Toyota Caps 60 Years of Corolla With a 2,500-Unit Special Edition
The hybrid-only commemorative model brings an exclusive Supersonic Red paint job and lands in early 2027, while the rest of the lineup arrives this fall starting at $23,325.
Toyota is marking six decades of the Corolla with a limited-run 60th Anniversary Special Edition, one of the headline changes for the 2027 model year announced this week. Just 2,500 examples are earmarked for the U.S., and they won't reach dealers until early 2027.
The anniversary car is built on the Corolla Hybrid SE, which means a 1.8-liter four-cylinder working with Toyota's fifth-generation hybrid system for a combined 138 hp. Buyers get two paint choices: Ice Cap white or Supersonic Red, a color Toyota has never offered on the Corolla sedan before.
Visually, the commemorative model swaps the standard SE badges for 60th Anniversary emblems and rides on 18-inch machined alloy wheels with a black finish. Inside are sport seats with black and red fabric inserts, anniversary-branded door sills and floor mats, and a 10.5-inch touchscreen as standard equipment. Toyota hasn't said what the package will cost.
The rest of the 2027 lineup gets a modest price bump
The regular 2027 Corolla arrives this fall in gas-powered LE, SE, and XSE grades, plus Hybrid LE, SE, and XLE versions. The base LE now starts at $23,325 before a $1,295 processing and handling fee — about $200 more than the outgoing 2026 car, according to Edmunds, on top of a destination charge that has climbed $100.
Even so, the Corolla remains one of the cheapest ways into a new compact sedan. Honda's 2026 Civic LX carries a $24,695 sticker before its own $1,195 destination fee, leaving the Toyota with a gap of roughly $1,400 in its favor. The hybrid story is similar: the Corolla Hybrid LE opens at $25,175, several thousand dollars below the cheapest Civic Hybrid.
Powertrains carry over unchanged. Gas models keep the 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 169 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque, with a manufacturer-estimated 35 mpg combined for the LE. The hybrids top out at an estimated 50 mpg combined in front-drive LE and XLE form, and all-wheel drive is still available on the Hybrid LE and SE. The broader lineup also picks up a new black paint option called Inked.
Why the anniversary matters
The Corolla debuted in Japan in 1966 and has since become the best-selling nameplate in automotive history — a title it took from the Volkswagen Beetle in 1997. Toyota passed the 50-million mark in July 2021, and the model remains a rare case of a compact sedan holding its ground in a market that has largely moved on to crossovers.
Pricing for the 60th Anniversary Special Edition should follow closer to its early-2027 on-sale date.
