | Production at NUMMI ends |
| 2011 | Oct. | Production begins at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi Inc. in U.S. |
| 2012 | May | – Production begins at what is now Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc.’s Ohira Plant in Miyagi Prefecture
– Eleventh generation launched – Production begins at Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.’s (SFTM’s) Changchun Plant in China |
| 2013 | June | Production begins at TMMT |
| July | – 40 millionth unit sold
– Production at SFTM ends |
NOTE: “Corolla” refers to vehicles sold under the Corolla name, as listed below. Models sold currently are listed in bold.
Japan: Corolla Axio, Corolla Fielder, Corolla Rumion, Corolla sedan, Corolla van, Corolla coupé, Corolla Levin, Corolla Hardtop, Corolla Liftback, Corolla wagon, Corolla FX, Corolla Ceres, Corolla Spacio, Corolla Runx
Outside Japan: Corolla (sedan, wagon, hatchback), Corolla EX, Corolla Altis, Corolla Millenium, Corolla Verso, Corolla Matrix
