The first prototype (30A) of the second-generation Corona
was completed in February 1959. Production of the new model was initially
scheduled to begin with the completion of the Motomachi Plant in August that
year. However, development was behind schedule, so efforts switched to
development of a second prototype, the 55A. In September 1959, although the
name "Model PT20" was officially assigned to the second prototype,
the vehicle still required fine-tuning through test driving. However, pressure
from competing vehicles meant that Toyota could afford no further delay, so a
launch date for the Model PT20 second-generation Corona was set for April 1960.
Although production preparation had progressed over the last three years in
tandem with development of the new Corona, the development delays had caused
problems in preparing the stamping molds and the body welding line, meaning
that unresolved production issues, as well, contributed to problems in terms of
body strength.
The new Corona Model
PT20 (1960)
In March 1960, Toyota announced the arrival of the much
internally and publically awaited Toyopet Corona Model PT20. As its campaign
slogan of "The only thing that isn't new is four wheels" alluded, the
new small passenger car was a completely new design, although it did share the
same drive system and parts of the chassis with the Crown.
Then on April 6, Toyota held an official launch at the Tokyo
Metropolitan Gymnasium in Sendagaya. Owing to the success of Japan's first-ever
teaser campaign2 almost 40,000 people crammed the venue, jostling with each
other to catch a glimpse of the seven new Coronas on display on the 5,000
square meter floor area.
The new Corona was positioned as family car a class above
the corresponding Volkswagen model and not far beneath the competing Hillman
model.
The vehicle was promoted as having a "low, spacious and
sleek" body, and its overall look was designed to express a sense of
linear speed. Its unique design also included tilted center pillars to
facilitate getting in and out of the vehicle. It won high praise from numerous
quarters, including from the famous Italian car designer Pinin Farina, who was
visiting Japan at the time.3 In terms of the vehicle's mechanics, it adopted
numerous innovations that had been hitherto unseen in Japanese-made vehicles.
Sales of the Corona
from April 1960 to December 1963
However, not long after the new Corona's launch problems
arose in the production line and some drivers complained about the vehicle's
performance, both of which negatively impacted production and sales of the
vehicle. The problems can be traced back to the first-generation Corona having
not been well received because it was developed based on parts designed for
other existing vehicle series. That meant there was an urgent need to come up
with new parts, resulting in development of the new Corona taking longer than
planned. As such, production was rushed to make up for lost time, even though
there was an awareness of the risks of doing so. The specific problems were as
follows:
1.There was a rush to come up with innovations that were
ideal in theory, but that had not been adequately tested on actual vehicles;
2.During production preparation, inadequate preparations had
been made in terms of important stamping molds and in the body assembly line;
3.During actual production, although the Motomachi Plant
boasted leading-edge equipment and facilities, an adequate management structure
to make full use of the technology was not in place.
However, Toyota managed to learn from these mistakes and
ensure that the same issues did not arise during the development of the
third-generation Corona.4 In the meantime, the company implemented measures to
improve the Model PT20. Adopted were the specifications of the Toyopet Tiara (Model
RT20L), which had been manufactured for export to the U.S. market featuring the
R engine (1,453 cc, 60 hp) instead of the P engine (997 cc, 45 hp) used in the
Corona PT20. The improved vehicle was launched in March 1961 as the Toyopet
Corona 1500 (Model RT20-B). Not long after this model was put on the market,
production of the Model PT20 was discontinued. Next, in October later that
year, the Toyopet Corona 1500 Deluxe (Model RT20-D) was launched in response to
requests from family car buyers.
Model RT30L (Tiara)
for export to the US
Then in March 1962, a more-reliable leaf spring was employed
in the hitherto problematic rear suspension, and the vehicle body was also
strengthened. These measures resulted in increased customer satisfaction with
the Corona, and in December 1963, monthly sales finally topped the keenly
anticipated 5,000-unit mark.
Also, the Tiara Model RT30L, fitted with a 3R engine (1,897
cc, 90 hp) developed for the U.S. market was launched in March 1964 and became
popular among consumers in the United States.
Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
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