Toyota Corolla marks 60 years as best-selling car

The Toyota Corolla celebrates its 60th anniversary, tracing its origins back to development beginning in late 1962. Led by Tasuo Hasegawa, the project aimed to move beyond the failure of the Toyota Publica, which was deemed too simple for Japanese consumers seeking vehicles that reflected social status.

Development involved significant technical shifts, including the decision to use MacPherson strut front suspensions, a first for a Japanese car at the time. Despite early engineering setbacks where prototypes reportedly collapsed after only 500 meters, the model eventually achieved global success. The production required a 30 billion yen investment in a new factory in Takaoka.