Toyota Corolla 1985 News

The next Toyota Corolla sedan is a chalk-and-cheese move on from the dowdy designs we're used to seeing.It's been toned down from the Furia concept that previewed the new sedan's styling at January's Detroit Motor Show, but the wedge-shaped body with sharp lines and edgy accents have still moved the looks light years forward. The downside is that these photos are as close as we'll get to it for more than a year, with the car arriving in the first half of 2014 -- nearly two years after the arrival of the current Corolla hatch.Toyota is having a bet each way on the Corolla sedan, with two design families: the US gets one and European and other markets -- including Australia -- get the other.Both versions have been unveiled today, with the US version being unveiled on its native soil, and the European model at an event in Istanbul, Turkey.Toyota Australia has confirmed that our local Corolla sedan will be closest to the European version in appearance, with detail changes likely to tailor the important model to local tastes. The differences between US and European versions are largely in design cues at the nose and tail, but there's the same growth in length and width -- and a lower stance -- for both.Significantly, both versions feature a 100mm wheelbase stretch over the existing Corolla sedan, resulting in a claimed 75mm legroom increase for rear passengers.Other markets will get a range of engines, including diesel and hybrid choices, but in Australia the sedan will be powered by the slightly revised 103kW/173Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine currently seen in the hatch.Prices haven't been confirmed yet, but -- depending on exchange rates -- shouldn't move too far beyond the current model's starting price of $20,990 (topping out six spec levels later at $31,990). 

The newcomer picks up from the Furia concept car and promises to finally bury the dowdy approach to boxy little Corollas. But - and it's a big one - the new Corolla won't hit Australia until sometime in 2014. That means close to a two-year delay between the arrival of the latest Corolla hatch and the sedan that was always intended to sit alongside it. Toyota is planning another two-pronged effort on the Corolla front with its sedan, which will be unveiled simultaneously in Europe and the USA. And there are likely to be significant differences between the cars. “The Furia is close to how the car will look. There are definitely clues in the concept,” the spokesman for Toyota Australia, Mike Breen, tells Carsguide. “Yes, there are two versions of the car. Because they are slightly different, Toyota has decided there will be European and American launches at the same time.” But, in another twist to the story, there is no confirmation yet on the car for Australia. “We don't know yet which one we will get. It's still being decided,” Breen admits. There is also uncertainty on everything from prices to engines and even the factory where the car will be built. The Corolla hatch is currently shipped from Japan to Australia but the sedan could come from Thailand, or Europe, or even America. “It could come from a number of places. It will ultimately depend on the supply chain and where it is best to source the car,” Breen says. The one definite is that the car will have a much edgier design than the current Corolla sedan, with a wedge shape and more personality in the nose and in the cabin. The current Corolla is around five years old and will be positively ancient when the newcomer arrives, although Toyota is doing its best to keep people interested and currently sells it for $21,490 driveaway in the lead-up to the end of the financial year. “Yes, the sedan has been on the market for quite a while,” admits Breen. “But the new car is coming in the first half of next year. It will be about two years beyond the start of the current hatchback's life.” “They have already moved the hatch to a more sporty flavour. The sedan is going the same way.” Toyota has only given one hint on the new car's design, with a back-end shot on the company's Facebook page highlighting a giant S badge on the back end. But the Furia that was displayed at the Detroit motor show earlier this year points to a sedan that's far more like a hatchback in its layout, as well as providing the packaging for the hybrid model that will be sold in Europe. This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

When Nathan Atkins left his girlfriend's house at Normanhurst to drive to work he found his car, parked in the street, covered in 8000 post-it notes

