2017 Toyota Corolla Marks 50th Birthday With Special Edition

8 years, 7 months ago - 25 March 2016, Autoblog

The Corolla may not be the sexiest model that Toyota makes, but it is one of its longest-running and most successful in the business.

This year the manufacturer marks the model's 50th anniversary, and is celebrating the milestone with the vehicle you see here, revealed on the floor of the 2016 New York Auto Show.

The 2017 Toyota Corolla 50th Anniversary Special Edition is based on the latest Corolla SE and features 17-inch alloys in two-tone finish and LED headlamps. But most of the upgrades are found inside, including a seven-inch touchscreen, 4.2-inch instrument display, Entune Audio Plus, black upholstery with red trim, and all the special badges you could expect. Only 8,000 units will be made available in the US starting this fall.

Toyota produced the first Corolla in Japan back in 1966, and started importing them to the United States in 1968. Within two years it was the nation's second best-selling import, reached 10 million units sold by 1983, and in 1997 became the best-selling automotive nameplate in the world. In 2005, Toyota sold the 30-millionth Corolla, and by now has sold over 43 million of them.