Satoshi Toyoda
Then Japan was still a not very rich country, there were only 3 small-scale automobile factories, the annual output of only a few hundred, while the United States Ford Company every day off the production line of 10,000 cars Model T. But the father and son decided to get involved in the automobile. But Satoshi and his son decided to get involved in automobile manufacturing, and when the economy improved, they went into production.
Satoshi died too soon to see the first Toyota. His son, Ki-ro, invested only 1.3 million dollars in 1933 to set up an automobile division. After designing the AA prototype, in May 1933, the first car, named AA, was launched.
A year later, the A1 began small-scale production. It was a large sedan with a streamlined, aesthetically pleasing shell, modeled after the Chrysler Airflow at the time, and equipped with a 6-cylinder, 3.4-liter engine producing 62 hp (46 kW). However, the number of cars in Japan was extremely small at the time, and the market was particularly in need of passenger and cargo vehicles, so Toyota invested the most in the development of passenger and cargo vehicles.
In 1937, Toyota *** produced 4,013 cars, of which only 577 were AA-type sedans and AB-type convertibles. It was during this period that the company decided to change its name to Toyota. Rumor has it that a female soothsayer suggested this change because Toyota has a more elegant symbol and shape in Japanese and has 8 characters, 8 being a lucky number in Japan. People always believe in legends when they are better than reality.
In 1940, Toyota produced about l5,000 cars, 98 percent of which were passenger and cargo vehicles. That year it introduced a new, more compact sedan with a 4-cylinder, 2.2-liter, 48-horsepower engine that was closer in appearance to Sweden's Regal PV60.The Witch suggests renaming the carThe field started out by imitation, and Toyota, though it had little experience with automobiles. But it held fast to the credo that imitation is easier than creation, and if improvements can be given along with imitation, so much the better. In keeping with his father's philosophy, Kiichiro knew that first and foremost he had to produce safe, solid, economical, and traditional automobiles, not innovative products. So for a long time, all Toyotas were characterized as such.
In l945, Japan was defeated. The whole of the Japanese archipelago was devastated, the economy was devastated, roads were destroyed and there was a strange shortage of raw materials. But Toyota quickly picked itself up from the ashes of the war. Due to the extremely poor condition of the roads after the war, the company focused its production on passenger and cargo vehicles and four-wheel drive vehicles rather than light sedans. It wasn't until 1955 that Toyota introduced a smartly designed small sedan with a 1.5-liter displacement. Named the Crown RS, it was exported to the United States two years later under the name Toyopet. In fact, the car is extremely traditional and does not use any modern technology, it is just very well made, plus it is well equipped, sturdy and solid, and not expensive. It was indeed more attractive than the Volkswagen Beetle and did well in the US market. Crown cars prompted Toyota to quickly set up sales outlets in the United States, Venezuela, Thailand and South Africa, and later set up factories in the above countries. The cheap and beautiful Toyota cars are popular in the global market.
Toyota CENTURY
VG20 1967 Toyota CORONA-MARKII RT62 1968
Toyota CROWN MS51 1968 Toyota CELICA TA22 1970
Toyota began to enter Europe in 1962. In this year, Toyota's production exceeded the one million mark for the first time, and the opening of the Meishin Expressway (Nagoya-Kobe) in 1965 (Showa 40) inaugurated the high-speed era of road transportation in Japan. In anticipation of the large-scale international trade and the liberalization of capital that would soon sweep Japan, Toyota stepped up its efforts to develop new vehicles with higher performance, and at the same time made great efforts to increase production capacity and improve quality. All these efforts finally bore fruit, and Toyota was awarded the Deming Prize in 1965. In the same year, the Japanese government lifted tariff barriers on imported cars, and from then on Toyota began a real battle with foreign automakers in terms of both performance and price!
In the years that followed, Japan's gross domestic product soared, and so did automobile sales. The Corolla, which was launched in 1966, became a popular family sedan and created a Volkswagen boom. Later, in 1968, it was exported to North America to great acclaim, leading to a sharp rise in sales.
The Corolla of the Year The Ninth Generation Corolla
With the backdrop of economic development, Japan's automobile market showed unprecedented growth, and in 1967 (Showa 42), the total domestic production reached 3 million units, surpassing West Germany at the time, and becoming the world's second-largest producer of automobiles. Under these circumstances, Toyota continued to invest in new plants and equipment in anticipation of further expansion of demand.
The 1960s were a time of great growth for Toyota, as its production of cars, which was just 200,000 in 1961, jumped to 2 million 10 years later, a 10-fold increase, making it the world's third-largest automaker.
Compared to other manufacturers, Toyota realized earlier that the world was its market. For this reason, Toyota opened factories in many countries around the world. After setting up factories in the United States, Peru, South Africa, and Thailand, Toyota set up factories in China in 1991, in the United Kingdom in 1993, and finally in France in 2001. The total number of Toyota's automobile manufacturing plants around the world has now reached 56. Of course, Toyota's products are also noteworthy. For example, in 1966 Toyota launched the Corolla sedan with a displacement of l000 milliliters.
