Toyota: History, CEO, Directors, Manufactoring, Products, Joint Ventures, and more

Toyota vehicles are gaining popularity, with every second person opting to own one for a reason. But do you know the real story of Toyota and how it came to be one of the most sought-after, most promising, and most loved car companies of the 21st century?

This article will extensively cover Toyota’s details, history, challenges and obstacles, models, and much more! 

Toyota: Overview 

Toyota Motor Corporation, which is commonly known as just Toyota, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer that is headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi in Japan. The company was founded by Kiichiri Toyoda, and its inception dates back to 28th August 1937.

Over the years, the car brand has become one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world with an impressive production of about 10 million vehicles per year, Toyoya was founded as a spinoff of Toyota Industries, which is primarily a machine maker that had been started by Sakichi Toyoda, Kiichiro’s father.

Currently, both companies are part of the massive Toyota Group, which stands to be one of the largest conglomerates in the world. 

Toyota Brand History

1920s – 1930s 

Back in 1924, Sakichi Toyoda invented the Toyoda Model G Automatic Loom and the principle of jidoka, which meant that the machine would stop itself whenever a problem would occur, later became a part of the Production Systems. These looms were built on small production line and the patent was subsequently sold to the British company Platt Brothers. 

• Under the supervision of Kiichiro, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works established its automobile division in 1933 and formally declared its intention to manufacture automobiles on 29th January 1934.

• The company’s first truck, the G1, was under manufacturing and was subsequently completed on 25th August 1935 and it debuted on 21st November, as the company’s first production model. 

• The truck sold for  ¥2900 which was  ¥200 cheaper than the Ford truck and a total of 379 trucks were produced before the first passenger car, Model AA, was launched in April 1936. 

• At that time, the name of the car was ‘Toyoda’ which meant ‘fertile rice paddies’, and it was decided that the name should be changed from being associated with old-fashioned farming and the newly formed word ‘Toyota Motor Company Ltd; was trademarked and the company began trading on 28th August 1937.

1940s – 1970s

Back in the 1940s, Japan was heavily impacted in World War II and its plants, which had been used for the war effort, weren’t spared. By 1947, there was an emerging global Cold War between the Soviet Union and the U.S, and the latter’s priorities shifted from punishing and reforming Japan to ensuring internal political stability , thus rebuilding the economy and remilitarizing Japan.

• Under the new policies, Japan automakers were allowed to return to passenger car production but an economic stabilization program ensued that controlled inflation which had plunged the automotive industry into a serious shortage of funds.

• As the 1950s began, Toyota emerged from its financial crisis and moved towards smaller companies and closed factories by laying off workers. During this time, company executives including Kiichiro’s cousin, Eiji Toyoda, took a trip to the US where they trained the Ford Motor Company, and he observed the operations of a dozen manufacturers.

• This newfound knowledge gave birth to The Toyota Way, and the Toyota Production System, which is a lean manufacturing practice that would soon transform the company into a leader in the manufacturing industry. 

• At the beginning of the 1960s, things looked up for Japan as the economy was booming which later came to be known as the ‘Japanese economic miracle’.
• Toyota and other such car companies started offering economy cars like the Toyota Corolla, which ultimately became the world’s all-time best-selling automobile.

• The energy crisis in the 1970s proved to be a major turning point in the American auto-industry as consumers started demanding high-quality and fuel-efficient small cars.

1980s – 1990s 

After the economic success in the 1970s with the threat of import restrictions, Toyota started investing in the North American markets in the 1980s. In the following year, Eiji stepped down as president and assumed the title of chairman and was succeeded by Shoichiro Toyoda, Kichiiro’s son. 

• The car brand was offering mid-level luxury cars, and the Supra, Mark II, Crester, and Chaser offered several packages and sports cars like the Celica, Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno sold pretty well.

• Before the decade ended, Toyota introduced Lexus, which was formed to cater market and service luxury vehicles in international markets.

• In the 1990s, Toyota started branching out from compact cars to adding more luxury vehicles to their lineup, including the Tundra, several lines of SUVs, the Camry Solara and more. 

