Forty years after first introducing the nameplate, Toyota Australia is celebrating the sale of the millionth Corolla ‘down under’.

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Australia was one of the first export markets for the model which followed its larger Corolla sibling into Australia in 1967. Many of the earlier cars were 1.1- and 1.2-litre two-door sedans, assembled in Port Melbourne by Australian Motor Industries (AMI), a contract CKD kit assembler that eventually became part of Toyota Australia’s manufacturing facility.


That original plant has since closed, replaced by the current facility in Altona.


“Australians love the Corolla,” said David Buttner, Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing.


“It’s dependable, affordable and fuel-efficient – core values that bring Corolla drivers back to this popular vehicle, year after year after year.”

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More than 33m Corollas have been sold around the world, making it the biggest-selling car of all time.


More than one-fifth of all Toyota vehicles sold in Australia are Corollas, making it the company’s best-selling model. The current hatchback model sold there is also known as the Auris in some markets, including Japan and Europe. Australian buyers are also offered a sedan version.


Now in its 10th generation, the Corolla has been the best-selling small car in Australia since the start of the new millennium.


In neighbouring New Zealand, where contract CKD assembly of 1.1-litre four-door sedans began at Campbell Industries in Thames in 1967, the model became that market’s top-seller in 1985 and has never been out of the top 10 since.


Last year, the four-cylinder Corolla was Australia’s second most popular vehicle, behind GM Holden’s Commodore.