Once again in 2009, Toyota’s Corolla was the world’s best-selling car with 908,661 departing global Toyota dealerships last year.
That figure was 127,500 units – or 16.3 per cent – ahead of its nearest rival.

Two other Toyota vehicles, Camry and Yaris, were also in the top 10 best-sellers list last year. Camry was placed sixth with sales of 670,117 units, while sales of 466,267 Yaris models garnered 10th spot. 

HIS Global Insight gathered the 2009 sales figures which were published in business magazine Forbes.

The bad news for rival products comes in the form of Toyota’s new plant under construction in China and due for completion in 2012. That plant will roll-out 100,000 cars per year – many of them Corollas.

Australia was actually the first export market for Corolla. Toyota shipped a Corolla to Australia in November 1966, just one month after it was launched in Japan. Cumulative local sales now exceed 1.1 million vehicles.

Now, 44 years later and with nine full model changes, Corolla is produced in 16 countries, sells in more than 140 and has racked-up sales in excess of 32 million.