Toyota Corolla is Still the Best-Selling Car in the World

Earlier this year, I was invited to attend a press conference as well as tour the Toyota Corolla manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi, just up the road from Tupelo. The reason for the press conference was that Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi Sean Suggs announced that Toyota Motor Corporation would be making a $170-million investment in the 10-year-old manufacturing plant. There will be an expansion to the existing plant, updating of the production line, and an onsite training center. The training center will be used in conjunction with the local community college to accommodate all the new jobs the large investment will provide to the area.

So when I received the Toyota Corolla SE for my press loan, I thought back to my trip and all the great Toyota plant leaders and teammates responsible for producing the world's best-selling car. The first Corolla was introduced in 1966; and by 1974, it had become the best-selling car worldwide. Since that first car in 1966, there has been over 40 million sold, and the Blue Springs plant can now share in that history with the one millionth build at the plant.

It would be easy for Toyota Corporation to sit back and know that the Corolla has had a nice run with its 11 generations; but as the Corolla enjoys its 52nd year, it is still reinventing itself successfully. The 2019 hatchback version just won the Texas Auto Writers Association Texas Compact Car of the Year at their annual spring Auto Round Up, beating out a number of competitors for the award.

When you show up at a dealer to pick out your Corolla, it can be a bit daunting since the Corolla line offers 6 different grades including the L, LE, LE Eco, XLE, SE, and XSE. I had the sporty SE with the Blue Crush Metallic/Blue exterior, bold Softex-trimmed 6 way sport seats with a bright Vivid Blue stitching. To finish off the sporty interior appeal of the SE, the leather-trimmed 3-spoke steering wheel has practically every button to control the Entune entertainment system, the multi-information display, or the Bluetooth hands-free phone system.

Rear Passenger Comfort

One of the biggest reasons the Corolla has seen the continued success that it has over the past 50+ years is the comfort that is offered for not only for the front passengers, but for the passengers in the rear. There is a little over 41” of leg room for back seat passengers which is comparable for a number of midsize sedans.

Great on the Highway

We took a day trip to a lake in the Texas Hill Country to see how the Corolla would do on the highway and interstate. The day we chose happened to be an unusually hot day due to a Sahara dust front that hit Texas in June. With a number of factors working against the Corolla, like running the air conditioner extra hard and driving into a stiff head wind while winding through the ups and downs of the hill country, the 1.8L 4-cylinder non-hybrid was able to get almost 35 mpg.

Pleasant Cabin Ride

Typically cars in this segment are not known for being the quietest of vehicles out there. To get quiet comfort, you typically have to jump up to family style sedans, but the Toyota engineers have included a number of sound damping measures across the Corolla line from acoustic glass windshield, an instrument panel seal between the cowl and the windshield, an inner dash silencer pad, floor carpet insulation, and fender insulators. With these little extras added, it really makes a difference in the comfort and ease with which you can chat while traveling in the car.

Toyota Vehicle Safety Program

Toyota Corporation has made a decision to try and minimize the number of vehicle accidents each year which includes fatalities. They want to see more families get home safe and sound every time they leave the house. Beginning this year, Toyota will now make the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS-P) features standard on all the vehicles produced. In the past, TSS was only offered on higher end vehicles, but now they are making it available across all of line of vehicles.

Still the Best-Selling Car in the World

With a number of car manufacturers cutting production of their car lines, it appears for now the decision makers at Toyota still believe there are people somewhere in the world that still want to buy a fun-to-drive quality car over a quality CUV/SUV. So instead of resting, Toyota keeps raising the quality bar to give the world what they want.

Specifications:

Toyota Corolla SE

Year 2018

List Price Car pictured $22,834.00

Color: Blue Crush Metallic/Blue

Engine: Petro 1.9L 4-cylinder

Transmission: 5 speed manual

8 Airbags

7” Touch Screen

Auto Climate Control with Pollen Filter

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