A small sedan that we often characterize as competently anonymous, the Toyota Corolla looms large in automotive history for persistence and for its monumental sales.
Persistence: As of November, Corollas will have been in production for a half-century, and Toyota is celebrating this semi-centennial at the New York International Auto Show. A key element of the celebration is the unveiling of a 50th Anniversary Special Edition going on sale this fall as a 2017 model.

This special edition consists of mostly cosmetic additions to the familiar Corolla SE, although it shares in the refresh coming to the whole range for 2017. There are three different paint offerings, one of which?Black Cherry?is exclusive to the commemorative model. A set of machine-finished 17-inch aluminum wheels with dark-gray inserts is exclusive to the special edition, and as you?d expect, there are 50th Anniversary badges. Inside, the décor is black with black-cherry accents for the dashboard and door panels, plus black-cherry stitching adorning the seats, steering wheel, center armrest, and shifter boot. The 50th Anniversary logo is repeated on the floor mats. Tech features include Toyota?s Entune Audio Plus system with integrated navigation, a 7.0-inch high-resolution color touchscreen atop the center stack, and a 4.2-inch color info display tucked in between the major gauges (tach and speedo).
43.1 million and counting
The word phenomenal only begins to surround the Corolla?s 50-year sales record. In...