50 Years of the Toyota Corolla

50 Years of theToyota CorollaThe Toyota Corolla has played an integral role in the development of Toyota’s reputation for designing and manufacturing exceptional, reliable vehicles. Join us for a quick look at the Corolla’s 50-year history.

1968-1969The Corolla first made its way to the US with three body styles and a very simple build process, which enabled Toyota to offer these reliable vehicles at prices under $1,700.

• Four-door sedan• Two-door coupe• Two-door wagon

1970-1974In order to meet the demands of U.S. car buyers, Toyota decided to increase the size and horsepower of the Corolla model. The automatic transmission option was also added.

This generation made the Corolla the second best-selling vehicle in the world.

1975-1978The third generation of Corollas was introduced in 1975, and came in five sleek, more angular body styles, with a sixth added in 1976. The first catalytic converters in Corollas also appeared in this generation.

• Two-door sedan• Four-door sedan• Two-door hardtop• Sport-oriented SR5 hardtop• Five-door wagon• Three-door hatchback – 1976

1979-1983The leaf spring rear suspension used in previous Corollas were replaced by a coil spring system in all models except the wagon.

The overall make of the vehicle in the sport coupe, hatchback and liftback-semiwagonbody styles were updated to imbue a bit of class to keep up with the contemporary trends of the time.

1984-1987Sedanswereequippedwithfront-drivewhiletheSR5coupe,liftback andwagonremainedrear-drive.

Inmid-1984,theCorollaGT-Scameoutwitha124horsepowerengine,avehiclenowfondlyrememberedasaToyotaclassic.

In1987,ToyotabeganproductionofCorollasinNorthAmericaandreleasedanewfront-driveCorolla,the“FX”coupe.

1988-1992The front-drive coupe replaced the rear-drive coupe and liftback. Sedans were made in the U.S. as well as Japan while the coupes and wagons were made strictly in Japan.

In 1989, an All-Trac sedan was introduced, but was only available for a year. Come 1990, fuel injection was built into Corollas.

In 1991, Toyota stopped making the coupes and added the highline LE sedan’s four-speed automatic option in 1992.

1993-1997Sedans and wagons got larger with independent suspension. Sedans came in standard, DX and LE while the wagon only came in DX.

Driver airbags were included standard by 1993, and the passenger airbags followed in 1994 along with locking retractor seatbelts.

LE was discontinued in 1996, followed by the DX wagon in 1997. The CE sedan was also released, and marked the introduction of side impact protection for the model. At the time, all Corollas sold in the U.S. were made in California.

The Corolla beat out the Volkswagen Beetle for the best-selling nameplate in history.

1998-2002Although the Corolla’s size was increased again, Toyota cut some of the weight and increased fuel efficiency with a new engine. Only sedan options were available in base VE, midlevel CE and highline LE.

On any model, you could get ABS, side airbags and a CD player.

2003-2008This generation offered comfort, power, space and quality above the previous generations. There were three body types available to fit different wants and needs.

The CE was the base version with micron filtration in the air conditioning unit, a CD player and power mirrors.

The S was made to look sporty.

The LE offered a luxury option with fake wood and leather interior.

2009-NowThe latest generation of Corolla is focused on the economy sedan. Trim levels include base, LC, S, XLE and XRS.

Stability control became a standard option in 2010.

The 2017 Toyota CorollaCelebrate the 50 year history behind the Toyota Corolla by test driving a new 2017 Corolla at Toyota of Seattle today!