History of Toyota

The history of the largest Japanese car manufacturing company “Toyota” began in 1933, after the trip of the founder of the company Kiichiro Toyoda to the United States of America, the production of Toyota G1 trucks began at his factories. And the differences in the surname of the founder and the name of the automobile brand are due to the great euphony. The Toyota trademark was registered in 1937, and 6 months later the company’s first plant was built. In the same year, the first model of the Toyota AA concern was introduced, built on the basis of American Dodge and Chevrolet cars.

With the outbreak of World War II, all the production facilities of Kiichiro Toyoda’s industrial empire were transferred to the production of military equipment and the needs of the Japanese army. Under these conditions, the Toyota brand was no exception, setting up the production of military trucks at its factories. However, in 1944, after a massive bombardment, the Toyota factories were destroyed.

Production was resumed only at the end of 1946, and the company’s first passenger car was introduced in 1947. They became the Toyota SA model, built on the basis of the developments of Ferdinand Porsche – the people’s car of Germany Volkswagen 1200. However, under the hood was a four-cylinder power unit, unlike the two-cylinder in the original. In addition, the model was produced only in a single variation of the body – all-metal. The motors were installed with a three-speed manual gearbox. In 1950, a full-fledged economic crisis began within the dilapidated industrial empire of Toyoda, which served as an excuse for mass strikes. Including at the relatively successful Toyota, where, unlike other divisions of the Toyoda conglomerate, workers received their salaries on time.

After all financial problems were resolved, Toyota gained wide independence, and only an observer was nominated from the Toyoda concern, with the constant presence of members of the Toyoda family on the board of directors of the brand. In 1951, the independent company Toyota Motor Sales was founded, which acted as an official dealer, opening more than 50 representative offices in the automotive market of Japan, China, South Korea and Central Asia.

After the death of the founder of the company, Kiichiro Toyoda in 1952, the course of the brand changed dramatically, which led to significant changes in the management and production structure of the company. The descendants of Kiichiro decided to resume cooperation with the armed forces, presenting an off-road vehicle that could be sold to everyone, both ordinary citizens and the army.

After two years of development, in 1954 the Land Cruiser was introduced, one of the first off-road vehicles from Japan. Foreign investors liked the car so much that for 60 years it was supplied to the armies of such countries as Ireland, Eritrea, Singapore and Israel. In addition, field tests of the model allowed Toyota to develop a universal all-wheel drive platform, which began to be installed on brand cars in the 80-90s of the 20th century.

In 1956, the Toyota Crown was introduced, equipped with a 1.5-liter power unit with 60 horsepower and a three-speed gearbox. Just a year after the release of the model, its deliveries to the automobile market of the United States of America began, which made it the first successful Japanese car in the largest market of those years. In 1961, the company headed for the creation of economical compact cars, so the Toyota Public saw the light, which allowed the Japanese automaker to increase the production of passenger cars by several times, bringing the number of cars sold to one million in 1962.

In 1966, Toyota introduced a new compact model called the Corolla, which had a 1.1 liter engine and a rear-wheel drive transmission. The profit from sales of this model allowed the Toyota brand to solve one of its main problems – the development of efficient and inexpensive power units, thanks to the purchase of a controlling stake in another Japanese brand, Daihatsu.

The outbreak of the global fuel crisis ensured the rapid growth in sales of Toyota cars. The company charted a new path of development, releasing one new model every year. So in 1970, the Celica model was introduced, which formed the basis of a whole range of economical cars. In addition, the growth in sales of Toyota models in the United States of America, several brand factories were opened in Canada at once, contributing to the growth of production volumes to meet demand.

In 1983, Toyota made an attempt to create a business class car, releasing the Toyota Camry model, especially for the American automobile market. The model was equipped with a new generation of Daihatsu engines, which since 1982 began to be produced under the Toyota brand. However, despite a number of revolutionary solutions, the model could not compete with Cadillac or Dodge cars, which significantly hit the well-being of the Japanese company, which invested 90% of its profits in the modernization of production facilities in 1982-1987.

In 1988, the second generation of the Corolla model saw the light, which gained immense popularity in the European automotive market. In addition, the company has come to grips with the creation of full-size off-road vehicles, introducing a new generation of Land Cruiser and the American 4Runner. A year later, having recovered from the crisis period of the mid-80s, the management of Toyota, taking into account all the mistakes with the release of the Camry model, registered the Lexus trademark. It was Lexus that was able to prepare luxury versions of Toyota cars for the American market, gaining immense popularity. But the main achievement of the company in the US market, no doubt, can be called the victory over the more experienced premium brands Infiniti and Acura, owned by the Nissan and Honda concerns, respectively. The victory over direct competitors made it possible to increase sales of Toyota cars in the domestic market of Japan, which led to an increase in sales by 31% with an increase in car prices by 12%.

