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The new 2014 Toyota Corolla is going to be every kid’s dream car. Hitting the Japanese scene in 1967 and 1968 in the U.S., the compact sedan has witnessed worldwide sales of almost 40 million units, which puts it in Michael Jackson territory. Moreover, the reliable and efficient small guy is still the top selling compact as of May of this year. Yet, to outduel themselves from last year’s 290K unit payday, Toyota knew it had to up the ante on the 2014 Corolla while bringing it to the forefront in grandiose fashion.
Taking a slice of cake from Neverland, Jackson’s fanatical playground for kids, Toyota held back any conservative brand strategies and unveiled the 11th generation Corolla under extreme entertainment replete with dancing stars from Barker Hangar’s ceiling; acrobatic female dancers in a suspended pool which lowered to the height of the tallest guest; music and Broadway-like dancing by Argentina’s Fuerza Bruta who ended their performance by breaking foam tables over the audience’s heads. Celebrity chef Richard Blais and comedian Adam Carolla were both on hand to showcase the vehicle to the 750 patrons after it too was lowered from the heavens above. The Hangar, located at the Santa Monica, CA airport, was styled with a cadre of vintage Corollas from the Toyota Museum in Torrance (1969, 1971, 1983 and 1987), food stations and fog-inducing liquid nitrogen margaritas prepared by Blais himself. The Hood Internet took care of the DJing after the energetic set.
“Full of surprises and unexpected features, this global reveal event captured the new era and elevated experience of the redesigned Corolla,” said Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division. “As our second best-selling vehicle and a familiar sight on American roadways, the new Corolla retains its trusted quality and reliability while adding an exciting new look and energy.”
The new Corolla is living life on the edge – especially the S model – with a new stylistic front end, razor sharp edges, LED headlamps, rims that would interest any SEMA attendee, and a well-sculpted physique which looks like it’s been bodybuilding at Santa Monica’s Muscle Beach. The vehicle is 4” longer with the majority of that space consigned to rear legroom and features two variations of the 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine. The base model receives 132-horsepower and a heightened version gets 140-horsepower. Offered in five styles (L, LE, LE Eco, and S), Toyota says the Eco will achieve 40 highway mpg due to a special spoiler and low resistance tires amongst other variables.
Toyota is also offering premium interiors with expected consumer touches such as Bluetooth, a touchscreen multi-media system, rear backup camera, Smart Key, paddle shifters and Toyota’s app suite dubbed Entune. How can you go wrong when so many things are right with Heaven’s 11? We look forward to test driving this animated Japanese character.
