What’s the best selling car in the world?

Some might be tempted to utter the name of a certain insectoid bolide that made U.S. landfall in the mid-1950s. Wrong answer. The right answer is….

….Corolla.

It’s now in its 10th generation. Gen 1 was launched in 1966, during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. It appeared as an unassuming little economy sedan powered by a small but sturdy 1,100 cc (67 ci) engine. Today, of course, motorcycles have larger engines than this. But no motorcycle has sold as many units as Corolla has. The total number now exceeds 30 million cars world-wide, with seven million of that number having been sold here in the U.S.

By any definition, that amounts to an astounding success. And of course today’s Corolla is a far cry from that early ancestor. It’s larger, more comfortable, and packed with safety and emissions equipment that couldn’t even have been imagined 42 years ago.

Yet thanks to the vision of its ongoing and ever-evolving team of designers and engineers, Corolla has remained true to its mission. It still delivers terrific comfort and value, and it still gets enviable fuel economy: the EPA rates its fuel economy, with its standard 1,800cc engine and 5-speed transmission, at 28 mpg/city, 37 mpg/highway.

So, Corolla. It’s a small car with a big heart, a small car that can make a big impact on a family’s mobility – and on its budget.

We think that 10 generations later, that is worth celebrating.