The is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota across eleven generations between 1957 and 2001. On launch, the Corona was Toyota's next to highest product in their range, just below the Crown. The Corona was marketed in the JDM at Toyota's Toyopet Store dealership channels, and the Corona was one of Toyota's first models exported to other global markets, followed by the smaller Toyota Corolla. The Corona played a key role in Toyota's North American success. Having previously entered the North American passenger car market in 1957 as Toyopet, the company met little success, withdrawing in 1961. The company re-entered the North American market in June of 1964, rebranded as Toyota — introducing its third generation rear-drive Corona, featuring a 90hp engine, four doors and numerous standard features (padded dash, visor mirror, full carpeting, fresh air heater/defroster, two-speed windshield wipers, quad headlamps, vinyl upholstery, driver's-side armrest, cigarette lighter, chrome wheel trim, undersealant, and twin horns) as well as available radio, factory-installed air conditioning and a two-speed automatic transmission. Toyota advertised the car prominently, underwriting its first television commercial, featuring the Corona. The car was well received, winning Road Test's 1969 Import Car of the Year. The Corona helped increase U.S. sales of Toyota vehicles to more than 20,000 units in 1966 (a threefold increase) and helped the company become the third-best-selling import brand in the United States by 1967. In 2014, editors at Car and Driver called the Corona one of the best Toyotas ever made, saying Toyota survived long enough to thrive in America because of the Corona. By 1968, the Corona name was used on a larger platform, marketed as the Corona Mark II. The Corona itself was marketed under a numerous nameplates worldwide — including in European markets as Carinas, and a variant of the Corona was offered in various markets as the Carina. The Corona was ultimately replaced in Japan by the Toyota Premio, in Europe by the Toyota Avensis and in Asia-Pacific/Americas by the Toyota Camry. The nameplate "corona" derives from the Latin word for "crown", the sedan taking its place just below Toyota's similarly named flagship, the Toyota Crown. First generation (T10; 1957) The first-generation Corona, introduced in May 1957 and became available on the market two months later, was designed with parts from the previous-generation Crown and Master following a major restyle and enlargement of the Crown. The design of many