Toyota · 1957–2001

Toyota Corona

The Toyota Corona (Japanese: トヨタ・コロナ, Toyota Korona) is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota across eleven generations between 1957 and 2001. On launch, the Corona was Toyota's second-highest product in their range, just below the Crown. The Corona was marketed in the JDM at Toyota's Toyopet Store dealership channels, and the Corona was one of Toyota's first models exported to other global markets, followed by the smaller Toyota Corolla. The Corona played a key role in Toyota's North American success. Having previously entered the North American passenger car market in 1957 as Toyopet, the company met little success, withdrawing in 1961. The company re-entered the North American market in June 1964, rebranded as Toyota, introducing its third-generation Corona with more modern technology and numerous standard features. Toyota advertised the car prominently, with the company's first television commercial featuring the Corona. The car was well received, winning the 1969 Road Test Import Car of the Year. The Corona helped boost U.S. sales of Toyota vehicles to more than 20,000 units in 1966 (a threefold increase), making the company the third-best-selling import brand in the United States by 1967. In 2014, editors at Car and Driver called the Corona one of the best Toyotas ever made, arguing that Toyota survived long enough to thrive in America because of the Corona. By 1968, the Corona name was used on a larger platform, marketed as the Corona Mark II. The Corona itself was marketed under numerous nameplates worldwide, including in European markets as Carinas, and a variant of the Corona was offered in various markets as the Carina. The Corona was ultimately replaced in Japan by the Toyota Premio; in Europe by the Toyota Avensis; and in Asia, Pacific markets, and the Americas by the Toyota Camry. The nameplate corona derives from the Latin word for "crown", the sedan taking its place just below Toyota's similarly named flagship, the Toyota Crown.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Toyopet Master · Successor: Toyota Premio|Toyota Avensis|Toyota Camry

All Toyota Corona data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

First generation (T10; 1957)

The first-generation Corona, introduced in May 1957 and became available on the market two months later, was designed with parts from the previous-generation Crown and Master following a major restyle and enlargement of the Crown. The design of many of the body panels were cut down from the Master which had ceased production. Aside from the 4-door T10 sedan, the T16V 3-door van version was introduced in October 1958 as Toyopet Coronaline. Originally, the T10/16 Corona was fitted with the old sidevalve "S" engine, with 33 PS (24 kW). In April 1958 the Corona underwent a light facelift, with a new bonnet ornament and door handles. The tail light design of this generation is reminiscent of the 1949 Ford sedan. The 997 cc (60.8 cu in) OHV P series engine replaced the old S in October 1959, and offered substantially more power with 45 PS (33 kW) at 5,000 rpm. The P-engined Corona sedan was capable of traveling at 105 km/h (65 mph), 15 km/h (9 mph) higher than the old S-engined model. The car also underwent another facelift, including a mesh grille and a new rear seat which allowed seating for five rather than the previous four. As regulations regarding taxis at the time required engines no larger than 910 cc (56 cu in), dealers restricted the power for taxi vehicles. Due to the upgrade in dimensions of the Crown, Toyota needed to continue manufacturing a vehicle with similar size dimensions to the first Crown, primarily to be used for taxi usage. This vehicle was also the first Toyota's car with a monocoque chassis structure, and an independent front suspension using double wishbones. Due to the monocoque chassis, Toyota was able to produce a vehicle under 1,000 kg (2,200 lb).

Second generation (T20, T30; 1960)

