Little is certain in Afghanistan armies invade and retreat, governments rise and fall but when the key of a Toyota Corolla turns in the ignition, the engine can be relied upon to roar to life. A humble Japanese runabout with a reliable albeit unglamorous reputation, the Toyota Corolla is said to be the world’s most popular car, with over 50 million trundling off production lines since 1966.
Sturdy, uncomplicated and affordable, it is finely tuned for a nation where roads dissolve into punishing terrain, repairs rely on frayed supply chains, and a “make do” mentality has emerged from decades of hardship.
“These cars have always been there for people,” says mechanic Mohammad Aman. “If you travel with these cars, they can take you anywhere. The Corolla is quick, their metal is bold, they work well,” the 50-year-old told AFP. Other cars “are flimsy like paper” by comparison, he insists.
Fleets of the suburban mainstay sell on forecourts overlooked by rusted Soviet troop carriers. Corolla taxis with pummelled bodywork jounce past humvees immobilised since US forces withdrew in 2021. Even hauling up a mountain in a 4X4 you may be overtaken by a careening Corolla driver.
And Afghans everywhere emblazon their vehicles with English-language tributes romanticising the brand: “Happiness is a Toyota feeling”, “Toyota sets the standard” and “Beautiful Corolla” have become the unofficial slogans of Kabul’s grinding traffic jams.
Corollas flooded Afghanistan after the withdrawal of Soviet forces in 1989 and the subsequent collapse of the USSR — before which Moscow’s state-owned Lada brand dominated the market.n They have had a background role in national history ever since. When Washington launched air strikes after the 9/11 attacks, Taliban founder Mullah Omar fled his Kandahar hideaway in a white Corolla.
It was buried in 2001 but triumphantly excavated last year “still in good condition”, a Taliban government spokesman said, adding it should be publicly displayed as a “great historical monument”.
Source: News365
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