History of Toyota Essay -- Toyota Automobiles Transportation Essays

History of Toyota Replica of the Toyota Model AA, the first production model of Toyota in 1936 The story of Toyota Motor Corporation began in September 1933 when Toyoda Automatic Loom created a new division devoted to the production of automobiles. Quickly thereafter, the division produced its first Type A Engine in 1934, which in turn was used for the production of the first Model A1 passenger in May 1935 and the G1 truck in August 1935. Production of the model AA passenger started in 1936. Although the Toyota Group is most well known today for its cars, it is still in the textile and still makes automatic looms (fully computerized, of course). Establishment of Toyota Motor Co. and WWII 1936 ¨C1946 Toyota Motor Co. was established as an independent company in 1937. Although the founding family name is Toyoda (ØNÃÅ'à ¯), the company name was changed to:  ¡Ã‚ ¤ Signify the separation of the founders' work life from life;  ¡Ã‚ ¤ Simplify the pronunciation, and  ¡Ã‚ ¤ Give the company an auspicious beginning. Toyota ( ¥ÃƒË†Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ¿) is considered luckier than Toyoda (ØNÃÅ'à ¯) in Japan, where eight is regarded as a lucky number, and eight is the number of strokes it takes to write Toyota in Katakana. During the Pacific War the company was dedicated to truck production for the Imperial Army. Because of severe shortages in Japan, military trucks were kept as simple as possible. For example, the trucks had only one headlight on the center of the hood. Fortunately for Toyota, the war ended shortly before a scheduled allied bombing run on the Toyota factories in Aichi. Start of Commercial Production 1947- Commercial passenger production started in 1947 with the model SA. In 1950 a separate sales company Toyota Motor Sales Co. was established (which lasted until July 1982). In April 1956 the Toyopet dealer chain was established. Today Toyota is one of the top manufacturers with large market shares in both the US and Europe. It has a small division, selling under the Daihatsu brand as well as a heavy vehicle division, selling under the Hino brand. Toyota is Japan's biggest company and the second largest in the world (the larger being General Motors). The company is immensely profitable, and its massive reserves dwarf those of many countries. Toyota's vehicles are generally highly regarded for their quality, proficient engineering, and value; but their designs are ... ... engines  ¡Ã‚ ¤ List of Toyota transmissions  ¡Ã‚ ¤ EPA 2004 fuel economy report (Toyota) External links Wikimedia Commons has more media related to: Category:Toyota  ¡Ã‚ ¤ Toyota Motor Corp. websites o Toyota Motor official site o Toyota USA o Scion USA (requires flash) o Lexus USA o Current Japanese Toyota lineup o Current American Toyota lineup (requires Flash) o Toyota North America 2003 Environmental Report (pdf format) o Toyota North America 2004 Environmental Report (pdf format)  ¡Ã‚ ¤ Information on Toyota's environmental protection policies Data  ¡Ã‚ ¤ Yahoo! - Toyota Motor Corporation Company Profile References  ¡Ã‚ ¤ 2005 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Retrieved January 11, 2004 from CanadianDriver Communications, Inc. (2004) This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer) Best of the Web Some good "Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR)" pages on the web: Yahoo!finance. CNBCmoneycentral.msn.com CBS MarketWatchcbs.marketwatch.com CNN Money.cnn.com