This generation of the Corona was also known as the Tiara (in keeping with the crown naming convention) when exported by Toyota Motor Corporation. It was introduced at a critical time for the company in North America. Their first flagship car, the Toyopet Crown, was unsuccessful in the US market, and the Corona was added to offer a choice along with the Land Cruiser. At the time, there was little market for an off-road vehicle like the Land Cruiser. The front mask of the T20 Corona is reminiscent of the 1955–1957 Ford Thunderbird, and shares its appearance with the entry-level offering, called the Toyota Publica. The Tiara was introduced to sell alongside the Crown, as a smaller companion. Introduced in March 1960, the car was powered by a 45 PS (33 kW) 1.0 L "P" series motor. With a three-speed manual transmission, top speed was a mere 110 km/h (68 mph). In March 1961, Toyota introduced a more powerful 1.5-litre "R" series motor, the same motor from the Crown, and an even larger 1.9-litre engine was added in 1964. Fortunately for Toyota, the problems with the Crown were not seen on the Tiara as the lighter body (180 kg or 400 lb less than the Crown) made the R series engine more sufficient. The Tiara station wagon was seemingly aimed at women, with many of the original brochures featuring only women in a dinner dress as well as playing golf. Nevertheless, it sold better than the Crown and had a lot fewer mechanical problems. The Tiara ended up being the only sedan sold by Toyota in the US until the reworked second-generation Crown appeared. By that time, the Tiara had been redesigned and given the Corona label from the Japanese domestic market. A total of only 318 of these vehicles were sold in the US. In Australia the Tiara was assembled in Port Melbourne, Victoria by

Third generation (T40, T50; 1964)

The third generation was introduced September 1964, one month before the 1964 Summer Olympics. It was available in sedan, two-door hardtop, three-door van, five-door station wagon (also as a van), two coupé utility variants and a five-door hatchback. The 40–43 series were reserved for sedans, while commercial vehicles (and wagons) were in the 46 and 47 series. Hardtops received 50–55 series model codes, while 56 was reserved for the five-door hatchback. The 1965 model marked a return of Toyota to the American market after withdrawing there temporarily in 1961. Toyota conducted a public demonstration of the new Corona's performance on the Meishin Expressway, where the new model was tested to 100,000 kilometres (62,137.1 mi), and was able to sustain speeds of 140 km/h (87 mph). Toyota released the Corona one year after the debut of the Corona's traditional competitor, the Nissan Bluebird. In November 1966, Toyota introduced the Corolla, a smaller vehicle to address the market that needed a more fuel efficient vehicle, allowing the Corona to increase in size. 0–97 km/h (0–60 mph) time was 15.1 seconds. Originally, commercial models (three-door van, coupé utility, and double-cab coupé utility) utilized the 1,198 cc 2P engine, with 55 PS (40 kW) at 5,000 rpm. This allowed for a maximum load of 500 kg (1,102 lb) for the two-seater versions and 300 kg (661 lb) for the five-seaters. Heavier loads were better accommodated by the Toyota Stout, while larger commercial grade trucks became available at Toyota Diesel Store locations. 1967 also saw the debut of a cab over van equipped for both commercial and commuting duties using the Corona engines, called the Toyota HiAce, offering more payload than the Corona was suited for. The coupé utility was produced by the former Central Mot

Fourth generation (T80, T90; 1970)

The T80 series Corona was introduced February 1970 and was a complete redesign, and was developed on a separate platform from the Toyota Corona Mark II, which became a larger, more comfortable and powerful car, where the Corona remained focused on fuel economy. Body styles were further reduced to a two-door hardtop coupé, a four-door sedan and station wagon. The engine continued to use an OHV on base level vehicles, and SOHC on better equipped versions and most of the two-door coupés. The engines used in the Mark II were often shared with the Corona. Trim levels originally offered were the 1500 standard or DX, 1600 DX, and the 1600 SL (although the 1900 cc 8R engine was offered in North America and South Africa). The 1.5 offered 77 PS (57 kW), while the 1.6 has 85 or 100 PS (63 or 74 kW) depending on the spec. A slight change occurred in January 1971, when the 2R and 7R engines (RT80/82/86V) were replaced by the more powerful 12R and 6R units (RT81/84/87V). At the same time, the larger 1.9-litre RT83 was added to the lineup. A plethora of transmissions were offered, with a three-speed manual as standard. A four-speed manual with a floor-mounted lever was also available, as were two- or three-speed "Toyoglide" automatic transmissions, with the three-speed available with a floor-mounted shifter. Later on a five-speed manual was also made available in the sportier versions. The Corona was redesigned in August 1971, with the low-mounted wraparound turn signals removed and a new grille. Another, milder yet restyle appeared in August 1972, including new grilles and hubcaps. The Hardtop gained a two-litre engine at this time. Among the mechanical updates were electronic fuel injection installed on the 18R-E with a SOHC engine design that appeared in the two-door coupé. The 18R