The Land Cruiser of the year
The car was classed after the German Opel Kadett, but there was nothing special about it except for the aesthetically pleasing bodywork, and the design was very conventional, still with a front-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, stiff axles and drum brakes. This design was almost obsolete, as Toyota's competitors were already applying new technologies such as front-wheel drive, disc brakes and wheel independent suspension. But the important thing is that the Corolla has inherited the values of its founder, Kiichiro, who had retired in 1950, namely that cars should follow the philosophy of their forefathers of practicality over perfection in terms of comfortable operation, well-equipped, well-made, and competitively priced. So, although there is nothing magical about the Corolla, it gives car buyers the feeling of value for money. Like Toyota's new slogan at the time, "My Toyota is magical," the Corolla quickly became a global sensation. Now, the Corolla is a lucky name for Toyota. Of course, the current model is a far cry from the 1966 prototype, except for the name. Because of this, many enthusiasts don't recognize the Corolla for breaking the Volkswagen Beetle's sales record. Toyota has used the name, which is well known and recognized by the public, to achieve one success after another: the Celica, a coupe launched at the end of 1970, with a production of about 4 million units; the Land Cruiser (Land Cruiser), 3 million Crowns, 5 million; and even more amazingly, the four-wheel-drive Hi Lux, with a production of 10 million units.
Toyota a **** developed more than 50 models, the formation of a huge Toyota car line. But the company found that Toyotas, while universally popular with the public, lacked the image of a premium brand. Of course, historically Toyota has introduced iconic cars that have earned respect. For example, the 2000GT, introduced in the late 1960s, and later the luxury versions of the CenturyV8 and Vl2, all of which were upscale prestige cars collected by Japanese celebrities. To compete with Mercedes-Benz and BMW, Toyota decided to create a new premium brand and named it Lexus. The first Lexus was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show in 1989 and was inspired by Mercedes-Benz. It was the Lexus V8, which was robust, luxurious, refined and upscale, creating an upscale brand image priced at 30% less than its Mercedes counterpart. Americans quickly fell in love with the Lexus, especially appreciating its unbeatable price-performance ratio and surprisingly low noise level. However, Lexus has always been a bit of a snub in Europe, where Europeans value historic brands more than just the intrinsic quality of the product. The Lexus range is now expanding with the addition of the 6-cylinder Lexus 30D, the 2-liter Lexus 200, and the hugely popular RX-type luxury four-wheel drive. 2000 production of Lexus vehicles totaled 260,000 units, with 211,000 sold in the U.S. alone. This performance put the Lexus in first place for premium car sales in the U.S., ahead of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Toyota proved to have made the right choice.
Today Toyota continues to grow, and in 2003 Toyota's global car sales surpassed those of Ford in the United States and ranked second in the global car sales rankings, right behind General Motors in the United States. Toyota's profits, financial strength, efficient production system and continuous research and development have given it the potential to challenge GM, the world's largest automaker.
Toyota's top car, the Lexus LS430
Toyota's history in a nutshell
1867 Birth of Satoshi Toyoda
1924 Satoshi Toyoda invented the "Toyota automatic loom (G type) with non-stop automatic shuttle change"
1929 Transferred the loom's patent to a British company. 1930 Kiichiro Toyoda begins research and development of small gasoline engines
1933 Automobile Division established in Toyota Automatic Loom Works
1936 Toyota AA car introduced
1937 Toyota Motor Industries, Inc. is born (12 million yen)
1938 The mother factory (now the head office factory) is opened. (now the head office plant) was completed
1950 Management crisis (labor disputes and downsizing of the workforce) Toyota Motor Sales Corporation was established
1951 Start of the "brainstorming" system
1957 Toyota's domestic cars were exported to the U.S.
Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. was established. Toyota Motor Sales Corporation of America established
1959 Motomachi Plant opened
1962 Labor-Management Declaration signed
1965 Deming Prize awarded
1966 Corolla introduced Business tie-up with Hino Motors begun
1967 Business tie-up with Daihatsu Motor Company begun
1972 Japan's first domestic Toyota sedan exported to U.S.A.
1972 Cumulative domestic automobile production reaches 10 million vehicles
1974 Toyota Foundation established
1975 Participation in the housing construction business
1982 Toyota Motor Industries, Inc. and Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. merge to form Toyota Motor Corporation
1984 Joint venture with General Motors Corporation (NUMMI) established and put into operation in the United States
1984 NUMMI is launched in the United States. USA
1988 Production of TMM (now TMMK) in the USA
1990 Cumulative production of Corolla reaches 15 million vehicles
1992 Production of TMUK in the UK
1997 Production and launch of the Prius (hybrid vehicle)
1998 Production of TMMI and TMMWV in the USA
1998 Production of TMMI and TMMWV in the USA
1998 Production of TMMI and TMMWV in the USA TMMWV in the U.S.
1999 Listed on the New York and London stock exchanges, respectively Cumulative domestic production of 100 million vehicles in Japan TKM in India
2000 Production of Sichuan Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. in Tianjin, China
2003 Toyota becomes the world's second largest automobile company