Toyota

Toyota Motor Corporation, based in Toyota City, an industrial city east of Nagoya, Japan, is currently the largest auto manufacturer in the world. Founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937, the Toyota Motor Company was initially an automotive offshoot from Toyota Industries (originally Toyoda Automatic Loom Works), a company created by his father, Toyoda Sakichi. Toyota’s first product—the Type A engine—was built while still operating as a subsidiary within Toyota Industries. Its first passenger car, the Toyota AA, debuted in 1936. When Japan’s economy crippled following World War II, Toyota was forced to suspend production.

The Toyota factories returned to full production in the 1950s and the company set its sights on the U.S. market, carefully studying the manufacturing and economic know-how of Ford Motor Corporation. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. was established in 1957 and the American sales of the Japanese automaker’s vehicles commenced in 1958. The first two vehicles it sold was the Toyopet Crown sedan and the Land Cruiser SUV. This marked the beginning of the brand’s leadership in fuel efficient sedans and highly capable yet spartan off-roading SUVs.

In 1965, the Toyopet was re-released as the Toyota Corona and the Land Cruiser remained popular among American drivers. Toyota Motor Company grew quickly during the 1960s and 1970s and began exporting vehicles to multiple international markets. It acquired bus and heavy-duty truck manufacturer Hino Motors in 1966 and electrical auto component maker Nippondenso Company and Daihitsu Motor Company in 1967.

Toyota’s reputation for affordable, reliable, fuel efficient vehicles continued to develop. The Corolla, which debuted in 1968, was a prime example. Toyota Motor Corporation took shape when Toyota Motor Sales merged with Toyota Motor Company in 1982. In 1984, Toyota and General Motors entered into a joint venture, creating New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc., or NUMMI. It was a dual-branded plant in California that would serve as a platform for the two automakers to share manufacturing knowledge. Toyota began U.S. production of the Corolla in 1986.

Toyota is also known for other innovative milestones such as the creation of its Lexus luxury brand in 1989, the first mass-produced hybrid, the Prius, in 1997 and the Scion brand meant to attract younger buyers in 2003. Set back by the 2008 financial crisis and a subsequent international safety recall of more than 8 million vehicles in 2010, sales of Toyota’s vehicles plummeted. Toyota was hit by another crisis in 2012 when the earthquake and tsunami in Japan wiped out several of its global suppliers, forcing it to halt production of its top nameplates.

But slowly and steadily Toyota has climbed back to the top. It’s perennially top-selling Tacoma compact truck and off-roading cult-favorite 4Runner SUV has made it a player in the truck game, especially after gaining specially-tuned variants from its Toyota Racing Development (TRD) vertical to the lineup. Its Camry midsized sedan is a top contender in the segment and now offers buyer 12 different trims, including a TRD model.

Toyota is also developing other innovative technologies like hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and infrastructure and recently said it would focus more on pure battery electric vehicles.