Toyota introduced the Corolla

Corolla The worlds all-time best-selling automobile, the Toyota Corolla, was introduced in Japan in 1966 and the U.S. in 1968. Forty years later, this popular economy car is still attracting a million customersa year. Cumulative U.S. sales surpassed 7 million Corollas; worldwide, the total exceeds 30 million. • By 1982, with cumulative worldwide production at almost ten million units, Corolla was being sold in 116 countries. • In the U.S., Toyota joined General Motors in re-opening an older plant in Fremont, California in 1984, creating the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI). NUMMI became the first U.S. manufacturing site for the popular Corolla, with production beginning in 1987. • The exterior styling of the 1998 Corolla registered a lower dragcoefficient than a Supra Turbo. The first models offered in the U.S. were subcompacts equipped with a 1.1-liter, four-cylinder SOHV engine. Toyota upgraded the Corolla in 1970, adding more room and the power of 1.2-and 1.6-liter engines. In the mid-1970s, Corolla became the best selling automobile in the world. The five millionth Corolla rolled off the production line in June 1976. In 1984, Toyota introduced the Corolla coupe equipped with a four cylinder, 16- valve DOHC engine. Dubbed the GT-S, it offered the highest performance of any Corolla model, and remained in production until 1991. By 1988, with the introduction of the fifth generation, all Corollas except three-door hatchbacks had front-or four-wheel drive. The model mix then included three-door hatchbacks andFXs, four-door sedans and five-door wagons. The sixth-generation Corolla, launched in 1993, was the first with a drivers side airbag, and offered with 1.6-and 1.8-liter engines. The new, larger Corolla was reclassified as a "compact,"taking the spot vacated by the 1992 Camrys move to "mid-size."A passenger-side airbag was added in ...

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