MALAYSIAN MOTOR TRADER NEWS - FEATURE - Toyota Corolla History (Part 2)

Dr Akihiko Saito was the man in charge of developing the next generation and faced the challenge of making such a successful model even better. The development goal was to design "a global, high quality vehicle that transcends class". The emphasis on quality was very great and the Corolla set new standards for such cars to the extent that in Japan, it even earned the nickname "mini-Crown" (the Crown being Toyota's flagship model).

New materials, advanced CAD tools and other advancements made it possible to design a more sophisticated Corolla which would be manufactured using even more advanced processes. The RWD drivetrain was phased out and every variant now had FWD and some in domestic market also had 4WD to provide better grip on snow and ice.

In the five years it was in production, 4.5 million units were produced worldwide. The sixth generation sold in increasing numbers and it was said that the factory made over 100 variations of the model (in terms of equipment and options).

'7' is a lucky number to the Japanese so the seventh generation of the Corolla, which was launched in 1991, was expected to do even better than its predecessors. Just a couple of years before, Toyota had introduced the Lexus brand which gave a new meaning to quality and refinement in automobile design and every chief engineer in the company was inspired to also bring higher standards to his model.

For Dr Saito and his team, cost was not an issue - especially since this was Toyota's best-seller by far. If a wire harness needed to be an extra 150 mm to route it so that it would not make noise against the cylinder head, that was fine. The quest was to produce the best Corolla ever and in the process, Dr Saito's team presented the public with what was considered a 'mini-Lexus'.

There was however an increase in price due to the lavishness of the engineering and this resulted in initial sales being slow in Japan. However, when customers felt the greater refinement, they felt the price was justified and sales began to improve. Overseas, however, the seventh generation was another success.

Towards the end of the seventh generation, the economic bubble in Japan had 'burst' and a recession occurred. This was a difficult time for the automakers and Takayasu Honda, who took over as Corolla Chief Engineer (he had been on the Corolla team from the KE70 days) faced a new kind of challenge in developing the new model. He could no longer be lavish even with Toyota's bestseller and had to find ways to reduce its cost without sacrificing quality.

The same platform was used and 'cost-down' measure were taken in areas where customers could not see. The car remained a competent model but the focus was not on luxury and instead towards simplicity and sturdiness. The occupants got higher levels of active and passive safety and the model was 'friendlier' to the environment.

It was during this generation that Toyota began to see the need for variations in the exterior styling to suit different regions. The conservative look was accepted by Japanese buyers (and by other buyers in Asia too, Toyota believed) but in Europe, customers wanted something with more emotional appeal. Though the Corolla was respected for its reliability and efficient operation, it lacked flair and that could easily be addressed by cosmetic tweaks.

Looking at the bodystyle variants, Toyota also decided to rationalize the line-up as another cost-cutting measure and the coupe and liftback were no longer offered. Changing consumer preferences had seen sporty models decline in sales while MPV and SUV popularity grew. An interesting new variant was created in the form of a mini-MPV which was known as the Corolla Spacio and this offered extra rear space and more utility.

7th, 8th and 9th generations of the Corolla

9th Generation (ZZE120)
When Takeshi Yoshida took over as Chief Engineer of the Corolla, the Japanese industry had bounced back and a new impetus could be given to product development. It was in the late 1990s and when the new generation was launched, it would be in a new century so predictably, the aim was to be the global standard for automobiles in the 21st century.

Developed on a concept of "New Century Value" (NCV), this generation of Corolla was a great contrast to the eighth generation. It was a step up in quality, luxury and even size. Having seen that the regional tweaking of the styling worked in Europe, Toyota applied the same approach to Asia and 'customised' the exterior looks to more closely meet the tastes of customers. It was accepted that while the conservative look was still okay for Japanese buyers, it was not necessarily appealing to those outside Japan.

The Corolla had always been the best-selling model in Japan since its first appeared, an incredible span of time to hold on to the top position. However, the new generation of buyers in that market have new tastes and new values which the Corolla could not satisfy and after more than three decades, other models have sold better.

Over 30 million Toyota Corollas have been sold since the first generation was introduced in 1966. While this number qualifies it as the best-selling automobile in the world, there will be those who say that unlike the original VW Beetle (21.5 million units) and Ford Model T (16.5 million units), today's Corolla is not the same car as the one that 'motorised' Japan in the 1960s. The nameplate has been retained for ten generations but the design has evolved - which could be why it remains in existence today whereas the unchanged designs of the other two models saw their demise. Nevertheless, the Corolla can still be considered one of the most popular cars in the world.