A history of Toyota Motors
Toyota started in 1933 as a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works devoted to the production of automobiles under the direction of the founder's son, Kiichiro Toyoda. Its first vehicles were the A1 and G1 passenger cars in 1935. The Toyota Motor Co. was established as an independent company in 1937.
In 1924 Sakichi Toyoda invented the Toyoda Model G Automatic Loom. The principle of Jikoda, which means that the machine stops itself when a problem occurs, became later a part of the Toyota Production System. Looms were built on a small production line. In 1929, the patent for the automatic loom was sold to a British company, generating the starting capital for the automobile development.
Vehicles were originally sold under the name "Toyoda", from the family name of the company's founder. In April 1936 Toyoda's first passenger car the Model AA was completed. The sales price was 3,350 yen, 400 yen cheaper than Ford or GM cars of the time.
In September 1936 the company ran a public competition to design a new logo. Out of 27,000 entries the winning entry was the three Japanese katakana letters for "Toyoda" in a circle. But Risaburō Toyoda, who had married into the family and was not born with that name, preferred "Toyota" because it took eight brush strokes (a lucky number) to write in Japanese, was visually simpler.
Since "Toyoda" literally means "fertile rice paddies", changing the name also prevented the company being associated with old-fashioned farming. The newly formed word was trademarked and the company was registered in August 1937 as the "Toyota Motor Company".
From September 1947, Toyota's small-sized vehicles were sold under the name "Toyopet". The first vehicle sold under this name was the Toyopet SA but it also included vehicles such as the Toyopet SB light truck, Toyopet Stout light truck, Toyopet Crown, and the Toyopet Corona. When Toyota eventually entered the American market in 1957 with the Crown the name was not well received due to connotations of toys and pets. The name was soon dropped for the American market but continued in other markets until the mid 1960s.
By the early sixties the US had begun placing stiff import tariffs on certain vehicles. The Chicken tax of 1964 placed a 25% tax on imported light trucks. In response to the tariff, Toyota, Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. began building plants in the US by the early eighties.
With over 30 million sold, the Corolla is one of the most popular and best selling cars in the world.
Toyota received its first Japanese Quality Control Award at the start of the 1980s and began participating in a wide variety of motorsports. Due to the 1973 oil crisis, consumers in the lucrative US market began turning to small cars with better fuel economy. American car manufacturers had considered small economy cars to be an "entry level" product, and their small vehicles employed a low level of quality in order to keep the price low.
In 1982, the Toyota Motor Company and Toyota Motor Sales merged into one company, the Toyota Motor Corporation. Two years later Toyota entered into a joint venture with General Motors called NUMMI, the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc, operating an automobile-manufacturing plant in Fremont, California.
Toyota then started to establish new brands at the end of the 1980s, with the launch of their luxury division Lexus in 1989.
In the 1990s Toyota began to branch out from producing mostly compact cars by adding many larger and more luxurious vehicles to its lineup, including a full-sized pickup, the T100, later the Tundra, several lines of SUVs, a sport version of the Camry, known as the Camry Solara, and the Scion brand. Toyota also began production of a hybrid car, the Prius, in 1997.
With a major presence in Europe, the corporation decided to set up TMME, Toyota Motor Europe Marketing & Engineering, to help market vehicles in the continent. Two years later Toyota set up a base in the United Kingdom, TMUK, as the company's cars had become very popular among British drivers. In 1999, the company decided to list itself on the New York and London Stock Exchanges.
In 2001, Toyota's Toyo Trust and Banking merged with two other banks to form UFJ Bank.
In 2002, Toyota managed to enter a Formula One works team and establish joint ventures with French motoring companies Citroën and Peugeot a year after Toyota started producing cars in France.
Toyota ranked eighth on Forbes 2000 list of the world's leading companies for the year 2005. The company was number one in global automobile sales for the first quarter of 2008.
In 2007 Toyota released an update of its full size truck, the Tundra, produced in two American factories, one in Texas and one in Indiana. It also began the construction of two new factories, one to build the RAV4 in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada and the other to build the Toyota Prius in Blue Springs, Mississippi, USA. This plant was originally intended to build the Toyota Highlander, but Toyota decided to use the plant in Princeton, Indiana, USA, instead. The company has also found recent success with its smaller models the Corolla and Yaris as gasoline prices have risen rapidly in the last few years.
