Toyota Corolla - world's best selling car ever award

[webby]

Here's the article from Japan's Yomiuri.co.jp website:

Corolla's sales record cause for Toyota pride
Kazuki Nishihara / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Sales of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Corolla, the world's most popular car, have surpassed the 30 million mark.

Toyota announced in early August that as of May 31, it had sold 30,146,103 Corollas worldwide, making it the first automobile model to top 30 million in sales.

The Corolla's first inception on its 1966 debut was as a 1,100cc, two-door sedan, put on the market as The Beatles visited Japan.

The year was later called the first year of the "Drive My Car" era--when cars began to be affordable for the average person.

Auto analysts say the Corolla fits the specs to be a best-seller.

The Corolla was the most popular domestic model for 33 straight years from 1969, and overtook the Volkswagen Beetle as the world's all-time top seller in 1998. It lost the top spot to Honda's Fit compact series in 2002, but climbed back on top the following year.

The Corolla's incredible longevity as the world's best-selling car is symbolic of Toyota's corporate power.

The Corolla's preeminence as a family car is based on Toyota's ability to continually evolve the model in line with changes in fashions and consumer preferences.

Repeatedly restyled since the original 1966 model, the current Corolla--put on the market in 2000--is the ninth-generation model.

As the economy grew, so did the Corolla's engine capacity--reflecting the advent of an age of expressways. During the bubble economy, many high-performance, high-price Corolla models could be found prowling the streets.

In 1995, five years after the bubble burst, the eighth-generation Corolla series went on the market. This model featured fuel-saving performance, reflecting a rising interest in environmental conservation.

Changes in the Corolla's styling, always geared to appeal to a wide range of drivers, mirror trends of the times. Meanwhile, to keep its market share in a fast-changing market, Toyota has chosen to diversify the Corolla range, in contrast to some competitors.

Nissan Motor Co.'s Sunny--a competitor to the Corolla--also went on sale in 1966. Nissan had sold 6.4 million Sunnys when it brought production to an end last autumn, and the company is now marketing a new series of compact cars.

Toyota, by contrast, has been successful in maintaining a high consumer rating for the Corolla by offering a plenitude of models, such as the Fielder, a five-door wagon, the Runx, a five-door hatchback and the Spacio, a five-door minivan.

Marketed in more than 140 countries, the Corolla has been the main pillar of Toyota's global sales, although international versions are not the same as domestic models, in part to reflect regional tastes.

The Corolla is the embodiment of Toyota's "kaizen" cost-reduction efforts--which have come out of a commitment to maintaining high performance and low prices. The high level of manufacturing technology at Toyota is directly related to its development and production of the Corolla.

While Toyota is a powerhouse in terms of manufacturing technology, the Corolla's landmark sales achievement also symbolizes the potential of not only Toyota, but many Japanese manufacturers.

[tehLOLbbq]

congrats to corolla. I wonder how many civics have been sold totally.

[Prototype]

I hate corolla's........my ex drives one. I'd love to key hers up.

[drfabt]

Corollas are as good as civics, or who knows?
they have many options so that way you won't know what you are buying and there's where the dealer get you.
but if its good equipped is good, but too expensive.

[MAMA'S~HONDA]

I had an 05 matrix and traded it for an 06 corolla s--I traded that for my civic and I like it much better.

[Odaisn]

I like Corollas...They're very smooth...

[Special Ringpop]

They are the most plain cars ever.

GM bashers nailed on GM for years for tacky side cladding, but NONE of them come close to the ugliness of a current gen Corolla with that body kit tacked on.

Yuck.

They are the most plain, boring, unoffensive to drive cars that exist.

[Cybergypsy]

yea, but they are ugly

[Yodums]

+1 for Toyota. They make very reliable and strudy cars. Most people just need a reliable ride that gets them from point A to B and Toyota has been able to deliver, so they deserve the credit. It may have be a boring ride, but not everyone takes their driving like we do. I had a 2004 Corolla as a rental car and it wasn't all that bad.

[inyong1988]

I love corolla, but I hate corolla XRS drivers

[irichard]

i hate the handle of corolla

[wing_gundam]

congrats to Toyota, its a testament to their reliability

Originally Posted by tehLOLbbq

congrats to corolla. I wonder how many civics have been sold totally.

not sure the number, but the civic has been the #1 selling veh in Canada for last 9 (or maybe 10 already) years

[nwsi07]

My last car was a 03 corolla. All around a great car - great gas mileage and low maintenance; but underpowered, poor brakes, and weak headlights. It was my third rolla and felt it was time to give the Civic a try.

[kevzSi]

i had an 04 corrolla as a rental once and the steering wheel would vibrate and start shaking at speeds above 65mph on the freeway!

[Jardiniboy]

Thats good for toyota. The corolla is very reliable.

[Johannes]

props tp corolla!

[webby]

holy time warp... this was from 2005

[Initial_B]

i'm not that suprised about this. in my lifetime i had a total of 4 Corollas' and 3 are still at my house:1980 wagon w/ a 5 speed; 1993 sedan automatic (my mom's current car); 05 CE 5speed (which was totaled 12/05); and my current 06 CE. i will continue to buy Corollas when i would actually need to buy one.

[nayilsi]

i hate corollas because ive driven 4 generations of corollas.

the best was the 94 model out of them.....thing needs VSA though.

[iknowmysh1t]

corolla is a great car and i think everyone already knows that.