A history of the Toyota Corona

Have you ever heard of the Toyota Corona? It doesn't exist anymore, but it was once an essential part of the global Toyota lineup. Toyota of Orlando is here to walk you through a brief history of the iconic Toyota Corona sedan - let's get started.

The Toyota Corona was around for 11 generations - it reigned as one of the iconic Toyota sedans from 1957 until 2001. It served as a smaller, more affordable sedan behind the Toyota Crown. It actually had a big role in America; it was introduced as the Toyopet in 1961 and then was rebranded as the Toyota Corona in 1964. Here are the main highlights from its history.

The Toyota Corona, decade by decade

First generation: 1957 

The first-gen Toyota Corona was brought to market in 1957 and contained parts from both the Toyota Crown and Toyota Master. It had two slight facelifts in this generation but nothing overly notable.

Second generation: 1960  

The second generation of the Toyota Corona was also known as the Toyota Tiara when exported. It was shipped to the US in this generation to offer a choice alongside the Toyota Land Cruiser. It had a three-speed manual transmission and a top speed of 68 mph. It sold well in the US and was redubbed the Corona there.

Third generation: 1964

The third generation of the Toyota Corona was available in sedan, two-door hard-top, three-door van, five-door station wagon, two coupe variations, and a five-door hatchback. It left America for a short while but was reintroduced to the market in 1965 and had a new top speed of 87 mph. This generation also saw the introduction of the Corona Mark II, a larger and more powerful car.

Fourth generation: 1970 

The fourth generation of this iconic Toyota saw a complete redesign. It also had a new Toyotaglide automatic transmission. It was extremely popular in the 1970s as this was when the fuel crises drove gas costs up (the Corona was fuel-efficient).

Fifth generation: 1973

This new generation introduced the Corona T-100 Series with a facelift and three engine options - 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0L. This new generation also had longer bumpers and new radial tires. It saw a new competitor this generation, too - the Honda Accord.

Sixth generation: 1978 

This particular generation of the Toyota Corona was still a rear-wheel drive and was the first Corona to be sold as Toyota instead of Toyopet in the Japanese market. New emissions regulations were applied across all models, and electronic fuel injection was introduced. This - unfortunately - was the last generation to be offered in the US.

But in Japan, New Zealand, and Indonesia, the Toyota Corona was nowhere near done. It stretched on for five more generations until its retirement from the markets in 2001.

What you need to know about the Toyota Corona

Here are some other fun facts about the Toyota Corona:

• It was one of Toyota's first models to be exported to global markets (the Toyota Corolla came in behind it).
• It played a major role in Toyota's North American success. It was brought to America in 1961, then removed from the market, then brought back in 1964 with a redesign for major success - it increased US sales to 20,000 units  and helped Toyota become the first-best-selling import brand in America.
• Toyota's first North American television commercial featured the Corona.
• It won Road Test's 1969 Import Car of the Year Award.
• n 2014, editors at Car and Driver called the Corona one of the best Toyotas ever made, saying Toyota survived long enough to thrive in America because of the Corona.

We may not have the Toyota Corona in stock at Toyota of Orlando, but we do have a similar counterpart - the iconic Toyota Corolla. See it and all of our other new Toyotas in person today at 3575 Vineland Road, just off I-4 near the Millenia Mall.