Highlights of Toyotas history are as follows:
1924 Sakichi Toyoda invents Toyoda Model G Automatic Loom.
1929 Automatic-loom patent is sold to a British company.
1930 Kiichiro Toyoda begins research on small gasoline-powered engine.
1933 Automobile Department is established at Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd.
1936 The AA Sedan is completed.
1937 Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. is established.
1938 Honsha Plant begins production
1947 Toyota first enters the Pick-up truck market.
1950 Company faces a financial crisis; Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd. is established.
1955 The Toyopet Crown, Toyopet Master and Crown Deluxe are launched.
1957 The first prototypes of the Crown are exported to the United States; Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. is established.
1959 Motomachi Plant begins production.
1965 Toyota wins the Deming Application Prize for quality control.
1966 The Corolla is launched; business partnership with Hino Motors Ltd. begins.
1967 Business partnership with Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. begins.
1974 Toyota Foundation is established.
1975 The prefabricated housing business begins.
1982 Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. and Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd. are merged into Toyota Motor Corporation.
1984 Joint venture with General Motors (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.) begins production in the USA.
1988 Toyota Motor Manufacturing, USA, Inc. (present TMMK) begins production.
1989 The Lexus brand is launched in the USA.
1992 Toyota Motor Manufacturing (United Kingdom) Ltd. begins production.
1997 The Prius is launched as the world's first mass-produced hybrid car.
2000 Sichuan Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. begins production in China.
2001 Toyota Motor Manufacturing France S.A.S. begins production in France.
2002 Toyota enters Formula One World Championship; Tianjin Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. begins production in China.
2004 The Toyota Partner Robot is publicly unveiled.
2005 The Lexus brand is introduced in Japan.
2010 Toyota and Tesla Motors agree on joint EV development.
Highlights of Toyota's pickup trucks:
Toyota first entered the pickup truck market in 1947 with the SB that was only sold in Japan and limited Asian markets. It was followed in 1954 by the RK (renamed in 1959 as the Stout) and in 1968 by the compact Hilux. With continued refinement, the Hilux (simply known as the Pickup in some markets) became famous for being extremely durable and reliable, and many of these trucks from as early as the late 1970s are still on the road today, some with over 300,000 miles. Extended and crew cab versions of these small haulers would eventually be added, and Toyota continues to produce them today under various names depending on the market.
Riding on the success of the compact pickups in the US, Toyota decided to attempt to enter the traditionally domestic-dominated full-size pickup market, introducing the T-100 for the 1993 US model year, with production ending in 1998. While having a bed at the traditional full-size length of 8 feet, the suspension and engine characteristics were still similar to that of a compact pickup. It proved to be as economical and reliable as any typical Toyota pickup, but sales never became what Toyota brass had hoped for. It was criticized as being too small to appeal to the traditional American full-size pickup buyer. Another popular full-size truck essential, a V8 engine, was never available. Additionally, the truck was at first only available as a regular cab, though Toyota addressed this shortcoming and added the Xtracab version in mid-1995.
In 1999 for the 2000 model year Toyota replaced the T100 with the larger Tundra. The Tundra addressed criticisms that the T100 did not have the look and feel of a legitimate American-style full-size pickup. It also added the V8 engine that the T100 was criticized for not having. However the Tundra still came up short in towing capacity as well as still feeling slightly carlike. These concerns were addressed with an even larger 2007 redesign. A stronger V6 and a second V8 engine among other things were added to the option list. As of early 2010 the Tundra captured 16 percent of the full-size half-ton market in the US. The all-new Tundra is assembled in San Antonio, Texas, US. Toyota assembled around 150,000 Standard and Double Cabs, and only 70,000 Crew Max's in 2007. The smaller Tacoma (which traces its roots back to the original Hilux) is also now produced at the company's San Antonio facility.
Outside the United States, Toyota produces the Hilux in Standard and double cab, gasoline and diesel engine, 2WD and 4WD versions.
