A few days ago, 24/7 Wall Street published yet another list of the best selling cars of all times, kicking the perennial Ford F-Series to second place. We usually stay away from these lists, they just produce flame wars, especially when the methodology remains as dubious as in “we looked at best-selling car data from a number of sources.”
However, powered by the Huffington Post et al, the list went viral. And there you have it: “Toyota Corolla becomes world’s most popular car with one sold every 40 seconds.”
Toyota took that to heart today and added a second shift to its Blue Springs, Mississippi plant. It makes the Corolla in America. And yes, in the press release, Toyota confirms that the Corolla is “the world’s best-selling car of all time.”
The Blue Springs plant has an annual capacity to produce 150,000 Corollas. According to our monthly sales snapshot, the Corolla disappointed in January, whereas the new Camry is selling well. In 2011, Corolla U.S. sales had been down 9.7 percent. (With the Ford F series solidly in number 1.) So why a second shift?
(Allegedly) Best Selling Cars Of All Times
| Rank | Make/Model | Time | Millions |
| 1 | Toyota Corolla | 1966 – present | 37.5 |
| 2 | Ford F-Series | 1948 – present | 35.0 |
| 3 | Volkswagen Golf | 1974 – present | 27.5 |
| 4 | Volkswagen Beetle | 1933 – 2003 | 23.5 |
| 5 | Ford Escort | 1968 – 2000 | 20.0 |
| 6 | Honda Civic | 1972 – present | 18.5 |
| 7 | Honda Accord | 1976 – present | 17.5 |
| 8 | Ford Model T | 1908 – 1927 | 16.5 |
| 9 | Volkswagen Passat | 1973 – present | 15.5 |
| 10 | Chevy Impala | 1958 – present | 14.0 |
If you consider the fact that 240,000 Corolla/Matrix were sold stateside in 2011, and if you recall that there had been a rumor that Toyota could stop all Corolla exports from Japan due to the Godzilla yen, you may wonder whether that has something to do with it. Also, the current E140 generation of the Corolla is getting mighty long in the tooth – time for a new one? The always well-informed Kaizen Factor says:
“Nah. The North American Corolla appears one year later than its Japanese Corolla and European Auris siblings, and the latter isn’t expected to be unveiled until this September’s Paris Auto Show. “
I’ll ask tomorrow at the Toyota results conference in Tokyo. Not that I expect any answers .
Year to Year I tend to see the Corolla placing 3rd or lower…how is it sneaking past a Truck series with 18 more years with 2.5 million more units? Is this world-wide production? Ugh, this chart is just making me feel confused because their basing it on different year ranges, different kinds of vehicles, and different vehicles all together (i.e. a 1966 Corolla isn’t a 2011 Corolla by any stretch).
Hooray for flawed metholdology! So, the RR air cooled Beetle isn’t grouped with the “New Beetle” but every generation of Corolla, Civic, Impala, etc.. are grouped together. Maybe Ford should bring back the Model T to capitalize on it’s historical success! (Basically, take the Lincoln approach where they renamed the Zephyr the mk Z, rename the Taurs the model T).
Did VW ever officially call the Type 1 a Beetle? Impala production has had gaps, and they accounted for those, so the name differences might be to blame.
In either case, New Beetle production hasn’t been anywhere close to the 4 million necessary to put it past the Golf.
The building of Corollas will continue until morale improves.
Aren’t quite a lot of North American Corollas and Matrixes also made in Cambridge, Ontario?
Yes. Not sure about the distribution areas from each factory though. Ohio has mostly Canada-built Corollas. Yes, I’ve been peepin’!
Corolla has always (or at least since ’88 in Cambridge) had a two-factory system in North America, plus occasional extras from Japan.
But when NUMMI went down in 2010, Japanese factories had to take up the slack for a while, until the new Mississippi plant could come on line to take its place.
Blue Springs (TMMM!) only got knocked up with Corolla in November 2011, remember, after it aborted Highlander and Prius production.
So ~3 months to work up to a second shift is PRETTY GOOD.
I wonder how long it will be until Yen-zilla drives Prii production stateside?
Could be that TM is anticipating a major rise in gasoline prices that will spark demand for small cars.
Also, are US-made Corollas exported overseas?
I was wondering that myself, is Mississippi tooled to build right hand drive? I know NUMMI was not, that’s why the Matrix is built in Canada and the Vibe was built in Freemont.
Actually, NUMMI has built RHD cars before. The Toyota Voltz was built there and exported to Japan. The Voltz had the sheetmetal of the Vibe and was built on the same line.
unlike their American competition that has to keep renaming their new vehicles so that buyers don’t associate the new model with the outgoing one, Toyota, Honda and Nissan don’t have that problem, on the contrary, it would be foolish to rename any of them.
