BMW Labels The Corolla AE101 ‘Boring’ In Now-Deleted Social Media Post

Car enthusiasts, including many BMW fans, were taken aback yesterday when the company casually insulted the Corolla AE101 and praised its own Neueu Klasse iX3 on social media.

BMW marketing went off the rails yesterday when a social media post by the company called out the legendary Toyota Corolla AE101 as a ‘boring’ design. The unprovoked attack on a much loved Japanese vehicle was followed by a little ‘self-praise’ for the supposed ‘character’ of the company’s iX3. BMW do a lot of edgy things unapologetically, but this one may have gone a step too far as it has been deleted within 24 hours of its original posting.

The comments were filled with snarky retorts from automotive enthusiasts, including many BMW fans. While the post and all the comments have disappeared from the internet, we recall some comments reminding BMW that their most characterful designs were actually done in the past.

It’s also worth noting that BMW and Toyota are technical partners and probably still have some sort of positive relationship. Toyota outsourced engineering work on their outgoing Supra to BMW in exchange for hydrogen fuel cell technology. Production of the Supra has only just ended and BMW plans to put something into production with hydrogen fuel cell propulsion in 2028. So, why single out such an iconic and recognizable vehicle from a business partner?

Well, it’s possible that a young intern was given the task of posting this. Or perhaps the post used AI and it got pass the managers somehow. More likely it seems BMW’s crack marketing team probably thought the car community was with them on the idea that the Corolla is generally considered a ‘boring’ choice. Well, they picked the wrong car.

The 7th generation Toyota Corolla Was Far From Boring

The E100 Series Toyota Corolla was one of the most over-engineered budget cars ever made. Most Malaysians refer to it as the ‘SEG’ and many are still being run daily. This car was engineered in the late 1980s as Japan’s car industry reached its peak ahead of the Japanese economic bubble bursting in the mid 1990s. This Corolla was engineered with Dr. Akihiko Saito at the helm and the brief was singular: move the Corolla a full class upmarket.

To this end, Toyota used the same manufacturing tolerances and NVH lessons recently learned from the development of the Lexus LS400. The chassis used galvanized steel, the glass was flush mounted, panel gaps were tightened, engine mounts were liquid filled. None of this was standard in that era. Cars that came AFTER the were seen as under-developed in contrast.

This era of Corolla had some exotic powertrain options as well, such as the bulletproof 4A-FE, the 4A-GE 20-valve engine (co-developed with Yamaha), and the 4A-GZE supercharged engine on the Levin and Trueno GT-Z variants.

Variants like the Wangan, GT-APEX and GT-Z offered an optional Super Strut Suspension and four-wheel disc brakes with twin-pot front calipers. Dual-axis geometry reduced torque steer on these high output models and made these front-wheel drive cars handle like nothing else in the segment.

They even had a halo variant known as the TRD2000 back in 1994 which was made by Toyota Racing Development (the spiritual predecessor to Gazoo Racing) to celebrate their Japanese Touring Car Championship involvement. This model featured a 3S-GE engine from the MR2 and added in a 5-speed manual with close ratios, a heavy-duty clutch, an LSD and a quicker steering rack along with some racing goodies. Only 10-12 were ever sold.

We’re barely scratching the surface of this ‘Boring’ Toyota Corolla. BMW may have deleted the post in shame, but we feel like they deserve to at least pay homage to this legendary vehicle out of respect. Even if it’s just a highlight reel on Instagram, it would be the least they can do for damage control’s sake.