Meet the Corona from Toyota’s stable

The coronavirus pandemic disease is shaking the people across the world. The criticality of the situation can be analyzed in the automobile industry with the suspension of production activities of several automobile companies and the cancellation and delay of all the major automobile shows of the world. The disease has created a massive panic in the whole world. But besides the CORONA VIRUS, have you heard the name CORONA anywhere else?

It is surprising that only a few of us know that the Japanese carmaker, Toyota used to have a car called CORONA on sale. The Corona was sold for a long time between 1957 to 2001.

The Latin word Corona means a crown, it was given to viruses that show crown-like spikes on its surface when examined with a microscope. Even Toyota used to sell Toyota Crown before launching the Corona. 

Toyota Crown was sold from Toyota Store dealerships whereas the Toyota Corona was retailed from Toyopet dealerships exclusively in Japan. Toyota Corona was exported to many countries and was quietly popular in the market. 

During the 44 years of existence, the Toyota Corona has 10 generations comprising several variants and powertrain options. Let’s have a brief look at the ten generations of Toyota Corona.

First-generation Toyota Corona (1957-60)

The first-gen Corona was introduced in May 1957. The designing clues of the four-door sedan were taken from the Toyota Crown and Toyopet Master. It was powered by a 1.0-litre inline-four motor producing 33 PS of maximum power paired with a three-speed manual transmission. In 1958, the Corona underwent a minor facelift, with a new hood ornament and door handles. This engine was also refined to produce 45 PS of power.

Second-generation Toyota Corona (1960-64)

The next-gen Corona was launched at a critical time when the flagship Crown was facing the harsh sales figures. But fortunately, the second-gen Corona, also known as Tiara, has achieved good sales numbers. It was also powered by a 1.0-litre inline-four unit producing 45 PS of power. Though, the company also launched the 1.5-litre and 1.9-litre trims with the transmission choices including three-speed manual or two-speed automatic. 

Third-generation Toyota Corona (1964-70)

To check the competition with Nissan Bluebird, Toyota launched the next generation of Corona in 1964. This time, the company took the assistance of Italian designer Battista Farina for the styling of the Corona. It was available in several body styles - sedan, two-door hardtop, three-door van, five-door station wagon, two coupé utility variants, and a five-door hatchback. It was powered by a 1.2-litre mill producing 55 PS of power.

Fourth-generation Toyota Corona (1970-73)

The fourth-gen Corona featured a completely redesigned, larger, more comfortable and powerful version, where the Corona remained focused on fuel economy. The body styles were also reduced to a two-door hardtop coupé, station wagon and a four-door saloon. It was offered in several variants including 2.0-litre engine option.

Fifth-generation Toyota Corona (1973-79)

For the next generation, Toyota revamped the Corona with a new front and rear design as it had one more competitor in the market now i.e. Honda Accord. The station wagon Corona also had optional wood panel body claddings. In this generation, the Toyota dropped the two-speed automatic transmission and added the more powerful 2.2-litre inline-four engine option.

Sixth-generation Toyota Corona (1978-83)

The sixth-generation Corona was the first model to be sold as a ‘Toyota’ rather than a ‘Toyopet’ in the domestic market. This time, Toyota had rigorously worked to improve the ride and handling of the Corona. Now, it had a boxier appearance with a chassis bolstered by a MacPherson strut independent front suspension and a four-link trailing arm rear suspension. It was available in several body styles and engine options including a 2.4-lite unit.

Seventh-generation Toyota Corona (1982-87)

The major updations introduced in seventh-gen Corona were new body style and rear-wheel-drive system. Toyota also added a base 1.5-litre engine variant and a powerful 1.8-litre trim producing 115 PS of maximum power. It also had digital color liquid crystal gauges inside the cabin.

Eighth-generation Toyota Corona (1987-92)

Toyota continued to increase the size of Corona as its popularity grew. The company launched a limited edition model with the name Corona Super Roomy to celebrate the 10-million sales figure. For this, the wheelbase had been increased by 210 mm. The production was limited to 500 units only.

Ninth-generation Toyota Corona (1992-98)

In 1992, the new Corona made its European debut at the Geneva Auto Show. The model was larger, heavier, and had the completely rounded, aerodynamic shape. The ninth-gen Toyota Corona also received a minor facelift in 1995 including black front and back bumpers. It was available in several trims with 1.6-litre, 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engine choices.

Tenth-generation Toyota Corona (1998-2001)

The popularity of Corona in the domestic market made the firm to roll-out an independent model with the name Toyota Corona Premio. The Premio was available in three engine options and three selectable driving modes for its electronically controlled transmission.

So, this was the long-legacy of the Toyota Corona. Coming back to the present time, where the world is fighting with the Coronavirus pandemic. We hope things will get back to normal soon. Stay safe and keep following Zigwheels Malaysia for more updates and information of the automobile industry.

Image credit: Wheelsage.org

Also read: COVID-19 effect: List of OEMs who declared shut down till March 31