Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla is a compact car produced by Toyota of Japan, known worldwide for its reliability, conventional engineering and low fuel consumption. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world. Toyota has made 30 million cars under the Corolla name since its launch in 1966, making it the best selling car of all time. . Corollas are currently manufactured in Japan, the United States (California), the United Kingdom, Canada (Cambridge, Ontario), India, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey and Thailand.

The Corolla's chassis designation code is "E", as described in Toyota's chassis and engine codes.

Alternative versions

A slightly upmarket version is called the Toyota Sprinter, sold in the Japanese home market. It was replaced in 2001 by the Toyota Allex. There have also been several spin-offs over the years, including the Corolla II hatchback, Corolla Ceres (and similar Sprinter Marino) hardtop, Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno sports coupes and hatchbacks, and the Corolla FX hatckback (now Corolla Runx).

The Toyota Tercel was a front wheel drive spinoff of the rear wheel drive Corolla, called the "Corolla Tercel" which later became its own model.

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 liftback (TE72) was at one point badged the T-18.

First Generation - E10 series - October 1966

Japan (1966-1969)

The Corolla was launched in Japan in October 1966. Eiji Toyoda, chairman of the company, said it worked hard to create popular demand, and disputes that Toyota rode a wave of private car ownership that was taking off in the mid-1960s.

The initial car, the KE1x series, was small, with a 90in (2286mm) wheelbase, and came in two- and four-door sedan (KE10 and KE11), two-door coupe (KE15), and three-door station wagon (KE16 and KE18) versions. Power came from either a 1.1L (1077cc/65in³) OHV I4, the K, which produced 60hp (45kW), or the 1.2L (1166cc/71in³) 3K in later models. A 4-speed manual transmission or 2 speed automatic transmission was available, and the car used rear wheel drive. The suspension in front was MacPherson struts supported by a transverse leaf spring beneath the engine crossmember, with leaf springs connected to a solid axle in back.