In 1975 the Toyota Corolla was finally introduced to the South African market. Initially, four power unit variations were available for the third generation Corolla.
The 3rd generation Toyota Corolla debuted with the following engine line-up:
- 1.2-litre 3K-H engine
- 1.4-litre T-series engine
- 1.6-litre 2T engine
- 2T-G twin cam engine
Once again Toyota offered sedan, estate, and coupe models. A hardtop model was also available and differentiated itself from the sedan via a triple-stack of streamlined air vents at the rear three-quarter panel. Interestingly, the Coupe was discontinued almost immediately after launch, but was reintroduced at a later point.
Greater Safety
To improve safety over the second-gen model, Toyota designed the car with an impact-absorbing body structure with a crumple zone at both the front and the rear. The thickness of the doors was also increased to give better protection against side impacts and three-point retractor seatbelts were standard on all models.
Sales of the Third-Gen Corolla
While sales of the third-generation Corolla in Japan failed to meet expectations, the international market proved to be wildly successful for Toyota. In total, 3,755,029 third-gen Corollas were produced during the car’s entire production run.
Look out for our new post, releasing shortly “The FOURTH GENERATION TOYOTA COROLLA (1979-1983)“
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
