TOYOTA CELICA PRODUCTION PASSES MILLION MARK

TOKYO―Total accumulated production of the Celica, Toyota's popular sporty-type passenger car, passed the million mark early this month. The one-millionth unit, a shiny new Celica Liftback, rolled proudly off the production line of the Tsutsumi Plant in Toyota City on March 4, six years and four months from the day in November 1970 when the first Celica left the same plant.

Of the million Celicas produced thus far, 735,666 units were Coupes and 264,334 were Liftbacks. Forty percent of the total went to home market customers and the rest to overseas customers, showing that the Celica is popular in other countries as well as at home. Last year the Celica won the prestigious "Import Car of the Year" award of Motor Trend, the influential California-based enthusiast magazine.

The Celica debuted in December 1970 as the first specialty passenger car on the Japanese market. In order to let the Celica meet the diversified consumer demands that had emerged in the automobile market in the early 1970s, Toyota used a "full choice" approach in marketing it, thereby giving drivers a choice from among many Celica types to satisfy their individual preferences. The Celica's beautiful flowing lines, combined with the "full choice" marketing approach, resulted in tremendous popularity among young drivers for the model.

Toyota added a Liftback model to the Celica line in April 1973 to let it meet expanded leisure-related consumer demands. One of the currently most popular Celica Liftback models at home and overseas has a shock absorbing bumper as standard equipment.