Elvis Presley, James Dean, Clint Eastwood—men with very different backgrounds, and yet, all have become at least during a part of their lives, the epitome of American cool.  Despite their varied styles of performing, they’ve managed to engrave themselves into the hearts and minds of one of the world’s finickiest markets: the United States.  Even more remarkable is how their topics of rebellion, realization and self-preservation translate so well even to the Filipino setting.

Five to ten years ago, the choice for a first car was as diverse as the colors on a Charlie Chaplin flick: it was either the Toyota Corolla or the Honda Civic.  Sure enough, sales figures and market shares simply swung back and forth, while the rest were just content with whatever table scrap that’s left.  Fast forward to today, and things couldn’t have been more different.  Aside from a resurgence from the likes of Mazda, Mitsubishi and Nissan; these two Japanese automotive giants are facing competition from the Americans, namely Ford and Chevrolet.  Add the fact that there are now excellently built sub-compacts, microscopic SUVs and a zillion other choices all catered to making every buyer happy.  Now, the question beckons: can the Toyota Corolla keep up with the changing market place?