Toyota has sold its 50 millionth Corolla, 54 years after the first model made its appearance.

It’s an incredible number, and Australians have been eager buyers of the model. Some 1.5 million have sold locally since 15 examples of the 1.1-litre KE10 two-door sedan were exported to Australia – the Corolla’s first export market – in November 1966.

In 1968, Toyota started local assembly of the Corolla at a factory in Port Melbourne – the first such operation outside of Japan – and more than 666,000 Corollas were built by Toyota Australia at factories in Port Melbourne, Dandenong and Altona.

Toyota says it has sold more than 1.1 million Corolla’s in the past year, that it is sold in more than 150 countries and regions, and is produced at 12 plants across the world in Japan, Brazil, Venezuela, China, Pakistan, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, US and the UK.

The Corolla marked its millionth sale in Australia in September 2007, with a further 500,000 sold since then. It has been the most popular passenger car in Australia for the past eight years.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (September 2021)

15 September 2021