Toyota engineers stretched too thin, Corolla redesign delayed

Toyota has delayed the launch of its redesigned Corolla until spring 2008. The car was delayed because the Japanese automaker's engineers were stretched too thin by several other projects, according to trade publication Automotive News. The current Corolla has been on the market for the last six years. Typically, Toyota likes to replace vehicles after five years.





AutoPacific analyst Jim Hall speculates Toyota may use the delay to make changes to the automaker's conservative plans for the car. Apparently, many people within Toyota feel the automaker should opt for a more aggressive design to compete with the Honda Civic.

Toyota executive Jim Lentz said he's not concerned about the delay. The automaker sold 40,000 Corollas last month alone, and there's no sign of slowing sales.