what was the second best selling so far this year? commodore???

Also one of the ugliest selling cars for Q1 20008

I take my hat off to people who buy cars like the Corrollamrion. They just don’t car what people think, which is extremely admirable in this consumer world.

Like the overweight woman who insists on wearing tight leggings that reveal too much, like the guy with the poorly fitting toupee, or the suburban mum in her kmart tracksuit, the people in this world who say “to hell with regular s3x, French champagne and designer fashion; I want comfort!” certainly deserve some respect. Go Toyota Go!

I agree the best ugliest selling car, toyleta must bet be paying hire and fleet companies a bucket load, just to buy these $*it box’s……

P*ss off its the ugliest car, it looks alrite. Good to see, mind you in the past it was always #1 among private buyers, now its the best among all buyers… Toyota is on top

Its not even that ugly.

I love our Focus its the best small car out there and I driven most on the market, I found the Corolla very overrated, the ford is a much better package overall, have a test drive and see for yourself……………..

Btw maybe you have forgotten, the Corolla is cheapeast to repair… half the price of second place in a frontal crash (2nd was Focus, costing double to repair)

There yah go TP just what you like to hear. Good result for Toyota but they could completely wipe the floor with other if they just bothered to give you southerners a diesel option in the car range.

Valid point, Captain, but irrelevant.

I will never crash a Yaris or a Corolla, so it wouldn’t matter if they were free to repair

I wounder how much a Corolla repair would be if I reversed my Jackaroo into one? The score would be Jackaroo no damage, Corolla writeoff.

Have a good look at one in real life, get on your knees and see every angle, man this is one ugly mother….

love these comments ha ha ha

Corollas are cheapest to repair because most Toyota drivers can’t drive to save themselves.

would be interesting to see what private car sale figures are? without fleet purchase. i heard it was the Mazda 3.

ssshhhh …. be quiet – i am trying to enjoy the moment.

TP … lets have another beer while these losers continue to amuse thier simple minds.

Perhaps the reason that its no.1 is because it doesn’t do anything badly. Its not the blandest car on the market, nor is it the ugliest. How can it be both? Its not the worst handler, it has a very strong resale, and has had for a LONG time, unlike many others. Generally quality is very good, maintenance costs low, ect ect. and its priced very competitively. Its not outstanding in any one area except value. Maybe thats what most people (fleets and govts included) realise. No car can be all things to all people, otherwise there would be only one car on the market. So maybe all the whingers should go back to their fast fours and rotary magazine and relieve themselves.

i thing i’m always happy about my car MK2 Ford Escort is when people ask why i drive and when i tell them they reply “thats a cool car”. i have never heard some say that about a Camry Aurion or a Coroller and most likely never will that doesn’t mean i don’t like Toyota’s i love the mid to late 70′s Celica’s especially there 5 speeds and if you want a cheap everyday runabout thats all i would ever buy a Toyota for apart from the 70′s Celicas love them

I do admire Toyota for selling so many of these things. The sedan is one of the ugliest small cars on the market and the hatch is barely tolerable. There are better small cars around as well.

Toyota fans should enjoy Corolla being No 1 while it lasts – I doubt it will be long past next month, if that.

Give me a break guys!!

Focus!! What a heap of crap! One of the highest running costs of any small car. Brake pads and rotors made of cheese and wear out in as litle as 30,000. Servicing cost is horrendous, everything wears out fast.

The Astra is the same, followed by the French, German and other Euro crap.

If you are buying a cheap commuter why buy a Euro car? Makes no sense. It you want a “drivers” car then why are you buying a cheap commuter car? Either way senseless.

For good cheap reliable transport, Corolla, Mazda 3 or Honda Civic or similar.

Agree with Dlr1, Toyota targets a segment that caters for all side of things and therefore not going to be the best in each side leaving it as average, you can say focus is better in certain areas but its going to lose out in others, its a give and take, perhaps being average in all areas is the winning formula…

Its typical for car enthusiasts to whinge about the average joe for buying a car that ‘seems’ to be inferior to what they should be looking for, but this goes for every other enthusiasts e.g. Jazz lovers complaining why people like Pop, techno, heavy metal when clearly Jazz is more sophisticated, harder to master so it should be more appreciative etc. People have different tastes and feel a connection to different things

Many people here, who are likely car enthusiasts (chances are they won’t be visiting this site otherwise) completely miss the point of the Corolla. Is it the most sporty or engaging vehicle in its class? Definitely no, but that’s not where Toyota are aiming it.

They offer a high quality, reliable and middle-of-the-road vehicle with the Corolla.

I also have tested a wide range of small cars, and the Toyota is the most refined of them all. Sure, it’s not the fastest, but without a doubt, I can say it has the quietest engine in the class.

Of course, to a lot of you, this means nothing, but think of what a normal consumer wants, and you can see that Toyota clearly know what they are doing.

You don’t become the best selling nameplate in the world from nothing.

The Focus is European (at least in design, if not origin) and would most likely have higher running costs than the Japanese Toyota. Particularly for things such as brake pads.

Also, Toyota has a non-compulsory service plan for the Corolla at a fixed $120 per service over the warranty period, which would reduce the running and servicing costs.

Bear in mind that the Corolla has also been shown by the NRMA as the cheapest car to own on a per week basis in the segment, and research has shown it is the cheapest to fix after an accident as well.

“Everything wears out fast.” This contradicts with the reputation the Corolla has gained as a very reliable and consistent vehicle over the years.

I don’t know what you’re going on about, but the Corolla is probably the cheapest car in the segment to own and run and probably one of the cars that wear out the slowest.

Corolla or Focus?

The market here has spoken, You can buy a Ford Focus for $18,000 Drive Away or Less and still “no-one” buys them. The word is out, they are unreliable crap. A base Corolla costs at least $6,000 more, with a discount.

Why the Ford Focus is popular in Europe is beyond me, I hear parts there are much cheaper, if so good! you need them.

The Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla are in the economy car class, there is no room there for a car that is expensive to run in my opinion. If you want a drivers car buy a more expensive second hand car.

I can attest that even though yes, there are a lot of Fleet sales…

I predict there is still a high amount of private sales.

For one… the monthly fleet cost/lease for the basic Corolla is $400 AUD.

As opposed to buying it outright which will reduce that to about 320~350. Obviously, benefits of leases, but in the long run, as in about a year term, buying them outright is cheaper.

And fleet sales would probably mean Novated leases as opposed to outright leases, again, $400+ for a basic Corolla to lease a month is high.

The Mazda 3 is the best value dollar for dollar and its a nice car,

But the corolla is also nice.

I have friends who work for GM, Ford and myself as a Toyota employee, we all drove/drive lease cars, especially the hatches. And to tell you the truth theres not much difference, corolla is good, but if you buy the extras that come standard in a Mazda, it becomes a tiny bit expensive. But still, its not “sh1t” as some totally clueless and biased people here claim.

What you basing the performance on? A turbo hatch? a performance coupe???

Its a economy hatch to be driven everyday… priced like one… designed like one…. in terms of fuel consumption, I notice someone complaining about it. I use to drive 120km a day to work and back on a corolla (company car) and my petrol consumption varied greatly enough depending on how I drove it. If I drive it hard like what i usually do with a performance vehicle, the fuel consumption is obviously going to be higher, but when driven sensibly, I got good mileage… not the best, but good.

And to be honest, I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder…

But people saying its ugly… I dunno… The hatch is not ugly at all, the sedan.. well, depends on color choice. But the hatch looks nice…

the biggest thing here, is some haters simply hate on the car because of the badge on it.. some here obviously like cars for cars… but some are just totally biased towards a certain manufacturer… in this case Ford with COBRA… and I can bet you my twin turbo supra that if there was a Ford badge on this corolla… you’d be all over it.

The focus is a good car, the previous model was actually pretty good too… But to make extreme judgements and statements without reasonable logic and explanations.. well you’re just here to get on people’s nerves…. but hey its the internet… freedom of expression… just hope not everyone is dumb enough to listen to most of the crap.

Again, the corolla is a good car for what its supposed to do. But yes, other cars, the mazda 3 comes to mind… for the buck and the extras you get for standards… its the best for value… but there are advantages for corollas too, parts are easier to obtain (more common car), it is engineered well. Just dont expect it to be a performance hatch…. and as long as you drive it sensibly… all daily drive hatches consume high petrol when you drive it hard.

I quite agree with Jamison as well. I personally don’t have a problem with Toyotas, They like a lot of Japanese cars are known for their reliabililty.
I even agree with TP regading his comment about FWD cars. They are safer more predictable than RWD. Take last weekends British Touring Cars 1st season race. A RWD BMW 3series was leading all the way until it started to rain when the FWD Vectra got by held the lead for the rest of the race.
Given that they sell more cars and are a profitable company then there is no reason why they shouldn’t be considered the leaders, however their cars are never considered anything but average, which is something I do agree with.
Yes they might do the Hybrid Prius, They are without doubt the leaders in 4WD along side Land Rover. But there are areas where they do not compete at all. Sports cars, Wagons, Diesels. Given that I actually fail to see why they are so popular.
Oh by the way I personally have no manufacturer allegiances. I have a GM (Vauxhall) Car at the moment but I’ve had Audi’s, Fords, Nissans, Peugeots and Vauxhalls. I buy what suits my needs.

The market has spoken….AGAIN!

Simple, i am conected with the trade, the Corolla is the best OVERALL smaller car on our market.

CANNOT go wrong with a Corolla

Its what my wife will be driving next

[5-SPEED=AUTO & ESP would be nice]

Cheers

F-0

There is a marketing term called “double jeapedy”.

Essentially is means Toyota can serve up any old slop and people will lap it up.

They are no more or less reliable than any other car. Servicing costs & particularly parts are on the high side of average.

What your getting with a corolla is reheated late 80′s chassis technology.

Hey guy’s found this article on another website and thought it might interest some???

A debate on the future of electric-hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius is raging after US researchers claimed that their green credentials may not add up.

Gas-guzzling cars such as the Hummer may actually be more environmentally-friendly than the Prius, the surprising research claimed.

The debate was sparked by researchers for CNW Marketing in the USA, who said Hummers, the big military-style cars beloved of rappers, scored better than the Prius in terms of carbon cost.

Prius owners include politicians eager to show their green credentials, but when factors other than fuel consumption and emissions were also taken into account, CNW said the car scored poorly.

The researchers have pointed out that the nickel used in the Prius battery has to be shipped half-way around the world to Swansea and back again to be refined.

They also suggested the Prius only does an average of up to a third of the mileage throughout its life, than could be expected from its less fuel-efficient competitor.

Julian Rosser, director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said, “The most important thing for people to consider when choosing a new car is to get one as efficient as possible.

“We’re putting a huge amount of CO2 in the air and car transport is an increasing part of that picture.”

Researchers counted the nickel content of the battery as one of the Prius’s biggest concerns. Mined in Canada, where local environmentalists are concerned about the process’s ecological impact, the 1,000 tones a year of smelted metal is then taken on a 10,000-mile journey by tanker and diesel train.

First it arrives in Wales to be refined, then it is shipped to China where it is turned into “nickel foam”, and from there it is sent to Japan where the batteries are made, before being shipped back in cars to the UK, the US or any of the car’s other markets.

The study suggested such a factor was part of a wider environmental footprint that showed the Hummer coming out better than the Prius.

According to their figures, the Hummer H3 is expected to do an average 300,000 miles through its driving life, while the Prius is expected to last just 100,000 miles.

In the States, the “per lifetime mile” calculation used by researchers gave a running cost of $2.07 for the Hummer H3 against the Prius’ $2.87.

Dr Nieuwenhuis, an expert in cars and the environment, stressed hybrid cars were an important step towards fully-electrical cars.

They largely rely on petrol power up in built-up areas, and then shows its fuel efficiency by using battery power at higher speeds or on the open road.

A spokesman for Toyota said the results of the study “ran contrary to all other research in the area”.

“This study makes some surprising and uncorroborated claims about the total environmental impact of vehicles over the complete lifecycle,” he said.”The conclusions appear to be very different from the results of several other rigorous, scientifically-reviewed studies of the life-cycle impact of vehicles.”

please toyota bring the V6 blade over here that looks cool

While i agree the Corolla sedan looks bland, the hatch howver is a funky design and looks good in it’s own way.

After reading many comparisons, the Corolla has received strong reviews and the only true critism that has been aimed towards the car is it’s lack of ESP.

However, most articles have stated the quality of the interior trim to be best in class as with general ergonomics and drivetrain refinement. Handling has been phrased as a vast improvement over previuos models and not far of the mark of the ’3′ although the Mazda does have a notably noiser cabin in comparison.

Over the years the Corolla has earned itself a reputation as a steadfast, reliable, dependable and fuss free motor vehicle that has provided it’s owners with virtual trouble free motoring while later models are proving no different.

All-in-all, i believe the Corolla is the most balanced small car on the market that has proven to be a reliable, fuss free and safe (5 star crash rating)option for buyers and when ESP is reportedly to be available as of August ’08 it will further enhance what is already a very fine motor vehicle.

Drive.com last year published fleet percentages of some vehicles and while total sales of the Commodore and Falcon are approx 80% fleet purchased, the Corolla enjoyed a 60% private market hence 40% fleetd.

“For years Holdens and fords were lampooned for running old world technology chassis & engine tech. Now that mantle rests with Toyota.”

You mean like the 4 speed box in the Omega, the volume seller of the VE range.
Lets not forget, Baraina, Viva & Epica either Trakdaze.

Have to agree with you Frugal One! If I were given an option of eiter focus or corolla, I will pick corolla… Obviosly Honda or Mazda will be a better choice that the previous two

Chriss Parr -

You forgot to add its huge strength in resale

They are also the cheapest vehicle to fix in 25?kmh front end accident [most popular type lol ]

subaru LOL, THE ugliest brand on the market..E-O-S!

Cheers

F-0

Corolla is also the best selling car in the world for 2007 and probably for 2008 when the figures are eventually tabled.

Reason: It is a reliable car and at a reasonable price.

Not a car for me though, as I can afford luxury cars.

Turn it up Lozza

The corolla is a below average car built well. It’s a 4 star car until it gets ESP. When It finally gets ESP (think that’s 09, Australians arent exactly giving Toyota any reason to bring it to market before are they!?)

The question is does Toyota have the expertise to calibrate the ESP given their track record with the KLUGER flipping during wheels car of the year!

Make no mistake this is a VHS – BETA moment. Should we really be rewarding Mediocrity?

Me I ask for more in a car.

No trackdaze, it’s a 5 star car, the ESP rule is not in yet.

To that uninformed person, the Mazda 3 gets 4 stars.

Also, many reviewers were pleasantly surprised that the Toyota has become more dynamic, although it of course isn’t the most sporting vehicle out there.

Those that complain about the torsion beam rear suspension, think of whether the target market really requires it. It’s mainly an issue of handling with torsion beam, and there is an advantage in terms of space saving for the suspension layout, a reason why the Corolla sedan has a sizeable boot.

PS I want to gobbie your kids.

also Lancer for same money leaves Corolla for dead.
Jap built also if reliability is main concern.

I think most blogers are placing too much emphasis on “Jap Built” as the others are doing it just as good if better these days. Living in the past as Japan manufactured isn’t what it use to be either unfortunately.

Also a bit irritated how everybody dumps on the Epica.
Does nothing better or worst than a Corolla and a class size up with more standard kit cheaper.

The COROLLA just looks cheap and nasty for the ask.
How anybody could pay 25k or more for a Corolla will remain one of life’s great mysteries.

Wheelnut,
i prob will be in the maeket for a small car to replace the Mrs’s car some time this year.
the main ones that register with me are the Focus, Mazda3, Lancer.

if i was purely after the value for money car than its easily the i30

firstly i want something that looks half decent. the main thing about the Focus that appeals to me is that they havent resorted to what i term as “cute looks”.

it is a bold and solid looking vehicle with a touch of sport andclass wrapped into it.

the other thing that grabs me is interior.

then its handling etc.

basiclly what im trying to say is a look for a vehicle that is good to drive and dare i say it something that might be enjoyable (for those that dont know what thats about ill explain at a later point)

interiors are actually a real biggy for me.
i have to sit in the damn thing every time i go somewhere.
thats prob why i dip for the fords aswell.
IMO holden hasnt been able to design a nice interior up until recently.

