BY TERRY MARTIN | 9th Aug 2018
THE Toyota Corolla comes with a lot of baggage and this new 12th generation brings with it a curriculum vitae that points to the nameplate being the world’s best-selling car – with more than 45 million sold over half a century – and Australia’s best-selling passenger car.
Up until recently, Corolla has also routinely figured as one of Australia’s top-selling models outright, although in the past year or so it has deferred to a couple of big one-tonne utilities – Toyota’s own HiLux and Ford’s Australian-developed Ranger.
The SUV juggernaut is yet to catch up with Toyota’s mighty small car, but slowing sales, a shrinking segment and the overwhelming force behind the high-riding genre point to an overtaking move at some point.
Unless, of course, a seismic shift occurs, perhaps brought on by a striking new appearance, wholesale interior redesign, class- and brand-leading technology and, not least of all, an engineering overhaul that promises to transform the driving experience and turn what has long been referred to as ‘whitegoods on wheels’ into a premium appliance.
The all-new Corolla hatch has arrived.