Corolla keeps rolling along

The Toyota Corolla has come a long way.

Cars come and go, but the Toyota Corolla - much like Dr Who - has regularly regenerated to meet the demands of time and outlasted most rivals.

This year the world's biggest-selling nameplate is celebrating its 40th birthday - and it is not finished yet.

The first generation Corolla was introduced in Japan in October 1966. Now, 40 years on, the Corolla is built in 16 countries, a barometer of the global expansion of Toyota towards its aim of becoming the world's number one carmaker as much as the popularity of the model itself.

Last year alone, 1.36 million Corollas were produced, and by the end of June this year cumulative worldwide production reached 31.6 million units.

That represents more than 2160 cars every day - 90 cars every hour for 40 years.

The second best-selling automotive design in history is the Volkswagen Beetle, which sold 21.5 million units over 68 years before it ceased production in Mexico in 2003. The Beetle surpassed the previous titleholder, the Model T Ford (16.5 million), in 1972.

And the most prolific motorised conveyance in history is the Honda Super Cub scooter, which reached 50 million units sold late in December last year.

Since its debut, the Corolla has been the number one seller in Japan in 36 of the past 40 years.

The 16 countries in which the Corolla is built are Japan, the US, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Britain, Turkey, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, India, China and South Africa.