What Makes the Toyota Corolla Great?

More than 40 million Toyota Corolla cars have been sold since its debut in 1966, selling just over one million in 2012 alone. The Toyota Corolla maintained its lead for about 15 years, surpassed in 2013 by the Ford Focus, by less than 100,000 vehicles (depending on who you ask, Toyota and Ford still don’t agree which car sold more in 2013). Here, we take a closer look at the history of the Corolla and its variants to uncover just what makes the Corolla great.

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Top 5 Best-Selling Luxury SUVs in Africa

Recent years in Africa have seen luxury sedans rising in popularity, but nothing says “look at me” like a shiny luxury SUV, and a number of automakers have stepped up to supply them. After Toyota practically invented the Crossover SUV, the Toyota RAV4, Range Rover took it one step further and invented the Luxury SUV. Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Jeep, Lexus, Porsche, Volvo, and Volkswagen, have followed in their tire tracks, producing a number of luxurious SUVs. Here are some of the best-selling luxury SUVs in Africa.

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BE FORWARD Holds First Student Internship Program

BE FORWARD, be forward

For the first time BE FORWARD held a 5-day student internship program, February 24th – March 7th. We invited five students from India who are currently studying at the Chiba University of Commerce in Japan through a partnership with Sir Padampat Singhania University in Udaipur, India.

During the internship they were able to spend time in our office learning about our car exporting business, with direct job shadowing of our sales and marketing teams. The interns also spent a day in the field at both the Kawasaki and Yokohama ports where we handle all of the logistics of shipping to overseas.

We were happy to have the students here and we hope they could take away some useful skills that will be valuable in their future careers.

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6 Tips to Avoid Online Cons When Importing a Car from Japan

In recent years, many people have realized that it is cheaper to buy Japanese secondhand cars online than from the local dealerships. Online, there will be more variety, more value, and better prices. The main risk however, is that one may lose all their money if they fall into the hands of scammers. The good thing is that after following these 6 tips, you will see just why it is so easy for you to buy a used car from Japan, safely.

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Africa’s Choice: The Continent’s Top Toyota Models

“Sell this? We wouldn’t dare!”, says Mr. Mureithi, a primary school teacher in Central Kenya. “It has been in the family for more than 15 years now, and it still runs as good as new,” speaking of his old blue Toyota Hilux pickup. In Africa, those lucky enough to own cars treat them like heirlooms.

In Africa, Toyota is synonymous with off-road terrains, especially for humanitarian organizations that have to reach people in the remote interiors. In many ways, since its establishment in 1936, Toyota has been changing lives all over the world. However, it is in Africa where the positive impacts of this brand name have been felt the most. It is the everyday car for the urban family, for farm work, law keeping, tourism, hardware, and various other businesses.

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How Much Is Maintenance Worth?

When considering a car purchase, you have to realize that the price you pay isn’t written anywhere on anything you’ll see on the financing papers. Aside from buying the vehicle, there are a number of hidden costs that we sometimes don’t think about, some of which has to do with the vehicle we buy, but also with our own habits.

For example, let’s say you are considering buying a new or used Toyota RAV4, one of the world’s most-popular crossover SUVs. Of course, you’ll make a down payment and monthly payments on the vehicle itself, but there are some other things that you’ll have to pay for, as well. Depending on how much you drive, refueling can get quite expensive. Fortunately, the RAV4 is fairly economical. Don’t forget liability and collision insurance, to protect yourself and your car. Then, there are taxes, fees, and repairs.

car maintenance

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Toyota Makes the Best-Selling Cars In New Zealand

Take a look around, and you’ll probably see a lot of Toyota vehicles on the road. This really should be no surprise, since Toyota makes some of the most-reliable vehicles. This means they stay on the road longer. Not everyone likes buying a new car every three years, or making expensive repairs every few months. In New Zealand, Toyota, including the Lexus luxury line, has been the best-selling brand for 26 years running. For 2013, Toyota / Lexus captured 21.4% of sales, just under the combined sales of Ford and Holden.

In fact, three of the top six best-selling cars in New Zealand are Toyotas, including the Toyota Corolla, in its sixth year at number one, the Toyota HiLux, now 32 years as the best-selling commercial vehicle, and the Toyota RAV4, in sixth place. Ford Ranger came in third, but just barely, Suzuki Swift came in fourth, and Holden Commodore came in fifth in total vehicle sales for New Zealand in 2013.

Toyota

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Google Street View in Africa

Out of curiosity, what would a Google street view of cities in Africa reveal? Well, this is Africa and anything is possible. There would be some havoc of course, that is typical of any city street in the world. More people than vehicles, motorbikes and bicycles and oh yes, animals! Every specific compass direction in Africa will have its unique charm. To the North, there will be the Pyramids, the amazing Sahara, and maybe you can catch the snake charmers in Marrakech at work. Any spiraling smoke indicates industry. Central Africa will give you a heavy canopy of green. That is where Africa’s rain forests are concentrated. Maybe you will catch a glimpse of gorillas in Virunga.

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New Cars vs. Used Cars: Which Choice is Best for You?

One of the first thoughts that usually comes into the mind of any car shopper is, “should I buy new or used?” Depending on your situation, buying a used car may have more benefits than buying new. However on the other hand, opting for a new car over an old one also has its own advantages. Here, we take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of both to help you decide what might be best for you.

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What Japanese Used Cars Appeal To the Youth in South Africa?

For most students in the University in South Africa, their dream is to own a car before they hit 25 years of age. That is why South Africa has the highest per capita car ownership on the continent. Today, owning a car has become a matter of personal choice rather than luxury. People have realized that the model of a car that they drive speaks a lot about them.

Here are four of the best used cars in Africa that have won the hearts of the fast growing middle class:

Toyota Celica

The origin of the name Celica is Latin meaning heavenly and this sporty auto gives just that kind of feeling. In Africa, we love everything that is connected with the divine, even when it is only in a name. But about this sports car, it is affordable, it is fast and it is a TOYOTA for crying out loud. That means it can be tuned locally, to suck more speed out of the engine. Its parts are readily available.

Toyota Celica

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