The world's favourite car is better than it was, but still has a few flaws. The starting sticker, though, is a winner. "I'd rather spend five years in the i30 than three years in the Corolla,'' Paul Pottinger said at the COTY judging. And the cabin reflects a totally different design approach. It's still Toyota efficient, but it breaks away from the blandness with the potential for some personalisation. Visibility is great, despite a slightly pinched view through the rear window, but the real delight comes in the new driving position. Toyota has finally recognised that people don't like to sit with their hair brushing the roof or jammed up against the dash, which means you can sit back in comfort and also enjoy front seats that are nicely shaped and padding that's just right. The steering is light, the car is easy to park and even thought the boot is no bigger it is easier to load. It's also good to find. Full sized spare in the starting price car. So, how does it drive? It's very, very good for a Corolla, and good for a Japanese car. But I've just been spoiled by Golf 7. The Corolla gets along nicely enough, promises great fuel economy and is pretty quiet on all but the worst surfaces. But it doesn't have the limo-like cushiness or the library-quiet cabin of the Volkswagen. Now we come to the gearbox... And I have to say that CVTs are about as popular as brussel sprouts with the Carsguide crew. But Toyota's engineers have added bearnaise sauce with a system that almost -- but not quite --eliminates the horrible flaring and slipping clutch sound while also giving a seven-speed drivers mode that's not as bad as a fake manual. The overall impression is a car that's more complete, and returns the Corolla to the top of the small car heap. Toyota Corolla Ascent auto Price: from $21,990 Engine: 1.8-litre 16-valve four-cylinder Transmission: CVT (with seven-speed “manual” mode), front wheel drive Power: 103kW @ 6400rpm Torque: 173Nm @ 4000rpm Fuel use/emissions: 6.6 l/100km, tank 50 litres 91RON ULP; 152g/km Brakes/safety systems: Driver and front passenger airbags, front seat side, driver’s knee and curtain airbags, stability control (Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Traction Control). Dimensions: Length 4275mm, width 1760mm, height 1460mm, wheelbase 2600mm, cargo volume 280 litres, weight 1270kg Wheels/tyres: 16in steel wheels Win $5,000 in our People's Choice competition.  

New-car buyers in most states in Australia are being asked to pay more for a Toyota Corolla than those in NSW and Queensland – and Toyota says there is nothing it can do to stop the practice. Toyota dealers in NSW and Queensland have been advertising the superseded Toyota Corolla hatch for $18,990 drive-away to clear old stock and make way for the new model which goes on sale today. But the advertised price for the exact same car in other states in $1000 more: $19,990 plus on-road costs. The executive director of sales and marketing for Toyota Australia Matthew Callachor told News.com.au: “They’re dealer prices, you’re always going to find variation in dealer prices all around Australia. It’s a group of dealers who want to move them before the new model arrives.”  “When you hit a run-out some dealers have a few extra units left and they want to move them on.” Callachor said it would be against Federal consumer laws to prevent price variation between states. “They’ve got their own trading policies and … Toyota can’t under ACCC rules." When asked what Toyota customers should do about the $1000 price gap, Callachor said: “The margins are the same for every dealer, it’s up to individual how much they discount by. To our knowledge the only two dealer groups advertising $18,990 drive-away for Corolla were NSW and Queensland,” he said. The $18,990 drive-away offer has been revoked in NSW after running for four days last week – but is still active in Queensland. Toyota dealers in other states told News.com.au that the car was likely being sold at a loss at $18,990 – but none would say that on the record. Toyota Australia’s Callachor said dealers were not making a loss selling the car at $18,990 drive-away.  

Toyota becomes the Corolla car company at Darling Harbour. And it’s not just about the all-new model that’s almost certain to become Australia’s favourite car in 2013. The full history of the Toyota baby will be laid out to highlight the introduction of the 11th-generation Corolla hatch, which has just made its world preview in Paris and is being rushed Down Under for the start of local sales next month. Toyota Australia has found cars that track the Corolla back to the start of its local run, in 1967, when there was little indication that it would go on to become the global bestseller and the car that led the downsizing movement around the world. “We have a special Corolla presentation area at the show,” says Peter Hampson, corporate manager of marketing at Toyota Australia. “It includes one of each of the previous generations of the Corolla, back to the 1960s, and two of the very latest cars. This is the first time anyone in Australia will be able to see the new Corolla hatch. ” Toyota is mounting its usual giant display at Darling Harbour, with close to 1400m of stand area, but is taking a new approach for 2012. And it’s not just about the Corolla and the focus on the newcomer. “We’ve built a new stand this year. It’s all on one level, which makes it more accessible for anyone visiting us. And it’s greener, too, with 12 LED light towers,” says Hampson. “We think it will allow people to have a good time when they visit Toyota at the show.” It takes up to 40 people more than a week to assemble the stand and load it with everything from Brand T, from the Corolla crew to the hot new Toyota 86 sports car. “There will be a complete range of Toyota models, including the new Prius V, Prius C and the locally made Aurion and Camry, which have been released this year,” says Hampson. “The theme of the show stand is Waku Doki Plus, which we’ve picked up from the 86 program. It means we’re going to be edgy, fresh, modern and a little bit surprising.” That means a very special 86, which won its class in the Nurburgring 24-Hour race earlier this year, with Gazoo Racing from Japan, providing the motorsport flavour. “We’ve also got a very rare Toyota 2000 GT sports car from the ‘60s. These are worth more than $250,000.” Toyota also has a safe driving simulator, which it wants everyone – especially young drivers – to try. “It’s about testing their driving skills, but also allows visitors to see how VSC (stability control) and traction control work in virtual reality. It’s a totally safe environment to sample these life-saving technologies,” Hampson adds.  New Toyota Corolla Prices: from $20,000 Engine: 1.8-litre petrol Release date: This month Thirst:TBA  

