Road Test - Toyota Corolla 1600 Esteem
Legs Eleven
In Bingo, Legs Eleven is called when the number eleven comes up. With the Toyota Corolla, Legs Eleven came
up in South Africa earlier this year when the eleventh generation Corolla was introduced. The Corolla has had a
noteworthy history, having first seen the light of day in 1966, and now nearly fifty years later having clocked up
over 40 million sales worldwide.
G
lenn Crompton, Toyota SA Motors
vice president of Marketing, says
that “South Africa’s love affair with
the Corolla began in the mid 70’s and the
passion is still burning. Always the posterchild for Toyota’s legendary quality, durability
and reliability, the all-new 2014 Corolla is
ready to shake off its point-A-to-point-B
image with expressive styling, a premium
interior, and extrovert driving dynamics.
Corolla has taken a considerable step
forward. The newcomer has real gravitas,
a characteristic not readily associated
with previous generations. It serves notice
to competitors that Toyota is not about
to give up the segment it has defined
and dominated for all these decades.
At 40 million we’re just getting started! ”
To test Crompton’s claims, I a managed to
get a Toyota 1,6 Esteem for a road test, and
I can confirm that the newcomer is indeed a
change, and a week with this car confirms
that the new Corolla does turn heads with
its styling, and the passengers appreciate
its premium interior, and from a driving
perspective, this car is both smooth and
dynamic. This eleventh generation Toyota
does indeed serve notice that the bland
image of the Corolla has been consigned to
history, and that at 40 million units they’re
just getting started!
But you cannot ignore its history, no matter
how bland you may think the cars have
been. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla
managed to become the best-selling car
worldwide by 1974 and has been one of
the best-selling cars in the world since
then. In 1997, the Corolla became the bestselling nameplate in the world, surpassing
the Volkswagen Beetle.
Toyota reached the milestone of 40 million
Corollas in July 2013, and it is interesting
to look at how the Corolla evolved
chronologically:
First generation (E10; 1966–1970); Second generation (E20; 1970–1974); Third
generation (E30, E40, E50, E60; 1974–1979); Fourth generation (E70; 1979–1983);
Fifth generation (E80; 1983–1987); Sixth generation (E90; 1987–1991); Seventh
generation (E100; 1991–1995); Eighth generation (E110; 1995–2000); Ninth
generation (E120, E130; 2000–2006); Tenth generation (E140, E150; 2006–2013);
Eleventh generation Japan (E160; 2012–present) and International (E170; 2013–
present). To meet the insatiable global demand Corollas are manufactured in
Japan, Brazil, (Indaiatuba, São Paulo), Canada (Cambridge, Ontario), China
(Tianjin), India (Bangalore), Pakistan, South Africa (Durban), Taiwan, Thailand,
Vietnam, Turkey and Venezuela. Production has previously occured in Australia
(Victoria) and the United Kingdom (Derbyshire). Production in the United States
(at NUMMI in Fremont, California) ended in March 2010. It was resumed late
in 2011, after a Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi plant was opened in
November 2011 in Blue Springs, Mississippi.
| words in action
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august 2014