Tercel

Manufacturer	Toyota
Also called	Corolla Tercel Corsa Corolla II Soluna
Production	Aug 1978[1]–2000
Assembly	Toyota City, Japan
Successor	Toyota Platz/Echo
Class	Subcompac

The Tercel is a subcompact manufactured from 1978 to 2000 across five generations, in five body configurations — sized between the Corolla and the Starlet. Manufactured at the Takaoka Plant in Toyota City, Japan, and sharing its platform with the Cynos (aka Paseo) and the Starlet, the Tercel was marketed variously as the Corolla II — and was replaced by the Echo in 2000. It was also known as the (Japanese: Toyota Corsa) and sold at different Toyota Japan dealerships dedicated to particular core models.
Tercel was the first front-wheel drive vehicle ever produced by the automaker, establishing a layout and frame that was later used in popular Toyota models. For example, Toyota Corolla E80's frame is almost similar to AL20 Tercel's frame. Also, Toyota designed a new A engine for Tercel, attempting to achieve good fuel economy, and performance as well as low emissions at the same time. Choice of body styles increased as well, with the addition of a four-door sedan.
The name "Tercel" derives from the Latin word for "one third" as the Tercel was slightly smaller than the Corolla — much the way "tiercel" refers to a male falcon, which is one-third smaller than its female counterpart.