• In December 1997, Toyota saw the introduction ofthe  first-generation Toyota Prius, which became the first mass-produced gasoline electric hybrid car.

• Two years later, Toyota set up base in the UK as the cars were quite popular amongst British drivers. There were other bases in Indiana, Virginia and Tianjin. 

By this time, Toyota increased its ownership of Daihatsu to 334.4% thus giving the company the ability to veto shareholder resolutions. The company subsequently increased the holding to 51.2% thus becoming a major shareholder.

2000s – Current History

In 2007, Toyota’s Camry was named the ‘Car of the Year’ and it also began construction of two new factories – one in Woodstock, Ontario in Canada and another in Blue Springs, Mississippi in USA. 

• By the first quarter of 2008, the company was Number One in global automobile sales, However, it was hit by the global financial crisis of 2008 and was forced to forecast and report it’s first annual loss in the past 70 years.

• In 2011, Toyota, along with other car brands and industries, suffered from natural disasters like the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami,which led to severe disruption for production and manufacturing.
• During this time, the car company was estimated to have lost production of 150,000 units to the tsunamis and production of 240,000 lost to the floods.

• In Novemeber 2015, the company after recovery from the loss in 2011, announced that it would invest in AI, and in the next year, it invested in Uber.

• By 2020, Toyota successfully reclaimed its position as the single most largest automaker in the world – even surpassing Volkswagen.

• By 2024, it announced plans to build an electric car cell plant in Fukuoka and export them to other parts of Asia. In October, the company announced its historic return to Formula 1 after a 15 year hiatus. 

Manufacturing Country 

As it was post-war in Japan, Toyota rose from the ashes of industrial turmoil and upheaval. Since then, it has become the largest vehicle manufacturer and its manufacturing country of origin is located in Japan, with over 40% market. However, Toyota started entering the foreign markets only in the late 1950s. 

Board of Directors 

• Chairman – Akio Toyoda since April 2023 
• Vice Chairman – Shigeru Hayakawa
• President and CEO – Koji Sato
• Members of the board include Takeshi Uchiyamada, Jama Kuffner, Ken Kon, Masahiko Maeda, and more. 

Toyota Products 

SUVs and Crossovers and Sedans

Luxury Vehicles

Hybrid Vehicles 

Toyota’s Safety Rating 

Toyota is known for its safe and trustworthy cars and the 5-star safety rating has been awarded to the Corolla. Whereas, a 4-star safety rating has been given to the Urban Cruiser, which has emerged as one of the safest cars for Indian roads.

Logo and design

The overlapping of the two ovals inside the outer oval have symbolized ‘T’ for Toyota for as long as it was known and since its inception. The ‘T’ also represents the steering wheel and the vehicle itself. Each oval is contoured with different stroke thickness which is a tribute to the Japanese culture. 

Toyota Company’s Joint Ventures

Toyota is consistently renowned for making joint ventures as it is known for making innovation approach to forming strong alliances around the globe. 

Some of its joint ventures include:

• Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd in India
• Guangzhou Automobile Group in China
• NUMMI and Tesla in the United States
• BMW Group 
• Panasonic Corporation

Recent Updates

There have been a few updates at Toyota and the 2026 Land Cruiser 300 is all set to get technological advancements with new safety features in Japan. The new additions focus on technological updates as no revisions have been made. 

Toyota’s Trending Cars 

In 2025, there are several trending cars under the Toyota car brand they including:

• Urban Cruiser
• Land Cruiser
• Fortuner Mild Hybrid 

Conclusion

Over the years, Toyota has proved to be one of the leading car manufacturers in the world and has consistently made an impact on the automobile industry with its innovative thinking and unique manufacturing.

Despite the fact that there have been setbacks in the past, the company has emerged as a winner in every sense, and there is no surprise as to why it is such a trusted brand across different parts of the world. We expect that the new and upcoming car models will satisfy all the expectations that consumers have from one of the world’s most trusted car brands.

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