Toyota Corolla History
The best-selling nameplate in automotive history, in continuous production since 1966.
Photo: “2000 Toyota Corolla (AE112R) Ascent sedan (2015-06-03) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain
History
Launched in 1966 as an affordable family car, the Toyota Corolla quickly became a symbol of reliable, economical motoring and reached the US for the 1968 model year.
Early Corollas were rear-wheel drive; the line switched to front-wheel drive in the 1980s, the lone exception being the rear-drive AE86 (1984–1987), a drifting and motorsport cult car.
By the 2020s cumulative production had surpassed 50 million units, making the Corolla the best-selling car model of all time; the modern line spans sedan, hatchback, and hybrid forms, topped by the turbocharged GR Corolla.
Generations
First generation · E10
The original rear-drive Corolla; reached the US for 1968.
Second generation · E20
Larger second-generation rear-drive Corolla.
Third generation · E30/E40/E50/E60
Mid-1970s rear-drive Corolla in a wide range of body styles.
Fourth generation · E70
The last fully rear-drive Corolla generation.
Fifth generation · E80 (incl. AE86)
Transition to front-wheel drive, but the rear-drive AE86 Levin/Trueno coupe lived on as a cult performance car.
Sixth generation · E90
Front-drive Corolla; refined and increasingly upmarket.
Seventh generation · E100
Rounded early-1990s Corolla.
Eighth generation · E110
Photo: “2000 Toyota Corolla (AE112R) Ascent sedan (2015-06-03) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain
Late-1990s Corolla.
2000 Photo: “2000 Toyota Corolla (AE112R) Ascent sedan (2015-06-03) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain
2001 Photo: “2001 Toyota Corolla (AE112R) Ascent sedan (2015-05-29) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain
Ninth generation · E120/E130
Larger ninth-generation Corolla.
Tenth generation · E140/E150
Tenth-generation Corolla.
Eleventh generation · E170
Eleventh-generation Corolla.
Twelfth generation · E210
Current TNGA-platform Corolla as sedan and hatchback, with a hybrid and the GR Corolla hot hatch.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Hatchback
- Coupe
- Wagon
- Hybrid
Notable special editions & performance variants
AE86
The rear-drive Corolla GT-S/Levin/Trueno — a drifting and motorsport cult icon.
GR Corolla
Turbocharged, all-wheel-drive performance hatch from Toyota Gazoo Racing; revealed in 2022.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Toyota Corolla
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.