HISTORY OF TOYOTA

Although, in 1930s, Japanese manufacturers still lacked adequate technology and expertise to build automobiles, a few pioneers emerged, including Yoshisuke Ayukawa of Nissan and Kiichiro Toyoda of Toyota.

Kiichiro Toyoda fervently believed that a growing auto industry in Japan would invigorate the domestic manufacturing sector as a whole and lead Japan’s industries to greater prosperity. He chose to develop and produce a class of cars that would directly compete with those of Ford Japan and GM Japan and went on to enter the market after thorough going preparations.

In compliance with the national policy of the time, Toyota chose to manufacture a truck as its first product, with the first Model G1 truck rolling off the production line in August 1935. This was followed by the Model AA sedan and the Model GA truck in 1936. In September 1936, the company held a public event in Tokyo to celebrate completion of the first Japanese-made Toyoda passenger car. On the same day, both Toyota and Nissan were granted licenses to operate under the Automobile Manufacturing Business Law.

The Toyoda Model AA was the first production passenger car by Toyota. The streamlined body styling and the rational load balancing between the front and rear wheels resulted in superior ride comfort for rear passengers and a spacious cabin. The engine, modeled after that of the Chevrolet, was a water-cooled inline 6-cylinder OHV unit. The initial price in Nagoya was 3,350 yen and a total of 1,404 units were produced by 1942.

In the 1980s, Japanese automakers inaugurated their own luxury brands to enter the high-end market in the U.S. and elsewhere, aiming to compete with the like of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Honda created the Acura brand in 1986 and Toyota and Nissan followed suit in 1989 with Lexus and Infiniti, respectively.

Previously, Toyota had been seen only as a reliable manufacturer of affordable small cars and pickup trucks. To change this perception, the company initiated a project to create flagship luxury cars that would be comparable to any of the world’s renowned premium cars. Mobilizing all available resources from its internal departments regardless of national boundaries. Toyota pursued R&D to produce the Lexus line. The focus was on achieving exceptional performance, quality and customer service at reasonable costs. Thanks to these efforts, Lexus has earned a solid reputation in the U.S. as a premium brand. Lexus’s relentless pursuit of high quality has had favorable effects on other Toyota cars as well, raising the company’s overall quality standards even higher.