Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla is a line of compact cars produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota since 1966.

Toyota introduced the first generation in November 1966 with an 1.1-liter engine and a floor-mounted four-speed manual transmission. Worldwide sales crossed one million units by 1970 during the run of the second generation. The vehicle transitioned from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive in 1983 with the fifth generation, although the rear-wheel drive coupe variants retained the older layout. By 2021, cumulative production across twelve generations surpassed 50 million vehicles, which made the Corolla the best-selling automotive nameplate in global history.

The rear-wheel drive coupe versions from 1983 gained widespread recognition in Japanese drifting competitions and motorsport culture. In international competition, Toyota Team Europe entered the Corolla WRC into the World Rally Championship, winning the manufacturers championship in 1999 with drivers Didier Auriol and Carlos Sainz. In North America, the vehicle earned the 2020 Green Car of the Year award for its hybrid sedan variant. Toyota later released the performance-oriented GR Corolla hatchback, which features an all-wheel-drive system and an engine rated at 224 kW (300 hp).

Across its lifespan, Toyota produced the Corolla in sedan, hatchback, station wagon, and coupe body styles. European markets received the tenth and eleventh generation hatchbacks under the Auris nameplate between 2006 and 2018 before reverting to the Corolla badge for the twelfth generation. Hybrid powertrains joined the lineup in 2010, pairing an electric motor with a four-cylinder gasoline engine. In 1997, Corolla sales overtook the Volkswagen Beetle to reach the highest cumulative vehicle sales record, with assembly taking place in over a dozen countries including Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom.