The Toyota car company is one of the most recognizable brand names anywhere in the world. People have been driving and enjoying Toyota cars for nearly 100 years now.
The company dominates the automotive industry in Japan, and they export their cars to every corner of the globe. But what’s the history of this renowned brand?
Here’s a brief look.
Toyoda Loom Company
Toyota didn’t start life as a manufacturer of cars. The company was initially founded by the Japanese inventor Sakichi Toyoda. It started life as the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works Ltd.
Toyoda’s first invention was the Toyoda Automatic Loom. This product was used in the clothing and tapestry industries as a faster way for workers to weave and loom products.
Towards the end of the 1920s, the Japanese government began to encourage the company to begin the transition to making automobiles. Toyoda sold the patent for the automatic loom to the British company Platt Brothers to raise funds for the new motor company.
Transition to Automobile Production
Under the guidance of Sakichi’s son Kiichiro Toyoda, the company gradually began working towards building cars. Kiichiro had spent time in the United States to learn about automobiles and the manufacturing process.
The Toyota Motor Co. was founded in 1937 as a separate and independent company. Although the family name was rendered as ‘Toyoda’ in Japanese Kanji script, the name was transposed into Katakana script. This rendered the popular ‘Toyota’ name that we all know today.
When the Toyota Motor Co. was founded, much of the Japanese automotive industry was controlled by American companies Ford and General Motors. The company sourced the parts for its first car, the Toyota AA, from these companies.
As World War II began, the company withdrew from the public market and manufactured trucks for the Imperial Army of Japan. Toyota got away with a lucky escape as the war ended just days before a scheduled bombing of a Toyota factory in Aichi.
Post War Years
The post-war years were when the Toyota brand began to grow into the behemoth we know it as today.
In the years immediately following the war, the Japanese economy fell into a severe slump. Commercial car production didn’t start up again until 1947, and the production of the Toyopet Model SA. The company was on the brink of bankruptcy by 1949 but was saved by a significant bank loan.
The company continued to grow throughout the 1950s, and by 1957, the Toyota Crown became the first Japanese car to be exported to the United States.
Global Reach
By the mid-1960s, Toyota had become a truly global brand. The first Toyota car to be made outside of Japan was built in Melbourne, Australia, in 1963. By this point, the company had manufactured over 10m models. By the end of the 1960s, the company had exported over a million models.
The company has continued to grow and expand its reach ever since. Toyotas are now available to buy in most countries in the world. Models like these Toyotas have become known as reliable and affordable choices for car ownership.
The Toyota Car Company Still Going Strong
The Toyota car company is a story of intense growth and innovation. From the humble beginnings of producing automatic looms, the company grew to become one of the world’s foremost manufacturers and exporters of cars.
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