The 2012 Toyota Corolla

Described as one of the most successful series produced by the Japanese auto maker, Toyota, the 2012 Corolla is considered as one of the best family cars with efficient fuel economy, writes OLAOLU OLUSINA

The 2012 Toyota Corolla is , undoubtedly, a simple, sleek and elegant car. Uniquely built and positioned by Toyota, the Japanese automaker, as a family car, the Corolla, which is considered as one of the best family cars in the market today with a highly efficient fuel economy, is also regarded as one of the most successful series ever produced by Toyota.

Built with popular options and option packages, the Corolla,which is also one of the fastest-selling Toyota brands, is equipped with an ignition disable device that prevents the engine from starting if the correct original manufacturer key is not used. Uniquely-built to multi-task and stand all terrains, the 2012 Corolla combines a beautiful and elegant interior with a solid body to make it attractive.

Little wonder then that the Corolla is driving sales at Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL) which imported about 24,000 units of the car in the first half of this year as against 21,000 units imported during  same period last year. 

With about 10 percent sales growth in the first half of the year, Managing Director, TNL, Mr. Chandra Thampy, disclosed,  at a recent quaterly media briefing,  that  the company remained optimistic of a better performance in the remaining half of  the year.

“Corolla is driving sales at the moment and commercial segment is growing better than the passenger cars segment. We are quite happy with our dealers and are constantly developing our dealerships but we’ve not added any yet,” he said as he warned on the dangers in grey imports, saying TNL was not selling the Toyota Venza in the country yet.

Thampy  said any Venza found in Nigeria was not built for the nation’s road and environment and  could be prone to frequent breakdowns.  “We don’t like to bring in vehicles not approved for our market because of the implications on after-sales service,” he said.

Head of Marketing, Mr. Andrew Azuya, also confirmed that other products of Toyota Nigeria were not doing badly as well. “Camry is beginning to pick up, Fortuner started slowly but is now doing very well. Avanza is not doing too bad as well - all these compared to 2008 when the auto-finance sector was booming,” he said.