Fifth generation (T100, T110, T120; 1973)

31 August 1973 saw the introduction of the Corona T100-Series, which continued to be built as a two-door or four-door sedans, a two-door hardtop coupé (T110 chassis codes) and as a four-door station wagon (marketed as a van for commercial use in Japan). Chassis codes 100–105 were reserved for sedans, with 106–109 for vans, the 110–115 was for the hardtop coupé while 116–119 was for the wagon versions. The 120-series model codes were used for late-series facelifted models in the Japanese market fitted with the new emissions control TTC-C motors. The two-speed automatic was no longer offered. The facelift revised the bonnet and grille and enlarged the tail lights. The station wagon featured optional wood panel body claddings. Engines were 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre SOHC units. In North America, the 20R 2.2-litre engine was used. The high-performance 2000GT Sedan and Hardtop Coupé with 18R-G twin cam engine were only offered in Japan. Yamaha supplied the alloy head for these high performance normally aspirated engines fitted with twin Mikuni-Solex 40 mm side-draft carburettors and a compression ratio of 9.7:1. Gearbox was the Porsche-type synchromesh 5-speed P51 coupled to a 4.1 F series limited-slip differential, giving a claimed top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph). In 1972, a new set of performance coupes is introduced on the Corolla platform called the Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno. North American models had longer bumpers (hiding recoverable bumper shocks) to meet local 5 mph (8.0 km/h) impact standards; they gained standard radial tires in 1975. Side door impact upgrades were installed in all doors. This series also saw the standard (on some models) Electro Sensor Panel which monitored fluid and bulb status. As with earlier Coronas, some models had a shifter mounted on t

Sixth generation (T130; 1978)

Introduced in Japan in September 1978, the T130 series Corona adopted a boxier design over the outgoing T100/110/120 series. It maintained the standard front-engine / rear-wheel-drive layout of all Coronas that preceded it. The T130 series was available in a wide range of body styles across various markets including a four-door sedan, two-door hardtop coupe, four-door wagon and new five-door liftback, which featured a 40:60 split fold rear seat. The assignment of "T130" to all Corona body styles signified a new approach from having different series number identifiers for the various body styles. This was also the first Corona to be sold as a "Toyota" rather than a "Toyopet" in the Japanese domestic market. All models featured MacPherson strut independent front suspension as well as a four-link trailing arm rear suspension arrangement with a Panhard rod, except for the wagon, which used leaf springs, like the Corolla and Cressida wagons. Disc brakes were fitted as standard equipment on the front of all models. Rear disc brakes were fitted as standard on the 2000GT and 2000SL, which were not available to all international markets. Other models were fitted with rear drum brakes. The Corona range received a thorough facelift in August 1980, with new rearwards sloping rectangular headlights which gave it a more modern appearance at the front. The T130 series was manufactured with a wide range of engine and transmission combinations. 1.6-litre 12R, 2T (and associated 12T) and 2.0-litre 18R engines are the most common. The LPG-powered 12R engine became available in the Japanese domestic market in February 1979 and, along with the LPG-powered 5R engined model, continued to be built until August 1982. The rest of the Corona range was taken out of production for the Japanese mar

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Toyota Corona

Manufacturer

Toyota

Production

July 1957 – December 2001

Class

Compact car (RWD model), Mid-size car (FWD model)

Related

Toyota Mark II (1968–1972), Toyota Carina (1984–2001)

Layout

Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (1957–1987), Front-engine, front-wheel-drive (1983–2001)

Predecessor

Toyopet Master

Successor

Toyota Premio (Japan), Toyota Avensis (Europe), Toyota Camry (Asia-Pacific/Americas)

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1150087CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_CoronaCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1376399821 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toyota_Corona_Premio.JPGCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Kuha455405 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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