The Japanese are just sticking to the “twinning” method of marketing cars. I.E., in the ads the car is called a Matrix, but on the official paperwork, it’s really a “Corolla Matrix”, and counts as a Corolla. See Camry Solara, and Stanza Altima for other examples.
When you say Civic, it could be any one of a number of cars for 30+ years that ranges from subcompact to (practically) mid size cars. It may be better baggage, but it’s baggage all the same. OTOH, let’s see if we ever see another Element. I doubt we will. Or it will be a Quad Runner-type of vehicle.
When I buy a new car, I want a new car. My Dad had a Fairlane. Even as I get older and start to resemble my father more and more, the last thing I want is to resemble my father more and more. If Ford were to offer a new Fairlane, I think I’d pass. Even if it was sex on wheels.
“has to” is a strong wording. The concept dates back to the turn of the last century when Ford built his Model T and had built preceding models with different alphabetical designations. As time progressed Automotive companies saw each car as a different entity and thus minor redesigns kept the name, major redesigns dumped it. Only later on did names with cache stick around. There is no reason why the Ford Focus couldn’t have remained the Escort or the Impala could have remained the Caprice. It’s marketing and perception as much as anything else. The Japanese are selling themselves with the naming schemes, a Camry is a Camry but Toyota is forever.
Ya…
That’s why we went from the Tercel to the Paseo to the Echo to the Yaris.
That’s why I can buy a Toyota van today, oh wait sorry, a Toyota Previa today, oh wait sorry, a Toyota Sienna today.
To understand why those names changed, you have to dig a little deeper. The Tercel stopped sales in NA, but continued sales in SA for a little while longer. During this time, the global Yaris platform was launched and it was named the Echo since Toyota has this unwritten policy of not having two different versions of one car, like Honda does for the Euro Accord and the US version, for example.
Previa is the same way. The true successor to the van we got during the early 90s is still sold today in Europe. Corona lasted 20 years longer outside the US and since it remained the RWD vehicle, the new car that took its place needed a different name since it was from a different lineage and hence, the Camry was born.
Geozinger’s point was very clear though, and that is the fact that Japanese have gone through significantly LESS names than the American car brands have. Between 2003-2006 GM alone killed close to 20 nameplates.
The sales numbers would be more interesting if it was sorted by sales volume per capita, specifically number of units sold per 100 adults. My guess is the Model T would move up a few notches.
Great point. The Model T’s numbers are amazing.
I really have to question the inclusion of the Ford Escort. The european/ english Ford Escort is a completely different car line than the american one.
The Corolla is sold worldwide too, but at least it is the same basic car everyewhere.
Long in the tooth is kind. Methuselian comes to mind. Not that there is necessarily anything horrid about that. Rip on the ye’ ol’ GM W-Body all you want, with the 3.8L V6 and 4-speed auto they were as reliable as the sunrise. Oh sure, the 3.8L produced 100 less HP than the competition, got about the same MPG, the 4-speed auto was a boat anchor with way too tall gears, the iron block made them hopelessly nose heavy, the old design for the chassis hurt handling and rigidity – but you can’t kill ’em.
The Corolla is in the same boat now. The 1.8L under the hood isn’t super competitive in HP, torque, or economy. The 4-speed auto is an ancient artifact compared to the competition. Decontenting has gutted the interior while material quality has gone down. It doesn’t brake, handle, accelerate, ride, or is as quiet as the competition. Its interior and exterior design is a lesson in bland beige mediocrity. You really can’t even say it is superior on price, costing more than a number of better options. But, it’s as reliable as the sunrise.
But given at how much better Hyundai, Kia, Ford, GM, VW, and Mazda is in this segment, and how the Civic is at least marginally better, I’m left scratching my head on why anyone would buy a Corolla in its current state.
I was wondering the same thing myself. Americans must be really dumb when it comes to buying cars these days. My clueless cousin bought a 2010 LE automatic. When asked how she likes it she says it is a tinny car with paper thin sheetmetal that very easily attracts door dings and sound hollow when the door is opened or closed. The OEM battery has already been replaced leaving her stranded at her job, the factory tires were shot at less than 20K miles, the alternator is making a bearing noise and the serpentine belt squeals when the car is started up and the front brake rotors are already pulsing. She also became quite annoyed when comparing all the features her sons 2012 Elantra came with compared to her car including cruise control, bluetooth, USB port, alloy wheels, trip computer and a rear seat armrest with cuphoThis is with only 25K miles currently. Needless to say another Corolla is not in her future.
Don’t underestimate the pull of loyalty. The Corolla was a much better car at one point, and a lot of folks replacing older Corollas aren’t going to look at anything else. And if you’re comparing it to a ten-year-old Corolla, the current one looks pretty good.
I just bought an 2003 Corolla as a commuter. After sitting into a 2012 Corolla at the DC car show last week, the interior and comfort of the 2012 does not look very good at all compared to the 2003.
