Toyota Starts Second Shift For The Corolla. What For?

A few days ago, 24/7 Wall Street published yet another list of the best selling cars of all times, kicking the perennial Ford F-Series to second place. We usually stay away from these lists, they just produce flame wars, especially when the methodology remains as dubious as in "we looked at best-selling car data from a number of sources." However, powered by the Huffington Post et al, the list went viral. And there you have it: "Toyota Corolla becomes world's most popular car with one sold every 40 seconds." Toyota took that to heart today and added a second shift to its Blue Springs, Mississippi plant. It makes the Corolla in America. And yes, in the press release, Toyota confirms that the Corolla is "the world's best-selling car of all time." The Blue Springs plant has an annual capacity to produce 150,000 Corollas. According to our monthly sales snapshot, the Corolla disappointed in January, whereas the new Camry is selling well. In 2011, Corolla U.S. sales had been down 9.7 percent. (With the Ford F series solidly in number 1.) So why a second shift? (Allegedly) Best Selling Cars Of All Times Rank Make/Model Time Millions 1 Toyota Corolla 1966 – present 37.5 2 Ford F-Series 1948 – present 35.0 3 Volkswagen Golf 1974 – present 27.5 4 Volkswagen Beetle 1933 – 2003 23.5 5 Ford Escort 1968 – 2000 20.0 6 Honda Civic 1972 – present 18.5 7 Honda Accord 1976 – present 17.5 8 Ford Model T 1908 – 1927 16.5 9 Volkswagen Passat 1973 – present 15.5 10 Chevy Impala 1958 – present 14.0 If you consider the fact that 240,000 Corolla/Matrix were sold stateside in 2011, and if you recall that there had been a rumor that Toyota could stop all Corolla exports from Japan due to the Godzilla yen, you may wonder whether that has something to do with it. Also, the current E140 generation of the Corolla is getting mighty long in the tooth – time for a new one? The always well-informed Kaizen Factor says: "Nah. The North American Corolla appears one year later than its Japanese Corolla and European Auris siblings, and the latter isn't expected to be unveiled until this September's Paris Auto Show. " I'll ask tomorrow at the Toyota results conference in Tokyo. Not that I expect any answers . from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

puts the internet to work for you. via task 680102