Toyota Motor Corp.'s Corolla will keep its current design for a record sixth year, until 2008, as the automaker focuses on rolling out other new models, according to Bloomberg News. "We decided to let Corolla go a little longer, mainly because Corolla has been such a huge sales success compared with where we thought it would be at this stage of its life cycle," John Hanson, a spokesman for Toyota's U.S. unit, said in an interview. Ensuring a smooth release of the new midsize Camry sedan, Toyota's top-selling U.S. model, was a primary reason for slowing the Corolla schedule, Hanson said. Automotive News reported the Corolla delay in its July 10 edition, based on an interview with David Danzer, group vice president of planning and development for Toyota Motor Sales based in Torrance, Calif. U.S. sales of Corolla sedans and the Matrix hatchback climbed 13 percent in the first half of 2006, as high gasoline prices helped propel demand for compacts, according to Bloomberg News. None of the Corolla’s previous designs has been on the market for more than five years, according to Toyota's Web site. The current version was released in March 2002.
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