Looking back over 48 years
The arrival of the 2014 sedan version of the Corolla completes the 11th generation of its line-up and 48 years in a passenger car market the model has mostly dominated. The nameplate that shifted 14 units in New Zealand during its 1966 now boasts more than 230,000 cumulative Kiwi sales and about one-in-five of Toyota’s global output of 200 million cars is one. Although its reputation has remained consistent, its shape, style and size have shifted. The rounded styling of the first and second-generation Corollas of the late 1960s and early 1970s means they are classics. Then there were the sharper lines of the third and fourth-generation models in the mid-to-late ‘70s when it strengthened its position as a popular mid-sized family car. The 1980s saw technological advances, including the first front-wheel-drive Corolla in 1984. The 1988 model was game changer, says Toyota NZ. The launch featured actor Robert Stack, of the TV show The Untouchables, and there were “car of the year” plaudits. The marque here also achieved total market leadership and in 2013 it heralded 25 years at the top. The seventh-generation Corolla of 1993 was the last locally built iteration after the closure of the Thames assembly plant in 1998. The launch of the 11th generation Corolla wagon and hatchback in 2012 heralded a new design, with redrawn dimensions making for a refreshed exterior and roomier cabin.
