Toyota’s flagship vehicle Corolla marks its 50th Anniversary today. The popular brand across the globe is also one of the world’s best-selling cars. The Japanese automaker has sold about 44.3 million Corollas since the first model which went on sale on November 5, 1966. The Publica was introduced as an affordable car for an average family, which however failed to generate sufficient interests. The sportier and stylish two-door Corolla was indeed the first one to attract public attention.
Three years after the Corolla launch, the model indeed claimed the top-selling spot in Japan. Why shouldn’t it? After all, it came a four-speed manual transmission on the floor which was mated to a 1.1-litre engine unlike the regular cars which had typical 3-speed, column shifter at the time. The automaker is now selling the 11th generation model which is made in 13 countries and sold in more than 150 countries.
The Corolla Altis in India has sold over one lakh units. The current model is offered in petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol trim is powered by a 1.8-litre VVT-i engine which generates 138bhp of power and 173Nm of top torque, while the diesel version gets a 1.4-litre D-4D engine which generates 87bhp of power and 205Nm of torque. The engines come mated to six-speed manual and seven-speed CVT unit. Next year, the automaker will be introducing a new model which will get fresh cosmetic upgrades while mechanically it will continue to be powered by existing engine options.