Toyota started in 1933 as a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works devoted to the production of automobiles under the direction of the founder's son, Kiichiro Toyoda. Its first vehicles were the A1 and G1 passenger cars in 1935. The Toyota Motor Co. was established as an independent company in 1937.
In 1924 Sakichi Toyoda invented the Toyoda Model G Automatic Loom. The principle of Jikoda, which means that the machine stops itself when a problem occurs, became later a part of the Toyota Production System. Looms were built on a small production line. In 1929, the patent for the automatic loom was sold to a British company, generating the starting capital for the automobile development.
Vehicles were originally sold under the name "Toyoda", from the family name of the company's founder. In April 1936 Toyoda's first passenger car the Model AA was completed. The sales price was 3,350 yen, 400 yen cheaper than Ford or GM cars of the time.
In September 1936 the company ran a public competition to design a new logo. Out of 27,000 entries the winning entry was the three Japanese katakana letters for "Toyoda" in a circle. But Risaburō Toyoda, who had married into the family and was not born with that name, preferred "Toyota" because it took eight brush strokes (a lucky number) to write in Japanese, was visually simpler.
Since "Toyoda" literally means "fertile rice paddies", changing the name also prevented the company being associated with old-fashioned farming. The newly formed word was trademarked and the company was registered in August 1937 as the "Toyota Motor Company".
From September 1947, Toyota's small-sized vehicles were sold under the name "Toyopet". The first vehicle sold under this name was the Toyopet SA but it also included vehicles such as the Toyopet SB light truck, Toyopet Stout light truck, Toyopet Crown, and the Toyopet Corona. When Toyota eventually entered the American market in 1957 with the Crown the name was not well received due to connotations of toys and pets. The name was soon dropped for the American market but continued in other markets until the mid 1960s.
By the early sixties the US had begun placing stiff import tariffs on certain vehicles. The Chicken tax of 1964 placed a 25% tax on imported light trucks. In response to the tariff, Toyota, Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. began building plants in the US by the early eighties.
With over 30 million sold, the Corolla is one of the most popular and best selling cars in the world.
Toyota received its first Japanese Quality Control Award at the start of the 1980s and began participating in a wide variety of motorsports. Due to the 1973 oil crisis, consumers in the lucrative US market began turning to small cars with better fuel economy. American car manufacturers had considered small economy cars to be an "entry level" product, and their small vehicles employed a low level of quality in order to keep the price low.
In 1982, the Toyota Motor Company and Toyota Motor Sales merged into one company, the Toyota Motor Corporation. Two years later Toyota entered into a joint venture with General Motors called NUMMI, the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc, operating an automobile-manufacturing plant in Fremont, California.
Toyota then started to establish new brands at the end of the 1980s, with the launch of their luxury division Lexus in 1989.
In the 1990s Toyota began to branch out from producing mostly compact cars by adding many larger and more luxurious vehicles to its lineup, including a full-sized pickup, the T100, later the Tundra, several lines of SUVs, a sport version of the Camry, known as the Camry Solara, and the Scion brand. Toyota also began production of a hybrid car, the Prius, in 1997.
With a major presence in Europe, the corporation decided to set up TMME, Toyota Motor Europe Marketing & Engineering, to help market vehicles in the continent. Two years later Toyota set up a base in the United Kingdom, TMUK, as the company's cars had become very popular among British drivers. In 1999, the company decided to list itself on the New York and London Stock Exchanges.
In 2001, Toyota's Toyo Trust and Banking merged with two other banks to form UFJ Bank.
In 2002, Toyota managed to enter a Formula One works team and establish joint ventures with French motoring companies Citroën and Peugeot a year after Toyota started producing cars in France.
Toyota ranked eighth on Forbes 2000 list of the world's leading companies for the year 2005. The company was number one in global automobile sales for the first quarter of 2008.
In 2007 Toyota released an update of its full size truck, the Tundra, produced in two American factories, one in Texas and one in Indiana. It also began the construction of two new factories, one to build the RAV4 in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada and the other to build the Toyota Prius in Blue Springs, Mississippi, USA. This plant was originally intended to build the Toyota Highlander, but Toyota decided to use the plant in Princeton, Indiana, USA, instead. The company has also found recent success with its smaller models the Corolla and Yaris as gasoline prices have risen rapidly in the last few years.