ESP will affect ANCAP ratings from…when? 2009? Read it somewhere. Maximum 4 stars with no ESP. Remember when the previous model Merc C-class scraped through to 5 stars from 4 just from the added inclusion of an audio-visual seat-belt warning, TP? No? Don’t suppose you do……..

Rick harris, have I got an experience to share with you about delicate POS Camrys! WELL!

Third gear synchro and head gasket both cacticus dickticus screwedicus by 45,000 kms. They became renowned for it in a company that ran about 30 of them back around 91/92.

Rick Harris – fairdinkum dude, forget the bullsh*t hoo-haa stories will ya. Proves how desperate you are … period.

Realcars – supporting Lozza, the Corolla has infact been commented on having the best quality interior, ergonomics and drivetrain refinement while handling of the new model has been reported as negligable against the Mazda3.

Fact is freak – The humble Corolla has establsihed itself as the most steadfast, reliable, dependable and durable little car not just in Australia but throught the entire world and reputations like that just do not happen by muistake and that is a FACT … PURE AND SIMPLE !!

And regarding your Focus – take yet another visit to Drive.com click onto FEATURES and open up the Leaked Australian Quality Report.

In the small car segment – take the time and observe how the Focus compared against the Corolla regarding Quality and Customer Satisfaction… basically – dismally !

You speak from nothing more then unsupportive crap as you are nothing more then a ‘straw clutcher’ while i have just provided you FACTUAL EVIDANCE written in Black and white that was compiled by non-other then the manufactuers themselves for the manufacters.

Read the results and weep …. CLOWN !!

Oh yeah – and it’s true, the only critisms that have been passed at the new Corolla is it’s lack of ESP (bad call from Toyota Australia) and it’s true that ESP will be made available on the range as of August this year as reported by Toyota.

Realcars – you say that no one can argue that Honda and Mazda have better fit n finish then the Corolla.

Really … then explain to the rest of us bloggers why just about every comparison i have read to date have rated the interior quality of the Corolla as best in class.

You argue crap that you don’t even know what you are talking about.

Just face it, the Corolla is a highly regarded small car not just in Australia but through-out the entire world and reputations like that just happen by the off-chance … do they – NO !! … they are established for very good reasons and probably why the Corolla remains the worlds single biggest sold automotive namepla.te

Cobra,
you have just continued with a point i was making elsewhere earlier. here it is again……..

toyota has been marketed to a point where it has become the default choice for a vehicle.
if they are the best available hence why they are selling in big numbers, then tell us how come the 2 biggest toyota sellers in the corolla and Hilux dont win a desk full of awards?

the BT50/ranger beat the hilux in the reviews (navara beat it too)
and count the line up for the many smalll cars that rate over the corolla in the reviews

their 2 biggest sellers arent the class leaders in terms of the vehicles offerengs FACT!!!!
they only lead the class in sales

TP – Just a point about boxers (not your undergarments), Subaru’s new diesel boxer, their first attempt at producing one is considered now to be one of the best on the planet. Smooth, Refined, Economical, Good performace and Quiet. So quiet in fact the ambient cabin noise in the Legacy is actually quieter than a Rolls Royce.
Thier other boxers are considered great performers as well.
I’m not having a go just stating facts I’ve read in numerous magazines available here. See Yah Dude

People who care about their family will see that it gets 5 star safety rating and think that it is fine. Furthermore, the car is hardly in need of ESP anyway, with its level of overall performance and such, as just a basic commuter car and such.

Regardless of how you guys put it, at the end of the day, it is the sales leader, not only in Australia but over the rest of the world as well overall, although of course it isn’t leader in certain markets. Put it this way, if you think that the best selling car in the world is a completely inferior product and you cannot see why anyone would want to buy one, maybe you’re the one with the wrong thinking…

JW, bragging about bland boring Toyleta sales again, “WHO CARES”

Did you mean ‘Fweaks’ Golfie. Yur a funny bugger mate LOL

written by TRACKDAZE
“Shame on you the Australian motoring public for making number 1 in 2008 a car that has no esp available. & runs what is, essentially a big paper clip for its rear suspension. People & fleets are mistakenly buying the 1.8 Corolla on the assumption that its more economical than the competing 2.0 cars. Its a false economy, the fatter,slower corolla is thirstier.

For years Holdens and fords were lampooned for running old world technology chassis & engine tech. Now that mantle rests with Toyota.

What this risks is that other manufacturers wont bother engineering and designing excellent cars and follow toyota’s lead. A sad day.

And get it out of your thick heads that Toyota’s are any more reliable than its competitors. You’ve just surcomed to a carefully fettled long standing marketing campaign.

Lemmings!”

No… you dont quiet get how the engineering side of things work.

Engineering for ALL…. Manufacturers isnt about giving the customer the most advanced suspension systems, not about giving them the best technological features for the sake of it…
You think… manufacturer’s main aim is to provide the market with great performance with a sub 25K price range???

You are dellusional… very.

Its a Corolla… a daily driver.. people buy it not caring if it goes 0-100 in 5 seconds, or if the rear suspension is based on torsional beams…

These cars are regulated under rules… so those “paper clips” you claim to be as suspensions.. are not just that. If anyone can actually produce a decent suspension system, simple and effective, safe and meets regulation and best yet, very easy to replace or manufacture… You’ve hit a gold mine. Its a simple setup… it meets safety… it meets its performance target.. and its cheap to produce.. from the engineers who designed that… BIG tap on the back from the big boss. Thats how it works.

If you want to drive a vehicle with advance drivetrains, suspension setups, 4WS etc… buy a 80K+ sports car…

guess what? I AM a HUGE fan of GTRs… seen plenty of R32s having their HICAS 4WS system go bonkers today and people have to spend thousands to get them fixed or get them taken off… that system was one of the most advanced back in the days… and it was well used for the GTR… but again… parts replacement and availability is an issue since it was such an advance system.

The corolla is designed to be a daily driver.. for people who wants to get from point A to B…. if it breaks, they want to be able to order parts very fast and cheaply.

The sales trends in Australia has basically showed to everyone that MOST new car buyers simply want a cheap car to run… they have other problems such as mortgages, health etc to worry about.

And if you are a car enthusiasts whining about a Corolla.. or a sub 20k Hatch…. whining about how “weak” it is… or how cheap the engineering is… etc…. you dont get it..

Why you even care??? your a car enthusiasts shouldnt you be whining about the cars you cant afford??? or if you can afford it… then you’ll probably understand why its priced that way…

again, I’ve stated, the corolla is a good car, thats no lie, not biased either. Its not my first choice, but its up there if I was to purchase a cheap hatch. everyday driver.

btw, I know I’ve mentioned that the mazda 3 is still best for money, but its far from perfect.

Again, you have to look at how it is built.. and most consumers cannot see the “engineering” side of it…

Hey COBRA, how did the exhaust tip fit?

Did you wear protection?… I heard Ford’s exhaust tip can get rusty 5mm in, on the inner side of the exhaust.

Just warning ya.

Corola having a 5 star crash rating and a proven steadfast, reliable, dependable and durable motoring nature means it is on the list of many buyers.

ESP will become available in August ’08 not to mention that handling is vastly improved and now negliable to that of the Mazda3 while the interior quality, ergonomics and drivetrain have actually been rated as best in class by many motoring jornos during comparsion tests. As i stated earlier, the only true critism that has been aimed at the car is it’s lack of ESP but that issue will be sorted within the next few months.

i use to manage a supermarket.

i dont claim to be a marketing genious but there is one thing i was told and found it to be true very quickly.

“Stock Sells Stock”

for eg. if you take a pallet of margarine and plop it on the floor where people walk past it, it will absolutely run out the door.
It doesnt even have to be on special nor does it have to be the low Cholesterol or salt reduced stuff that is good for you.

toyota is striving to lead sales for the same reason, becasue they know “Stock sells stock”.
why else do you think manufacturers have a big battle to lead the sales race or why they place such an importance on being sales leader even if it means they have to sell them at reduced prices?
toyota and holden have been guilty in the past or pre registering vehicles inorder to boost their sales figures in years where they were tight.

toyota know that if they can show impressive sales figures then they will be seen as the ultimate choice and become the default recognition of a motor vehicle.

and what sort of member of the public really cares what the sales figures are? im beginning to think some on here are being shouted holidays or incentives when toyota meets its targets. because honestly thats the only kind of people that should be getting so excited about it.

even if ford only sold 1 falcon ute a month, i wouldnt give 2 hoots as long as there was one for me

BossCR fair enough… but they do top many of their segments, its not like they make these sales purely based on numbers, they are doing something right. You can even break down some segments and see where they lead, such as; Kluger, Corolla, Camry + Aurion etc

AndrewM a $2 margareine is alittle different to a $40k Aurion. People make a more educated decision, the simple fact is they do research, they do see the Toyota as a better option after looking at competition.

Boss – as published by DRIVE.com … APPROX 80% of total Falcon and Commodore sales are fleet purchased while the Corolla enjoys 60% private sales.

Not only does Toyota provide Australian motorist with the most diverse range of vehicles but each of them are amoung the best sellers in each respective segment … FACT !!

so yes – they do enjoy strong sales.

OH WHAT A FEELING … TOYOTA !!

Andrew – indeed, keep it on topic … what has butter got to do with automotive vehicles.

You are a freak of nature !!

It’s not my style to quote figures, but 65% of VE Commodores go to fleets and 74% of Aurions do the same.

The breakdown for Falcon and other cars wasn’t available. Only the above 2 were mentioned.

Market sales tell everything……….if Australian are really that in love with only Ford and Holden, why don’t they buy more focus and Astra 4 cylinder ?

BTW, I admit that focus is a better car to drive, but as toyota’s reputation of being trouble free, average family will prefer toyota….

jesus C……..when will ford and GM learn that what majority wants is a tool that consist of 30% of excitement + 70% reliability …

The bad news, Toyota is getting away with murder, the corolla should have had ESP at least as an option, its a porker as well. The Camry is coma inducing, and is lacking in safety features at the bottom end (read airbags), these should not be an option, but its a fleet car right, let the buyers tick the box, after all, its only us bloody aussies that drive it. Before the toyo lovers jump in about the corolla and ESP, bugga off, how many have been sold already. Know what really annoys me about Holden and Ford, they are so inept from a marketing perspective it helps Toyota get away with this sort of crap, read barina epica and viva, then read just what the world needs, 2125kgs of 270kw territory, or Hw427 or whatever the hell that piece of wannabee junk is, yer ford and holden, you guys know what you are doing thats for sure.

Did anyone had a chance to read up on the latest JDPowers Aust Car survey (Customer satisfaction), Feb this year?? Particularly manufacturers building for the masses?

Jamison, I don’t think you can crack into the minds of some people they just seem to not get the clue, they tend to think that everyone is like them. They think its all about performance and engineering that gets the sales. But dont realise people want cars they feel comfortable to have and connect to. e.g. like the car enthusiast (not brand biased ones), its the performance and engineering that connects us to each vehicle and thats why theres so much flaming against average joe mobil, corolla, being most of the people here are car enthusiasts.

Don’t want to discriminate tho, but even people weight/bodyshape dictates the car they buy, racial background, age, level of testosterone even.

To be bland…
Toyota = corporation to make MONEY
MONEY = build a car that attracts the majority of buyers (being average in all aspects)
attraction to majority = more sales possibility.

Just remember who these high end decision makers in corporations report to and what they want, most likely is MONEY MONEY MONEY, you cant help an organisation has to go in this direction because those people who makes the decisions in the company have their career on the firing line if they don’t acheive the targets.

Heck if I was a CEO of a car company and proven to the public ive made the most reliable car, best performing and winning heck alot of awards, I can still be dropped when people realise its all on the expense of profit. From a general shareholders point of view, I don’t care who you are but as long you make my shares go up even if you sacrifice tradition, heritage. People who invest into corporates are there to make money enough said.

Dingo – you are a better toyota propaganda agent than TP….. Are you his boss

sorry just checked results the std corollas are a 4 star
crash rating,, the safety pack models were! 5 star but doesnt meet the 2008 requirement of having esp/vdc so goes back to a 4 star rating on all models!!!

If the corolla or [even the yaris] came with 6 airbags -would there be any room for the passengers?

Thats good wheelnut, import the junk from Korea, sell it to aussies, then admit its junk and advise everyone that no more junk is coming from Korea, its europe eventually, now if you bort one of these pieces fo junk from Korea..thats good real good, it was no mistake by MR Mooney, he and the holden exec made a conscious decision to import the garbage from Korea, partic the Barina which will most likely kill you in the event of an accident. Yes if the corolla or yaris cam with airbags there would be room for passengers. If the Barina had ABS standard people would be a lot safer.

As I said before our Focus has done over 30000kms with not one problem, the pads and rotors are perfect, servicing running costs is the same as the Corolla, Gee Corolla is so bland and boring……….

I have a mate that has this problem with his 2005 model Toyota corolla with only 36000kms on the clock, unfortunately the engine had to be replaced. He had to have the car towed to the dealership and they took care of it. A few days after it came out of the shop the brake line broke as well and it was under warranty. The toyota dealer took care of both issues with no problem but did find out that the new engine in the car is not under warranty. Sure hope that Toyota does something about this sludge problem and take care of the customers that dont have a warranty and this happens.
He was given the advice to use a different kind of oil so the oil doesnt build up.

Toyota corolla have engine sludge problems, be carefull owners…………

Ford Focus is fantastic ….. Corolla = boring

Cobra … forget the bullsh*t stories unless you can support your statement with names, dates and service centre because otherwise it holds absloutely no value what so ever.

Unfortunately for the internet, people such as yourself can fabricate any ‘ole story any ‘ole time in a pathetic effort to discredit a reputable manufactuer which is renouned for engineering quality products.

People like yourself are as much as a pathetic sportsman as Holden and Ford themselves because when Nissan squashed the aspirations of local v8 fans, they rallied to have them banded from the sport because they couldn’t win a race otherwise.

It is because of the typical Holden/Ford poor sportsmanship culture why so many people of the Australian motoring industry have had an absolute gut full of the crap that is dribbled and all to often holding no true value or substance what so ever.

My Camry has done 241 000 km with barely a problem.

Cobra “our Focus has done over 30000kms with not one problem” That is something that EVERY new car should do. So I would not be too excited if I was you. I have had my Japanese 4Cyl for 10 years with no problems, we expect that now.

As far a styling goes, the current Focus is very very bland. This was something that was always levelled at Toyota with good reason but the new Yaris, Corolla and Camry really have great styling now. The the first two as hatches, the two small sedans do not quite do it for me though

North, best if you say nothing, its currently the number 1 selling car in OZ, people are buying it for a reason I guess.

Yes Golf, just like the BFs real life experiences of beating a TRD Aurion with a EA Falcon. Real life experiences are for the most part useless, because they aernt accurate.

LOL….yep sums up stupidity as just when you thought his comments were in quicksand, he sinks lower again – dare say he needs a shiela, wishful thinking, an instruction book and some help finding it! Not on a street corner either as that would be a real life experience and would not be accurate. I think he has one toooooo many Toyomota dice hanging off his rear view mirror on Camry or needs to work out how to dance the jig on the back seat with a shiela…………….LOL HEAPS!

Naughtyius Maximus, what can I say? It was a breathtaking, eye-popping, coffee-spluttering moment.

Cheers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anytime Golf…

Golf, what you say about true life experiences is politicly correct, but it certainly has it’s place when it comes to future new car purchase’s, The more I convert people in my circle of friends and acquaintances to admire other manufacturer’s the better and not follow Toyodas boring bland path, same old story media rules the roost, just look at Dingo – TP parade, promoting Toyodas all the time with sale’s pitch or die hard number crunching, do they even realize the history of Ford or any other manufacturer has accumulated over the decades it’s not just all about Toyoda’s, Toyoda’s, Toyoda’s.. GET A LIFE….

“OH WHAT A FARCE” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Gotta hand it to you, your on your own with that one and when RSI occurs, use that ambidextrous skill and swap!

lol,, you definitely don’t have the disease (Foot in Mouth), which unfortunately some Toyoda fans here seem to inherited…

thats right NM,
you dont want any under sized skinny rubbers when you are getting funky with it
you are always safe in the falcon with your ultra wide mansized steel belted radials gggrrrrrrr Hello ladies!!!!

Wonderful that you pull figures out of the USA, COBRA. How relevant is that to Australia? The few Australian surveys have shown Ford as close to the bottom in just about every parameter, such as customer satisfaction and quality.

Furthermore, anyone can make up a story on some situation they have seen on the Internet. Even if your story were true, the fact remains that you are basing it off a single personal case and not the general case for the car overall. The general case for cars overall can only be seen through statistics and the statistics have supported the case that the Corolla is cheaper to run and more reliable and better quality than the Focus.

Dingo, if the Falcon is so unreliable, why is there an OVERWHELMING amount of them used as taxi’s? If they were unreliable then they wouldn’t be so common. They are obviously cost effective and reliable so faunicate yourself with an iron stick. You and TP are total gimps who think that auto-enthusiasm is more about statistics than actually enjoying a car.

I ask the question JW,,, where are many Toyota car’s built, my post is relevant because for a start many models or platforms that are in US are from Japan, Africa etc,, so basicly we receive what they receive, we don’t have comprehensive surveys in Australia like the rest of the world, so drive.com made public JD power studies just last year consisting of only a pitiful number under 7000 owners, now what a joke JW,,, in US consumer reports is over 1,300,000 owners that is no way justifiable to compare in our country, you are under the Toyoda cloud with sponsers & share holders Dingo & TP, can you understand how judging owner satisfaction studies in US would correlate to rest of the world, Toyota has massive a market in US dwarfing little OZ and this governs what is going on at Toyo headquarters.. FULL STOP……

Focus is as Reliable than any boring, bland, white good corolla or better and will be much better as each year goes past, your story about rotars and brake pads is a farce buddy, looks to me your scratching your head for answer’s as this argument is fading like the wrong theory about pad’s………

TP, thanks for your constructive reply, I thought the point of forum was to express an opinion and have others agree or disagree in a civilsed manner. Obviously not. The fact remains, the Corolla is ugly but there is something worse, the sedan. Is it a shrunken Camry or a bloated Yaris?

And dingo I think the Falcon has proven to be a fairly reliable vehicle over the last couple of years, parts are fairly cheap for those out of warranty, 2 or 3 years old, these cares are good buying if size and a bit of extra fuel doesnt bother you.
Focus is also a decent car that sells okay, and is certainly a better drive than corolla, its loud though, the model before certainly has created an expectation as to reliability issues which the current model has to wear.
For those who don’t know, it created a record in the USA when the NHTSA started a record total of 6 investigations into that model’s safety related defects in one year, apparently the engine at times just stalled, also the front suspension apparently can collapse due to becoming unbolted, 2 additional investigations for malfunctioning airbags and engines that caught fire…the current focus is carrying this historical baggage unfortunately…

Silky sees both sides… Probably a Libran, like me.

No, the spring’s fine. The only issue I’ve had was a minor one with a faulty flap in the intake that caused a rough shutdown a few months ago. Some time soon, I’ll have to face up to the brake rotors, too.

People associate Toyota with car, get a corolla, get a camry blabla. Importantly, I think bout 50% of buyers (retail) are looking for a solid car to hold for 5 years, they are driving around town, cbf with repair issues and want to spend less than 30k, Toyota does cover all these bases, and provide a range of models to do so.
Its perception, toyota have done it very well, and hey, their cars are mostly pretty good as well.
Look at Holden, Barina, viva, epica, the last commie holds the recall record for AU made cars, their is a perception their of recalls, resale and dare I say it…fleet. The VE is a pretty decent car for the money, so is the falcon, but, then there is brains and resources, I mean, has anyone noticed over the last 10 years how many more cars toyota is selling and how commie and falcon sales have dropped, toyota has covered all bases(has the resources) the other 2 dont have a fkan clue, RWD, big cars, fleet sellers(the cars are fine demand is declining). Just dont think toyo, mazda, honda, VW, audi are all in there chipping away, incomes are up, there are a truckload of reasons.
But brains and resources pretty much sum it up, holden & ford are limited in resources(ergo model range) and brains, they dont really have a clue, didnt see it coming, jesus, its been coming for years. Seriosly read some of these threads, HSV – FPV, yesterdays news, whilst these arms ARE profitable its resources being thrown at the wrong development area’s. They are catering for a dwindling market, ie performance, how can this be true you may ask, look at the number of appliances in the top ten sellers I tell you. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO BUY AND THEY WILL BUY IT.

Silky wd mate, constructive arguments and learning something new and ‘theres two sides to it in a story breakdown’ are whats makes a forum interesting to read, sometimes I just get put off from the over the fence warfare of words.

If the reliability is starting to dwindle, im pretty sure Toyota will pick up their game very quick since this is something thats been their backbone.

As for people saying what a crap company blah blah for doing this, its called strategy, sometimes it works very well and sometimes it doesn’t work as expected, they learn, move on, and if you think on a ‘strategy / per company’ or Ford companies is full of blue blood fordies or Toyota motor co is full of Toyota lovers ala a sole entity, think again, I wouldnt be suprised if either company has poached staff from one another bringing with them ideas from each company to another, senior staff have more of an allegience to their lifestyle/money than to the brand…

Its funny on the level of fanaticm one person can have to a brand yet from the other side of the table they don’t really care who da fk u are (first time buyer looking for a change vs super patron) as long buy their product.

Silky, I’m with you on Holden’s terrible miscalculations on what they think Australians will suffer. I’m sure they wish they could offer a good turbodiesel of 2.8 to 3 litres in the Commodore RIGHT NOW, not in late 2009 or 2010.

And as for Barina, Viva and Epica. Watch the reaction at motor shows. People walk straight past them. It’s Yaris and Corolla all the way, deservedly.

COBRA no-one believes you about the reliability of the Focus.

I will grant you that they are a well designed car as far a dynamics are concerned. Most top tier Euro car are well handling/braking cars.

They are just not as reliable or cheap to run as a Corolla, Honda or Mazda. Simple as that.

The build quality is not there. For years Astra’s had to have the cam belt changed at 60k due to poor design. Brake wear is a huge problem on the Focus and Astra. Crappy Euro designed A/C as well is often an issue.

As I said, you can forgive these things on a prestige or sports model as it is hidden in the high servicing costs which are expected. But on an economy car it is unforgivable

For those who are interested … Toyota had a strong weekend in Motorsport.

First of all – locally was the first round of the Australian Rally Championships (ARC) which was held in Busselton south of Perth WA.

First heat was won (1-2) by the TRD duo – Simon Evans and Neil Bates – in thier new S2000 Corolla’s while heat 2 was won by Neil Bates as Simon Evans suffered mechanical issues. Regardless, round 1 of the ARC goes to the TRD team and thier S2000 Corolla’s fending of Subaru (WRX), Ford (Focus) and Mitsubishi (Lancer Evo).

In the USA was the running of 2 NASCAR events with Joe Gibbs Racing winning the second tier event – Nationwide Series – with Kyle Busch at the helm of his Toyota on Saturday. Sunday which was this morning our time was the running of the top tier event – Sprint Series – with JGR taking 3rd and 4th place with Kyle Busch (again) and Denny Hamlin at the helm of thier Toyota’s. Good finish for Hamlin in 4th this week backing up his win last weekend while Kyle took a 1st and 3rd finish for Toyota this weekend.

And finally, the third round of F1 was in Bahrain and after finishing 4th in Malaysia the week before – Toyota driver Jarno Trulli finished in a good position again this weekend taking 6th spot.

So … of the 4 motorsport events Toyota participated around the world on the weekend – they ended up on the podium 3 out of 4 races which is a good effort from Toyota/TRD and thier motorsport teams.

Hey TP that LukeGT has been on here again, onthe Lexus page. You still gettin the cheques from HQ?

TP…..I think what you need to really say is some people believe that there views in life is the experience on how they see it when in fact it comes down to whether these people where clearly in a position of drag racing. I find some views espoused on here to be bizarre and the two you raise tend to be that……….bizarre.

Maybe the EA Falcon or the Impreza raced somewhere thru twisty stuff or short distance…..I would be stunned if an EA Falcon could bet a TRD Aurion period. More importantly, was the EA stock standard? As for stock Impreza beating an Aurion……well more specifics like driver age, which model cause I also really find this quite hard to fathom! Seems to be BS claims!

TOYOTA KLUGER… DRIVES CAR OF THE YEAR FOR CATEGORY.

NM it was stock EA. I dont take these stories for anything, unless you know the person, therefore know your both going flat out, you cant rely on it.

never took it on a gravel road obviously.

Kluger won the people mover award and considering u can only seat midgets in the back for any length of time.

Golfschwein emits hearty guffaw upon reading TP’s comment that real life experiences don’t count. My ghast is totally flabbered.

I guess you must have had a childhood experience that caused you to never be able to trust people again and you subsequently disappeared into a dreamworld habitat of lists and surveys, percentage points and ISO tests.

This is hilarious: Aurion’s result as it chases Falcon XR6 in the WASP test is credible (aah, because it was measured!) yet the same magazine felled a Klugsta and it just didn’t happen. Couldn’t be true. Completely made up.

Mate, if I felled a Klugga or any other car for that matter, you can bet your finest that I wouldn’t be conforming to any ISO test.

If a car f*ckin rolls on a controlled test track and no other car does… its sh*thouse no excuse. and the new rolla’s look like a cordless kettle with headlight eyes

Quote: Dingo – And finally, the third round of F1 was in Bahrain and after finishing 4th in Malaysia the week before – Toyota driver Jarno Trulli finished in a good position again this weekend taking 6th spot.

Yeah but when you consider on average less than 1/3 of the grid finish an F1 GP its not really that great an achievement.
Infact 1/3 of the grid is approx 6 cars which means you could say they came last.. Not Good

But any car didn’t roll. Only the Kluger did.THERE IS PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE THAT IT ROLLED! If a motoring expert can manage this, then its more likely to happen to an average driver.
This is a safety oversight and proves that Toyota is more cynical than we thought. TP: WHY WONT YOU F**K ME TOYOTA, WHY WHY WHY!

wooow..easy there!!! IT IS VERY UGLY, IT IS BEYOND UGLY, in fact ..IT DEFINES UGLINESS, ..this is 2008 and because of consumers like YOU, YES U,,who say “oh its not that ugly” toyota didnt care to do something about their EXCEL looking cheeply made and expesnively SOLD frog!

1. first of all it is a PATHALOGY car..here in queensaldn S&N and Queensland X ray and Qpathalogy all use white corollas to pick up their blood, urine and s*** samples from the medical centres…
i dont know about u but out side of WORK i do not want to be seen in a car used for pathalogy…
2. hi sales dont mean anything …AT ALL…many superior technoclogies were discontinued cause people didnt buy them (beta vs vhs war for example)….mass population isnt exactly that smart…( nazi germany is one example) so their taste isnt really a good refrence

3. i have had toyotas namely camry..and the last one is for sale in carsales website…I HAVE HAD ENOUGH of this CRAP car…

4. IT IS POSSIBLE to DIE from boredom..so if u dont die in an accident ( cause u wouldnt in a corola thanx to the powerful engine ) u will certianly run the risk of getting ur self killed by boring urself

man i cant believe that ford is going down i fear they might stop making cars in Australia