The world’s best-selling car, Toyota Corolla, has achieved an unprecedented 40m sales.
Since production began in 1966, one Corolla has been built and sold every 37 seconds on average. Today, the rate is even faster at one car every 27 seconds.
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It took four years to reach 1m, a decade to reach 5m and 16 years to pass 10m. The most recent 10m were produced and sold in just eight years.
Corolla became the world’s best selling nameplate in 1997 when global cumulative sales exceeded 22.656m units. More recently, some versions have been sold as the Auris, primarily in Europe.
Today, the Corolla is produced at 15 plants worldwide and last year more than 1.161m were sold globally – more than 3,170 every day – in more than 150 countries and regions.
Toyota started annual production of the Corolla in November 1966 with approximately 240,000 vehicles produced at its new Takaoka, Japan factory and exports began immediately.
Today, 11 generations later, over 1.1m Corollas are produced each year. Every hour, 125 units drive out of factories in America (Blue Springs, Miss.), Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam and Venezuela combined.
Toyota has calculated that at least 26m are still operating today – a great tribute to the car’s quality.
Toyota has not identified which market received the officially designated 40 millionth unit.
Australia was the first country to receive Corolla exports when 15 were shipped to Australia in November 1966 – just one month after launch in Japan.
Corolla was built in Australia from 1968 until 1999. Neighbouring New Zealand assembled it from 1969 to 1998.