In 1990, a subsidiary of Toyota Design was founded, which saved the Japanese automaker from cooperation with design studios from Europe. The first car with a design developed by the company’s designers was the Rav4 model, which laid the foundation for the class of all-wheel drive crossovers. Under the hood of the mid-size Toyota Rav4 model, two-liter power units with a capacity of 135 and 178 horsepower were located, and buyers could choose not only the body type – three or five-door version, but also the type of gearbox – automatic or manual. And a year later, on the basis of this model, the first Toyota minivan was presented, designed exclusively for the automotive market of the United States of America and Europe.

In 1998, the company’s lineup was completely updated, and two completely new models were introduced – the Toyota Avensis mid-size sedan, equipped with 110-128 horsepower gasoline engines, and the Toyota Land Cruiser full-size SUV. In addition to all-wheel drive and frame construction, the car could be equipped with a 4.5-liter six-cylinder engine with 212 horsepower and a 4.7-liter eight-cylinder engine with 228 horsepower. After 3 years, the company’s model range was again upgraded, and technologies of a single platform were introduced into the technological process of creating Toyota cars, which made it possible to avoid technical problems and increase the reliability of all company cars.

In 2001, the management of the Toyota concern decided to put the factory team in one of the prestigious Formula 1 racing series, and the Matsushita Corporation became the title sponsor of the team, placing an advertisement for its Panasonic brand on Toyota cars. However, the construction of the base for the team in Germany dragged on for too long, and the development of the engine required additional costs, and as a result, the debut of the Japanese team did not take place until 2002. The first three years of participation in such serious competitions did not bring success to Toyota, and the development of new cars required more and more serious funds. This was the turning point in the short history of the team.

In 2005, some of the best drivers of the time were invited – Jarno Trulli, fired from the Renault team, and Ralf Schumacher, the younger brother of the multiple champion, who achieved some success in the legendary Williams team. The results went uphill, the riders began to finish in the top three from time to time, but they could not get the long-awaited victory. In 2008, the global financial crisis hit, putting an end to the further performances of the Toyota team in races, even despite the fact that in 2007 the Toyota concern became the largest automaker in the world. But under the contract, the drivers spent the full season in 2009, after which the Formula 1 program for the Japanese concern was curtailed. The team’s base in Germany came under the control of the Lexus brand, as did the Fuji race track, where the brand’s sports cars began to be tested.

In 2007-2010, despite financial difficulties, Toyota is carrying out another modernization of its model range, introducing new generations of all current models, the flagship of which was the Land Cruiser 200, which became the sales leader in the automotive markets of Russia, Canada and the United States of America in your class. In addition, 2010 was marked by the development of a revolutionary hybrid platform for Toyota for its cars, which caused a number of disputes and lawsuits from competitors. But the management of the Toyota concern assured that by 2025 all cars of the Japanese concern will be built on such a platform, which will significantly reduce not only fuel consumption, but also preserve the dynamic data of cars.

And in 2011, the Toyota concern, through subsidiaries, tried to expand its stake in Subaru from 5 to 35%, but the Japanese government blocked the deal, citing antitrust laws.

In 2012, Toyota began building a number of factories in China, which will increase the production of brand cars by 1.5 times by 2020. In addition, research centers have been opened in all major cities of the world, which are actively involved in the development of more environmentally friendly powertrains and in measures to improve road safety.

In the same year, a new generation of lightweight rear-wheel drive sports cars Toyota GT86, developed in conjunction with the Subaru brand, was announced. Under the hood of the model is a new generation two-liter turbocharged engine with a capacity of 200 horsepower. In 2013, the Japanese concern announced the release of a car based on the fifth generation Rav4, which is an all-electric crossover with a powerful electric motor and a range of 390 kilometers on a single charge.

The Toyota Yaris Hybrid is a Class B front-wheel drive hatchback with a hybrid powertrain. The debut of the modification, built on the basis of the third generation of the model, took place at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012. In the spring of 2014, the hatchback was restyled. The Toyota Yaris Hybrid is driven by a power plant consisting of a 1.5-liter gasoline engine operating on the Atkinson cycle and producing 75 hp. With. power, electric motor and nickel-metal hydride battery. In March 2015, a restyled version of the Toyota Auris Touring Sports Hybrid debuted at the Geneva Motor Show. This is a universal car class “C” with a hybrid power plant. The total power of the station wagon power plant is 136 hp. with., and the declared average fuel consumption is 3.9 liters per 100 kilometers.