The Japanese auto industry has always been distinguished by its practicality and manufacturability. Japanese cars are in most cases built for ordinary people. They are compact, economical and do not contain unnecessary frills. For this, drivers love these cars.
The Honda Civic alone is worth it. The car has been manufactured for several decades and continues to be popular. And the whole secret is simplicity. Of course, modern cars of Japanese brands can hardly be called "family wagons." Worth a look at brands like Infiniti or Acura.
But let's go back to the past, to affordable and simple cars. Remember the same Mitsubishi Lancer. Now it looks sporty, but if you take the version of the 80s, there will be a completely different opinion. Be that as it may, Civic and Lancer have always been popular and are released to this day. But there were other cars. Good cars. Just for some reason they decided to stop their release. One such car is the Toyota Corsa.
The car was produced for 22 years. The first generation went on sale back in 1978, and it was decided to remove the model from the assembly line in 2000. The Toyota Cors was replaced by the Platz model, which eventually evolved into modern Yaris.
The Corsa was Toyota's first subcompact front-wheel drive car. In Japan, the first generation was introduced in August 1978. In America, the car made its debut in early 1979, and the Japanese reached Europe only in 1980. By the way, in America Toyota Corsa was called Tercel.
The car was produced with 3 types of engines: gasoline engines with volumes of 1.3 and 1.5 liters, as well as a 1.5-liter diesel engine. In pair with the engine, it was possible to install a 3-speed “automatic”, as well as four- and 5-speed “mechanics”. The car had a European design and practicality. These features have become the key to the success of Toyota Kors. The photos show how the car looked in 1980.
In 1982, the company decided to carry out restyling. The car began to look more modern. In addition, the 5-door hatchback model became available (before that, a sedan, coupe and 3-door hatchback were available). Also, engineers added a new 6-speed transmission and four-wheel drive.
The third generation was launched in 1987. A special feature was the new 12-valve engine, which produced 78 “horses”. Engine capacity was 1.5 liters.
The fourth and fifth generation were produced from 1991 to 2000. It is these models that are most widely used. They were distinguished by a simple but modern design and practicality. Another feature was the 1.5-liter turbodiesel, which began to be released only in 1994. Already in the basic configuration, the car was equipped with an ABS system, heated rear window and two airbags.
In 2000, the era of Toyota Corsa ended. The characteristics of the model are impressive even today. Although the car has been around for decades, it can still give odds to modern foreign cars.
Why the release of such a practical and versatile model has stopped is known only to Toyota management. It's a shame that such cars just disappear without a trace. On the other hand, the emergence of new models indicates that the company does not stop there and strives for excellence.