The new Corolla is just about to be launched in Australia – we’ll have drive impressions for you on Friday – but there’s already talk of a performance model being considered to join the line-up.

Owners Mark Colley, Ian Herrick and Keith Fuller opened the Haberfield second-hand car dealership together a quarter of a century ago and the three have been in business together at the Sydney dealership ever since. The men are now contemplating retirement and have put their prominent Parramatta Rd site on the market. Mr Colley joked that despite some fluctuations in their waistlines and the disappearance of three moustaches, some things never seem to change. "It's still hard to park a car in places like Newtown and Balmain," he said. "I think our cars suit this sort of area, that's why I like being here, it's better for our market." He added that although he had seen house prices rise and traffic around the Parramatta Rd location increase, there were some upsides for inner west motorists. "I think motoring has got cheaper,'' he said. "Used cars in Australia are getting more on a par with other places in the world."  The site will be auctioned on August 14 and if a suitable buyer is found, all three men will be taking their well earned retirement. THEN Top 3 cars sold - 1987 Ford Laser Mazda 626 Toyota Corolla NOW Top 3 cars sold - 2012 Toyota Corolla Volkswagen Golf Toyota Yaris

The milestone was reached in June after 76 years and 11 months. Placed end to end, the 200 million vehicles would stretch around the equator more than 22 times, using the 4.545-metre Corolla sedan as an average. The first official Toyota was a Model G1 truck produced in August 1935 by Toyota Automatic Loom Works Ltd's automotive department, which was spun off and later became TMC. It took TMC more than 50 years to produce its first 50-million vehicles a milestone passed when Bob Hawke was Prime Minister in 1985.  The pace of production has quickened rapidly with the second 50 million taking just over 11 years, while it took a further nine years to raise the total to 150 million. The most recent 50 million were produced in a mere six years and five months at a rate of one vehicle almost every four seconds. Toyota has produced 145 million vehicles in Japan and 55 million in other countries, including Australia. The company's most popular car in Australia and the world is the Corolla, which accounts for approximately one out of every five Toyotas ever sold. Toyota has been the best-selling new-car brand in Australia for the past nine years and is again the market leader so far in 2012.  

The traditional family favourite was only fourth in showrooms during October, beaten by no fewer than three compact cars and a work-and- play ute as Japanese brands continued their comeback surge in Australia and small-car sales continued to grow faster than overall demand. Top spot in October went again to the Toyota Corolla, which repeated its victory from September and also achieved its third monthy sales win of 2011 with 3593 deliveries, ahead of the Volkswagen Golf in third overall and the Mazda3 in fourth. The Toyota HiLux ute was second overall, and close to Corolla in the overall rankings with 3480 sales. Despite the October result, the Commodore continues to lead the year- to-date standings with Australian buyers. It is 371 ahead of the Mazda3 despite a cumulative total that is 8.9 per cent and more than 3000 cars behind the same time in 2010. Holden was forced on Thursday to counter speculation that the VF Commodore will be the last locally-developed and made model when it hits the road in 2013, and was also on the back foot yesterday over the sales result last month. "October was a pretty challenging month for us," admitted Phil Brook, director of sales at GM Holden. But he highlighted a recent value-pack Commodore, the Equipe, which boosts the car's value by around $9500 in a bid to win buyers back. ' Brook also said Holden is doing well with its Captiva SUV and with the compact Cruze - sixth in October - now into local production in Adelaide. "Customer demand for Cruze and Captiva was greater than availability, which can be a nice problem to have," he said. While Holden looks to the Cruze to take up some of the Commodore slack, Toyota is building momentum for a big finish to 2011. "October was the third month in a row where total industry sales were higher than the corresponding month of the previous year," said Dave Buttner, senior executive director of sales and marketing at Toyota Australia. "This trend augurs well for the final two months of the year and the likelihood of annual sales topping one million for only the fourth time."