1975 saw the introduction of the 3rd generation Corolla to the South African market. Local production of the Corolla started the same year.Its rise to the top was rapid, becoming the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and by 1997 it became the best-selling nameplate, surpassing that of the Volkswagen Beetle.
- Over 1-million Toyota Corollas produced and sold in South Africa.
- Over 45-million sold world-wide.
- Every 45 seconds, for the past 54 years, a Toyota Corolla has been built and sold.
- The Corolla accounts for 1 out of 5 Toyotas sold.
- Globally Toyota has sold 50 million Corollas
It’s slogan “The most wanted car by the market – presented to the world by bringing together the essence of Toyota’s technology’ is still relevant today as it was back then!
We will go through all (12), one by one of it’s diffent iterations.
FIRST GENERATION TOYOTA COROLLA (1966-1970)
Development of the first-generation Corolla began in the latter half of 1962 with Tasuo Hasegawa heading up the design team. Based on his previous experience working on the Toyopet Crown and leading the development of the Publica, Hasegawa decided that a different approach was needed for the new Corolla.
Toyota designed the Publica as a practical family car that was both economical and affordable. To achieve this, Hasegawa and his design team had to simplify the car’s specifications and features, which led to a lukewarm reception from Japanese buyers.
Part of the problem was that purchasing a car was a dream for many in the general public and Japan was a rapidly changing country. Japanese buyers didn’t just want a utility item, they wanted a vehicle they could be proud of – something that was at least somewhat luxurious.
With the failure of the Publica, Toyota and Hasegawa came to the realisation that their existing components and technologies were not up to the demands of the modern car buyer.
They decided to focus on creating a new concept that would feature a completely new suspension, body and engine design. Construction of this new car would require an up-to-date manufacturing facility, which came in the form of the 30 billion yen Takaoka Plant.
Hasegawa and his team’s initial plan was to create a car with a 44 horsepower 1.0-litre engine – a significant challenge for Toyota at the time. The Toyota design team understood that an overhead cam layout was an effective way to create a more power engine, but they lacked the experience to implement it properly in an affordable package.
Instead, they focused on an overhead valve layout but with the camshaft in the highest possible position within the cylinder block and a shorter push rod. This workaround achieved somewhat similar performance to Toyota’s ideal overhead cam layout.
While Toyota was developing this new engine, 1.0-litre power units were becoming increasingly common in family cars. With this in mind it was decided that the engine would be expanded to 1.1-litres (1,077 cc) to maintain an air of superiority over the competition.
However, this would create some tension in the company as some believed that the new engine size would push the Corolla into a higher tax bracket.
The new engine size wasn’t the only thing that drew opposing voices from within Toyota. A number of workers voiced concerns about the positioning of the MacPherson strut front suspension. This was the first time that the lightweight suspension setup had been used in a Japanese vehicle and the design team had no experience creating their own configuration.
When the first prototypes of the Corolla were produced, the dissenting voices were proven to be correct. The problem was so bad that one prototype could only travel 500m before the suspension failed.
Despite these disappointments, Hasegawa was adamant that the MacPherson configuration was the correct setup for the new car. With further refinements the setup was perfected and ready to go two-and-a-half years later.
At the rear of the car, the new Corolla featured a much simpler semi-floating suspension configuration that was adopted to reduce the inherent squeaking noise produced from leaf springs.
Unlike many other Japanese cars of the period, the Corolla was not only designed for the local market, but also the export market as well. Toyota wanted to use the Corolla to enter new markets and see how they stack up against their foreign competition.
Initially, the Corolla was only available as a two-door saloon, however, soon afterwards a four-door sedan and a two-door ‘van’ (station wagon) were introduced.
Compared to the Publica, the new Corolla was far more futuristic and more up-to-date with the needs of the modern world & markets. Toyota adopted a semi-fastback design for the first time and made widespread use of curved surfaces to give the car a more active and refined appearance.
The engine line-up started with the 1.1-litre K series engine, but with more power than the initial prototypes at 59 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 83 Nm (61 lb ft) of torque at 3,800 rpm. This engine featured several revolutionary technologies such as a high-mounted camshaft for more performance and a five-bearing crankshaft that could withstand higher engine speeds.
The new engine was soon joined by a more powerful K-B version that was fitted with twin carburettors, and a K-D engine, which featured a raised compression ratio for increased performance.
In the second half of the first-generation Corolla’s production run, Toyota replaced the 1.1-litre power units with a series of enhanced and expanded 1.2-litre 3k, 3K-B and 3K-D engines. The base-spec 3K power unit produced a maximum output of 67 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 94 Nm (69 lb ft) of torque at 3,500 rpm – a small but welcome increase in power over the old 1.1-litre engine.
Toyota mated the K series engines to a choice of three different transmissions: a floor-mounted two speed automatic, a steering column-mounted four-speed manual and a fully synchronised four-speed manual transmission. Both the four-speed manual and the two-speed automatic transmissions were firsts for a Japanese motor vehicle, and were far ahead of the ones found on older cars.
Moreover, it was the first time that any Japanese car featured 2-speed automatic and 4-speed manual transmissions. In the interior, Toyota included some high-end features of that time such as a centre console box, armrests, a radio, and a heater. Initially, this Toyota Corolla generation featured drum brakes but midway through the generation, Toyota introduced front disc brakes as an option.
To keep the body in good condition, Toyota made use of a rarely used coating technique at the time known as protective electrostatic coating, which was then combined with regular electrophoretic body coating. The car was then finished in a range of different colours that were based on classic mythological themes and gods.
On the inside, the sporty modern theme continued with bucket-style seats in the front that could be fully reclined. The Corolla also featured equipment that was normally only found on more expensive cars at the time such as a centre console box, armrests, a radio and a heater.
Initially, the Corolla was only fitted with drum brakes at both the front and the rear, however, Toyota installed front disc brakes on some models midway through the first-generation car’s production lifecycle (another first for a Japanese family car).
Safety
With Toyota’s desire to export the Corolla from the outset, Hasegawa and his team not only had to create a car that could compete specification wise, but they also had to make a car that was safe (relative for the time). The safety requirements for motor vehicles in the United States were much higher than those in Japan and as such, Toyota introduced features such as multi-point seat belts, and recessed, pull-type outside door handles during the Corolla’s production run.
List of References
Rola, accessed 13 December 2023, https://www.rola.co.za/newsroom/86-the-toyota-corolla
Cars Blog,Car History:Toyota Corolla, accessed 13 December 2023, https://www.dubizzle.com/blog/cars/toyota-corolla-history
Autoweek:Here’s How Toyota Sold 50 Million Corollas In 55 Years, accessed 13 December 2023, https://www.autoweek.com/news/g37418790/how-toyota-sold-50-million-corollas/
Garage dreams: The complete history of Toyota Corolla, accessed 13 December 2023, https://garagedreams.net/history/the-complete-history-of-the-toyota-corolla
Stay tuned and look out for our next posting on Toyota Corolla’s Second generation (1970-1974). Happy reading. Knowledge is power!
