THE new Toyota Corolla goes on sale in the UK on Monday (June 23) with the manufacturer claiming it to be one of the most important car launches in its history. The car goes on sale with Toyota smashing every one of its sales records, set last year. Fleet sales in the first five months of 1997 are 27.8% up year-on-year at 12,400 units (1996: 9,702) with the company particularly targeting solus and limited badge fleets and user-choosers.

The new Corolla will be available in four bodystyles - three-door hatchback, five-door liftback, four-door saloon and five-door estate - with a choice of three engines - 85 bhp 1.3 16v and 109 bhp 1.6 litre 16v petrol engines and a 71 bhp 2.0 diesel all reworked from the existing Corolla line-up. Four trim levels are also available - Sportif, the volume selling GS, CD and six-speed G6 - and there are automatic variants. A total of 21 models make up the new Corolla range.

Toyota is aiming to sell 15,000 old and new Corollas in Britain this year, rising to 20,000 new models next year - 40% of which will go to fleets - and is aiming for a total of 100,000 UK sales by the turn of the century. Last year's sales totalled 60,503 of which 21,971 were to fleets and fleet will take a significantly greater share on UK sales in the future.

MODEL line-up and on-the-road pricing for the New Toyota Corolla:

Hatchback - 1.3 Sportif £10,995 (auto £11,645), 1.3 GS £12,655, 1.6 GS £13.005, 1.3 G6 £13,945, 1.3 CD auto £14,195. Liftback - 1.3 Sportif £11,800, 2.0D Sportif £12,300, 1.3 GS £13,155 (auto £13,805), 1.6 GS £13,505 (auto £14,355), 2.0D GS £13,655, 1.6 CD £14,345 (auto £15,195), 1.3 G6 £14,545, 1.3 CD auto £14,695. Saloon - 1.3 Sportif £12,200, 1.6 GS £13,905. Estate - 1.3 Sportif £12,900, 2.0 GS £14,755.#