By 1997, the Toyota Corolla had become the World's Bestselling Car. By 2013, total sales had exceeded 44 million units. By 2021, 50 million Corollas had been sold. For context, Ford sold their 10 millionth Mustang in 2018. Today, the Corolla is one of the most well-recognized automobile nameplates on the planet. In fact, you might even call it the world's "default" car. Below, we'll look at the key reasons why.The Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) was founded in 1937 with the goal of helping to develop the Japanese auto industry. Three decades later, in 1966, the Corolla was born into a Japanese market whose interest in cars was growing rapidly.Underpinning the development of the original Corolla was a doctrine that stipulated above-average marks and extra features were to be part of the package. The concept was to deliver a vehicle that targeted balanced high scores in all areas and a performance score that exceeded 90 points on a 100-point scale. This early development guideline was the brainchild of the Corolla's original development lead, Tatsuo Hasegawa, who had formerly designed aircraft during WWII. The idea, more or less, was to create a car with above-average appeal that could easily exceed customer expectations when it came to performance, durability, and reliability. The original Corolla launched with a 1.1-liter, 60-horsepower engine and was soon challenging Europe's best compacts. It's One Of The Most Familiar Names On The Road ToyotaCompact cars come and go, but not the Corolla. There's a long list of compact cars that have come and gone while the original Corolla nameplate continued to soldier on for decades. At this writing, the Corolla nameplate has been on the road for 60 years, arriving a year after Ford initially launched the Mustang and beating the original Chevrolet Camaro to market by a year.Generations-long use of a nameplate in the automotive space often ensures brand recognition that crosses generations and reaches into mass-market popularity. Case in point? Even excluding automotive enthusiasts, almost everyone knows what a Camaro, Mustang, or Corvette is because decades of presence have made each highly familiar. Ford doesn't even need to apply "MUSTANG" text to their famous sports car, because everybody knows what it is.The word “corolla” refers to the ring of petals around the central part of a flower (which is considered to be the most beautiful part of a flower). The name was intended to evoke the image of a beautifully styled, eye-catching, high-quality compact car. – Toyotatimes.jpSame idea for the Corolla. Most Corolla versions don't have the racy, sporty, poster-car appeal of long-running performance nameplates to help with recognition. Still, tens of millions of copies of the Corolla have been sold, which creates tremendous familiarity nonetheless.Toyota A High-Value Reputation For Low Running Costs Toyota The Corolla has a well-earned knack for reliability, which helps make it one of the cheapest cars to own. Most owners can expect an annual maintenance cost of about $362, according to RepairPal data. If you're looking for a remarkably reliable Corolla, steer your search towards the 2019 model year, which we previously reported to be the most reliable of the era based on data from Repairpal and JD Power. Throughout its execution over the years, the Corolla has come with fuel-saving design and equipment built right in.ToyotaToyota Reasonable wheel sizes keep tire replacement and seasonal tire costs down. Shoppers who prefer the often lower long-term costs of a manual transmission have plenty of options in the used Corolla marketplace. The Corolla's modern four-cylinder engines are easy on fuel, easy to care for, and known to last a very long time with proper maintenance and care. It's Sized Just Right For The Masses Initially, the Corolla was a compact five-seat sedan. Vehicle size classifications have changed and shifted over the years, as has Toyota's ability to scale the Corolla's size up and down to match changing customer tastes and market demands. That's especially true since the machine's modern switch to the TNGA platform in the early 2020s. Even as the SUV swept into the market and prompted a major shift in shopper tastes, the Corolla held true, delivering an anti-SUV driving experience that catered to drivers who still appreciated the feel, maneuverability, and agility of a car. Today, the Corolla range offers three distinct body styles, allowing shoppers to choose between a conventional sedan, a five-door hatchback, or a compact crossover version called the Corolla Cross. Toyota's Build-Where-You-Sell Approach Helped Dominate The Market Toyota Initially, the Corolla was built solely in Japan. Before long, Corolla factories started popping up in other markets to produce vehicles locally, first in Malaysia and Australia. In 2016, Toyota reported that a Corolla was sold every 15 seconds, thanks to availability in 150 countries and regions with production in six plants, including facilities in Canada, the USA, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, China, Japan, Turkey, and elsewhere. This approach to local production was a step towards mass-market dominance, used in part to ensure production stability and consistent inventory and availability in the market. The Corolla Has A Stellar Reputation For Reliability Toyota One of the key reasons the Corolla has become the world's "default" car is for its ability to provide financial confidence and peace of mind. Many Corolla customers are repeat buyers attracted to the model for its legendary reliability. Remember: your Corolla might be the most expensive thing you own, and unexpected failures or repairs can derail family budgets and schedules. In many markets, the Corolla is the only vehicle in its owner's driveway. Other owners commonly use the Corolla as a means of earning income.Toyota By building a car to be extremely reliable, Toyota ensures the Corolla stands up well as an asset for its owner: an investment that can be put to work with minimal expense and downtime, and repaired easily if required. The Corolla's reputation for no-nonsense dependability also helps drive additional value by keeping the Corolla in demand as a second-hand buy, which translates to higher resale values. The Toyota Corolla Evolved With The Times Toyota As market conditions, competition and fuel prices change, so does the Toyota Corolla. Modern versions on the flexible TNGA architecture demonstrate this trend, with the Corolla's recent expansion into a widespread model range. From what was once a single compact, you'll now find the Corolla in a variety of configurations, including a sedan, five-door hatchback, or compact SUV. New hybrid engines debuted in recent years, giving shoppers a fuel-saving performance advantage.Toyota You'll find modern Corolla models offering available AWD as well.