World's best selling car turns 60: 2027 Toyota Corolla shows no sign of slowing down, and why Australia was crucial to its success

You may or may not know Australia was the first export market for the world’s best ever selling car.

The vehicle in question is the Toyota Corolla and this was the first country to receive exports when 15 examples of the first-gen E10 model were shipped here in November 1966, just a month after it was revealed in Japan.

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So, yep, the Corolla turns the big six-oh this year and Australia was a VIP guest at its first party.

Less than a year after the original E10 series debuted, a four-door sedan and wagon type van joined the initial line-up and the Corolla die was cast, the newcomer quickly building its reputation as an affordable, versatile and economical small car, initially going into bat against the similarly-sized, not to mention similar-looking, Datsun (Datto) 1000 and Subaru 1000.

Another Aussie milestone for Corolla was assembly of the E10 in Port Melbourne, the first manufacturing site for the model outside Japan. Toyota Australia went on to build more than 666,000 Corollas across its Port Melbourne, Dandenong and Altona plants.    

Only four years later, in 1970, the chubbier E20 Corolla was introduced, retaining the original’s front-engine, rear-wheel drive configuration but with more capacity, power and weight.

The alpha-numeric model code convention continued in 1975 with the E30 / E50 ‘rolla, still rear-drive with later versions powered by a 1.3-litre four and the choice of manual shift or ‘ToyoGlide’ three-speed auto. The third-gen E40 / E60 Sprinter variants were JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) and (other) selected export markets only. 

A more mature E70 Corolla arrived in 1981 with a new coil-spring, five-link rear suspension, but still rear-wheel drive, with a relatively conservative appearance. A clear ‘white goods’ Toyota period.

The E80 kicked off the front-wheel drive Corolla era in 1985 and the ground-breaking E90 became a hugely popular small car option in Australia from 1989, bringing more contemporary looks and the availability of 16-valve, twin-cam engines (anyone remember ‘The O2 Advantage’ slogan?), especially the high-performance ‘4A-GE’.

The E100 from 1994 looked more like a substantial E90 upgrade than a new-generation model but the E110 in 1998 was a clear design departure with a distinctive quad headlight face morphing into a wide-eyed, dual-headlight expression following a facelift.

In 2001, the now imported E120 ushered in a sturdier, high-waisted look for the ninth-generation, with sedans, wagons and hatchbacks available. The E140/E150 continued that design theme from 2006 to the E170 sedan and E180 hatch launched here in 2014.

The Corolla reached a million Australian sales, in September 2007. And for completists, the E160 (Corolla Axio sedan and Fielder wagon) was never officially sold in Australia. 

Which brings us to the current 12-generation E210. Launched in 2018 it’s the longest-running Corolla model and has proved a huge success.

It’s brought back hot hatch performance with GR and soon-to-arrive GRMN variants and looks set to soldier on until the 13th-generation Corolla arrives later this year, with (surprise, surprise) late October a short odds favourite for launch timing. 

Speaking of hot hatches, in terms of motorsport the Corolla has done everything from Bathurst (its first success was a Class A victory in 1968) to the World Rally Championship as well as multiple Australian Rally Championships (at the hands of Neal Bates and Coral Taylor) and a multitude of other competition appearances around the globe.

It’s recently spawned the Corolla Cross SUV as well as a host of other variants throughout its life (AE86 anyone?). And the Corolla shows no sign of slowing down with efficient hybrid powertrains keeping it relevant with sales numbers continuing to tick over locally.

Last year, 18,968 new Corollas found homes in Australia, and with another 6277 sold to the end of May this year it remains the country’s best-selling small car by a comfortable margin.   

Toyota has all but confirmed the next-gen Corolla will be available with hybrid, plug-in hybrid, pure electric and possibly hydrogen fuel cell powertrain options.

Speaking at the showing of a Corolla Concept at last year’s Japan Mobility Show, Toyota President & CEO Koji Sato said despite the new powertrain options, the Corolla must remain a car for “everyone”. 

“Whether it's a battery EV, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, or internal combustion engine vehicle - whatever the power source - let's make good-looking cars that everyone will want to drive,” Sato-san said. 

Hear, hear to that. But facing more challenges than ever before in its 60 years, the 13th-generation Toyota Corolla will possibly be the most important for the world’s biggest carmaker. 

Bring on the birthday party.