{"id":21158,"date":"2026-05-12T16:14:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/21158\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T16:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:14:25","slug":"the-corolla-turns-60-and-toyota-picks-sport-over-nostalgia-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/21158\/","title":{"rendered":"The Corolla Turns 60 And Toyota Picks Sport Over Nostalgia In Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\">\n                            Toyota celebrates six decades of global success for the Corolla with new Active Sport special editions in Japan                        <\/p>\n<p>                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ingallery no-lazy img-center\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-Toyota-Corolla-Active-Sport-60th-Anniversary-Japan-11-copy-copy-1024x576.jpg\"   alt=\" The Corolla Turns 60 And Toyota Picks Sport Over Nostalgia In Japan\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1407\"\/>                        <\/p>\n<p>Toyota launches Corolla 60th Anniversary Active Sport models in Japan.<\/p>\n<p>They get exclusive emblems, body-colored trim, and sporty suspension.<\/p>\n<p>The standard Corolla gains slightly better equipment in its twilight years.<\/p>\n<p>The Corolla turned 60 this year, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/toyota\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Toyota<\/a> wasn\u2019t going to let the anniversary slide without the obvious response, which is to say, special editions. The automaker has launched commemorative versions of the Corolla sedan and Touring wagon in Japan, with a wider 60th anniversary rollout planned across the rest of the lineup over the coming months.<\/p>\n<p>These follow a similar set of anniversary cars recently launched in Taiwan. The \u201c60th\u201d fender badges carry over, but the Japanese versions skip the bronze gold trim in favor of a sportier look. Both sedan and estate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2024\/04\/toyota-corolla-active-sport-debuts-in-japan-with-aggressive-looks-and-chassis-tweaks\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">are based on the Active Sport trim<\/a>, introduced in 2024 with styling and chassis revisions.<\/p>\n<p>More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2026\/05\/toyota-corolla-60th-anniversary\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Toyota\u2019s Corolla Gets A Farewell Tour In Bronze Gold Accents Before 2027 Reset<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The sedan gets body-colored front bumper extensions and side skirts. Meanwhile, the Touring wagon takes the opposite tack, finishing those same panels in Neutral Black for a more rugged stance. Both ride on 17-inch alloys in black.<\/p>\n<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"lazy \" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/arrow.png\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\"\/><br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"lazy \" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/arrow.png\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Toyota Corolla Active Sports 60th Anniversary (Japan)<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the front fenders, the 60th-anniversary logo has been laser-engraved on the leather-wrapped dashboard. The sedan features Mid-gray\/Black sport seats while the wagon opts for a Black\/Dark Gray combination.<\/p>\n<p>More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2026\/05\/gr-corolla-us-market-production\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">America\u2019s Toyota GR Corolla Was Made In Japan. Now It Isn\u2019t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Under the hood sits the familiar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/hybrids\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hybrid<\/a> 1.8-liter engine producing a combined 138 hp (103 kW \/ 140 PS). Power is transmitted to either the front or all four wheels via a CVT gearbox. More importantly, the FWD variants benefit from a sportier suspension setup and optimized steering.<\/p>\n<p>Pricing for the 60th-anniversary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/toyota-corolla\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Corolla<\/a> Active Sport opens at \u00a53,231,800 ($20,500) for the sedan and \u00a53,282,400 ($20,800) for the Touring.<\/p>\n<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"lazy \" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/arrow.png\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\"\/><br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"lazy \" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/arrow.png\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>More Special Editions And Model Year Updates<\/p>\n<p>Toyota has confirmed that 60th-anniversary editions of the Corolla Sport hatchback and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/toyota-corolla-cross\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Corolla Cross<\/a> SUV will follow later this year. <\/p>\n<p>More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2026\/04\/toyota-corolla-cross-redesign\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Toyota\u2019s Next Corolla Cross Is Growing Up, And The RAV4 Should Be Worried<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the automaker has introduced minor model year updates for the standard Corolla range in Japan, making the Smart Entry and Navigation-Ready Package standard on the entry-level X grade. There\u2019s also a new sedan variant built specifically for driving schools, offered in both combustion and hybrid forms with an extra set of pedals for the front passenger.<\/p>\n<p>The lightly refreshed Corolla starts at \u00a52,380,400 ($15,100) for the sedan and \u00a52,447,500 ($15,500) for the Touring, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/Japan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Japanese<\/a> lineup remaining hybrid-only. The exception is the driving school car, which comes with a combustion engine and a manual gearbox at a more reasonable \u00a52,142,800 ($13,600).<\/p>\n<p>Having originally landed in 2018 and undergone a mid-cycle refresh in 2022, the 12th-generation Corolla is now entering the final chapter of its career. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2026\/01\/toyota-new-corolla-electric-hybrid-design\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A successor is rumored to break cover in 2027<\/a>, potentially borrowing design cues from the recent concept car, although Toyota has yet to officially lock in a launch date.<\/p>\n<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"lazy \" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/arrow.png\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\"\/><br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"lazy \" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/arrow.png\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>2026 Toyota Corolla (Japan)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Toyota celebrates six decades of global success for the Corolla with new Active Sport special editions in Japan&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21159,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9233,8,6349,33,6578],"class_list":{"0":"post-21158","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-japan","8":"tag-hybrids","9":"tag-japan","10":"tag-new-cars","11":"tag-nihon","12":"tag-toyota-corolla"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}