Toyota

Toyota from Japan was launched in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda. As the son of a well-known manufacturer of weaving looms, Toyoda had already built up a good reputation. This is how the automatic looms were used to create the idea of car production. An attempt that was to be achieved, even before the company was founded with manufacturing the first branded car, the Toyoda A1 and the GG Trucks in 1935/36.

Same but different

The Jeep Toyota BJ, which was presented in 1951, showed for example a relation with the father of the jeeps, the Willy jeeps. Previously the Toyota pickups and the Toyota SA were produced in series from 1947 onwards with the same principle. The legendary Toyota Land Cruiser has been produced and was developed since 1951 further and still today it is. The Land Cruiser can look back on a long model history.

Advancement to a globally operating conglomerate

After the phase of expansion in the 1950s and the concept of the Land Cruiser, Toyota was able to increase tenfold its vehicle sales within the first three years. One record broke the other.

The Corolla can be found in a wide variety of models and ten generations. It is the model that should ensure the long-term success of the automobile manufacturer. The most sold car in the world was initially offered in the USA and inside Europe only in Switzerland.

Toyota, boosted by success in the US and when the 10 millionth car was produced, first ventured into the European market in 1963 in Denmark, where the company entered with model of the Crown. The models of the upper middle class such as the Crown and Corona have been distributed elsewhere since the middle and end of the 1950s.

Start in Germany and in motorsports

Before Toyota established itself in Germany in 1971, the company was already established in many other European countries. Already after the first successful season with the models Carina and Corolla, the dealer’s network and the range were expanded.

Since 1972, Toyota has built a department for the development of rally cars. Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) was founded in Cologne in 1979. Since then, numerous victories have been won, such as three times at the manufacturers' championships and four times at the world championships of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the 1970s and 90s. Toyota also took the lead in Le Mans and for example became second in 1999.

On the road

Like the permanent competitor Nissan, Toyota had gradually earned a reputation for producing fuel-efficient and quality-safe car. The most important models on the German market are the Auris and Yaris, both successor of the Corolla, Avensis and Prius in the middle class, the latter was the first Hybrid car, which was produced on a massive scale. The two-seater, the small-car iQ and the small city car Aygo are also part of the range. As huge models, Toyota offers the RAV4 and the smaller Urban Cruiser.

Among the sport cars there is the Toyota GT86: With its small size, low weight and 200 PS strong engine it could qualify as a small sports car. Also sporty, especially in the terrain is the Land Cruiser. In recent years, the company, that successfully occurs as multinational in different divisions, had to face some difficulties: The last was the severe earthquake in 2011. In order to overcome and oppose such occurrences and losses in production, the Toyota invested again in the development of innovative models, like the Sportcoupé GT86.