Toyota’s decision to add a second shift at Blue Springs, Mississippi is likely being driven by a combination of factors:
1. Expectation of an Increase in US Sales of Corollas
The job situation in the US appears to be improving. This will likely lead to an overall increase in car sales. A general increase in economic activity is also likely to cause higher inflation. In such an environment speculators will bump up the price of oil. I doubt any of this will be very dramatic. However, rising costs and memories of $140 per barrel oil (2008) may be enough to push more nervous car shoppers to buy smaller cars.
2. Continued Strength of the Canadian Dollar
If oil prices rise in 2012 the Canadian Dollar will follow suit. This puts Toyota’s Cambridge facility at a competitive disadvantage (ie, to the Blue Springs Facility) vis-a-vis labour cost. My guess is that Toyota will try to adjust the mix of North American Corolla production (ie, less at Cambridge versus more at Blue Springs) to buffer against a possible increase in the Canadian Dollar.
3. Desire to ReCoup Investment in Blue Springs
Blue Springs is a new facility. To speed recovery of their investment Toyota will want this factory running as close to capacity as possible. Furthermore, the current generation of the Corolla has only been made at Blue Springs since Fall of 2011. Cambridge, on the other hand, has been building the E140 since it was released in North America (ie, 2009 model year). With perhaps two (or three?) model years left on the E140 Blue Springs has less time to recover their investment in assembly line tooling (ie, than does Cambridge).
With the exchange rate near parity and all-new staff, I suspect labor costs in Mississippi are a lot less than in Ontario.
“Toyota took that to heart today and added a second shift to its Blue Springs, Mississippi plant. It makes the Corolla in America.”
Really? I had no idea that Mississippi was in America. (sarcasm)
The Mississippi plant is only 1 of the 15 plants where Corollas are made and according to TTAC, it only has a capacity of 150,000 units per year. According to Toyota, the Canada plant has a capacity of over 400,000 units per year, so the statement, “It makes the Corolla in America” is somewhat misleading. A more accurate statement would be, “It makes some of the North American market Corollas in America and most in Canada.”
According to Wikipedia,”Corollas are manufactured in Japan and in Brazil (Indaiatuba, São Paulo), Canada (Cambridge, Ontario), China (Tianjin), India (Bangalore), Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa (Durban), Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela.”
Considering the amount of Corollas that have been making their way to fleet, maybe for more fleet sales?
There were about 305000 Corolla/Matrix sold in North America in 2011. A little over 240000 in US, about 52000 in Canada and the rest in Mexico. This a very low number, probably the lowest in the last 15 years.
Toyota Cambridge (Ontario/Canada) Corolla/Matrix nominal capacity is 200000. In a good year and running maximum overtime allowed under current Ontario labor regulations they might get to 230000 units.
But overtime is expensive and over a longer period of time places a lot of strain on people and their families.
Toyota believes there is room for improvement in the sales numbers for Corolla/Matrix and they are preparing for that eventuality.
It will take more than 1 year from now for Mississippi to get close to nominal capacity and by that time the Corolla/Matrix North American sales could well reach 350000 units (200k from Cambridge and 150k from Mississippi). And that will historically be a low number…
Until then, Cambridge will be running overtime, Mississippi will try to get its act together and the balance will have to be imported from Japan.
That’s great information. You sound like you’re well connected to what’s going on at Toyota.
I found a K-W Record news article from early 2011 that gave production numbers for Toyota Cambridge for 2010 and 2009:
2009 – Corolla 138,650 / Matrix 38,538
2010 – Corolla 192,271 / Matrix 33,809
(Source: Local plants lead Toyota in production / The Record / 2011.01.28)
According to Toyota’s own sales data (shown on the Toyota Canada website) their annual Canadian sales for the Corolla and Matrix are as follows:
2009 – Corolla 53,933 / Matrix 22,526
2010 – Corolla 38,680 / Matrix 19,093
(Source: TCI Month End Sales Results for December 2010 / Toyota Canada / 2011.01.04)
Based on your capacity numbers Cambridge has probably been maxed out making Corollas for the US since the closure of the NUMMI plant in April 2010. Cutting overtime at Cambridge (particularly with the high Canadian Dollar) by adding the second shift at Blue Springs should be a notable savings for Toyota.
Now Bertel won’t need to ask his question at the Toyota results conference … you’ve already answered it for him!
Toyota is recovering after a perfect storm and quadruple whammy (recession, Ray LaHood smear campaign, Japan tsunami and Thailand floods).
I believe the Corolla sales numbers will substantially improve and two years from now both Corolla producing plants will be running overtime to meet demand.
I suggest a replacement question for Bertel:
when and where will Toyota build a Prius plant in North America ?
In related news, one of LaHood’s helpers is on the hook for $2.6 Million, payable to Toyota…
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/02/06/43668.htm
You can have that Corolla in any color you want as long as it is black.