Highlights of Toyotas history are as follows:
1924 Sakichi Toyoda invents Toyoda Model G Automatic Loom.
1929 Automatic-loom patent is sold to a British company.
1930 Kiichiro Toyoda begins research on small gasoline-powered engine.
1933 Automobile Department is established at Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd.
1936 The AA Sedan is completed.
1937 Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. is established.
1938 Honsha Plant begins production
1947 Toyota first enters the Pick-up truck market.
1950 Company faces a financial crisis; Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd. is established.
1955 The Toyopet Crown, Toyopet Master and Crown Deluxe are launched.
1957 The first prototypes of the Crown are exported to the United States; Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. is established.
1959 Motomachi Plant begins production.
1965 Toyota wins the Deming Application Prize for quality control.
1966 The Corolla is launched; business partnership with Hino Motors Ltd. begins.
1967 Business partnership with Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. begins.
1974 Toyota Foundation is established.
1975 The prefabricated housing business begins.
1982 Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. and Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd. are merged into Toyota Motor Corporation.
1984 Joint venture with General Motors (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.) begins production in the USA.
1988 Toyota Motor Manufacturing, USA, Inc. (present TMMK) begins production.
1989 The Lexus brand is launched in the USA.
1992 Toyota Motor Manufacturing (United Kingdom) Ltd. begins production.
1997 The Prius is launched as the world's first mass-produced hybrid car.
2000 Sichuan Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. begins production in China.
2001 Toyota Motor Manufacturing France S.A.S. begins production in France.
2002 Toyota enters Formula One World Championship; Tianjin Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. begins production in China.
2004 The Toyota Partner Robot is publicly unveiled.
2005 The Lexus brand is introduced in Japan.
2010 Toyota and Tesla Motors agree on joint EV development.
Highlights of Toyota's pickup trucks:
Toyota first entered the pickup truck market in 1947 with the SB that was only sold in Japan and limited Asian markets. It was followed in 1954 by the RK (renamed in 1959 as the Stout) and in 1968 by the compact Hilux. With continued refinement, the Hilux (simply known as the Pickup in some markets) became famous for being extremely durable and reliable, and many of these trucks from as early as the late 1970s are still on the road today, some with over 300,000 miles. Extended and crew cab versions of these small haulers would eventually be added, and Toyota continues to produce them today under various names depending on the market.
Riding on the success of the compact pickups in the US, Toyota decided to attempt to enter the traditionally domestic-dominated full-size pickup market, introducing the T-100 for the 1993 US model year, with production ending in 1998. While having a bed at the traditional full-size length of 8 feet, the suspension and engine characteristics were still similar to that of a compact pickup. It proved to be as economical and reliable as any typical Toyota pickup, but sales never became what Toyota brass had hoped for. It was criticized as being too small to appeal to the traditional American full-size pickup buyer. Another popular full-size truck essential, a V8 engine, was never available. Additionally, the truck was at first only available as a regular cab, though Toyota addressed this shortcoming and added the Xtracab version in mid-1995.
In 1999 for the 2000 model year Toyota replaced the T100 with the larger Tundra. The Tundra addressed criticisms that the T100 did not have the look and feel of a legitimate American-style full-size pickup. It also added the V8 engine that the T100 was criticized for not having. However the Tundra still came up short in towing capacity as well as still feeling slightly carlike. These concerns were addressed with an even larger 2007 redesign. A stronger V6 and a second V8 engine among other things were added to the option list. As of early 2010 the Tundra captured 16 percent of the full-size half-ton market in the US. The all-new Tundra is assembled in San Antonio, Texas, US. Toyota assembled around 150,000 Standard and Double Cabs, and only 70,000 Crew Max's in 2007. The smaller Tacoma (which traces its roots back to the original Hilux) is also now produced at the company's San Antonio facility.
Outside the United States, Toyota produces the Hilux in Standard and double cab, gasoline and diesel engine, 2WD and 4WD versions.
