Toyota

Toyota is the second-largest car manufacturer in the world, beaten only marginally by General Motors. More importantly, Toyota is one of the world’s most profitable companies, but despite this it aims to be the world’s biggest car maker by 2010. With 9.5 million cars produced in 2007, Toyota is prolific, with the company putting its success down to the fact that it manufactures cars where they’re sold, so they can be developed with the customer more closely in mind. As a result, Toyota is a truly global business, building vehicles on six continents, directly employing more than a quarter of a million people, and selling products in 160 markets worldwide.

TOYOTA HISTORY

Sakichi Toyoda invented the world’s first automatic loom in 1918, founding the Toyota Spinning and Weaving Company in the process. He sold the patent in 1929, handing the proceeds to his son Kiichiro, to invest in automotive technology. By 1936 the first car, the AA, was ready for production. By 1947 the company had built its 100,000th vehicle, with exports starting three years later. The first Toyotas wouldn’t arrive in Europe (specifically Denmark) until 1962, by which time production had reached the one million mark. Toyota’s cars were available in the UK from 1965 and just seven years later it had built its 10 millionth vehicle. By 1986, 50 million Toyotas had been built, and within three years Toyota would have its first manufacturing bases in Britain. At Deeside in Wales there is an engine manufacturing plant, while a factory at Burnaston in Derbyshire produces cars.

TOYOTA FACTS

• Type: Public (Xetra: NSU)
• Founded: 1937
• Founder: Kiichiro Toyoda
• Headquarters: Toyota, Aichi, Nagoya and Tokyo, Japan
• Key People: Kiichiro Toyoda (Founder), Fujio Cho (Chairman and Representative Director)
• Industry: Automotive
• Products: Vehicles
• Subsidiaries: 522 companies

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TOYOTA FEATURED MODELS

• TOYOTA CELICA: - Meaning heavenly or celestial, this is the name of a series of popular coupés, first launched in 1970 but discontinued in 2005.
• TOYOTA COROLLA: - A compact car first launched in 1966, with the tenth generation going on sale in 2006. with over 30 million Corollas sold, it’s the best-selling nameplate of any car ever made, but the model hasn’t been sold in the UK since the Auris replaced it in February 2007.
• TOYOTA HILUX: - A compact pick-up truck which first appeared in 1969 as a replacement for the Stout.
• TOYOTA LANDCRUISER: - A four-wheel drive vehicle that was first seen in 1954, and which is now in its ninth generation. It’s one of the few vehicles that can get close to the off-road ability and comfort of the Range Rover.
• TOYOTA MR2: - A two-seat, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car, manufactured between 1984 and 2007.
• TOYOTA RAV4: - A compact SUV first produced in 1994 and now in its third generation.
• TOYOTA SUPRA: - A full-sized sports car manufactured between 1979 and 2002. Its styling was modelled on the Toyota Celica, but the Supra was longer and wider, while larger, more powerful engines were fitted for greater performance.
• TOYOTA YARIS: – A small three or five-door hatchback city car, first launched in 1999 and now being sold in second-generation form.

TOYOTA - DID YOU KNOW?

• The company founder’s surname was actually Toyoda but this was changed to Toyota as the amended name is luckier, according to Japanese superstition.
• Around 70 per cent of Toyota’s UK car production at Burnaston is exported to Europe, with a further 15 per cent to 70 countries worldwide.
• Shoichiro Toyoda of the family that founded Toyota Motor Corporation was inducted into the USA’s Automotive Hall of Fame in October 2007.
• The Yaris was the first Toyota to be awarded European Car of the Year, which it achieved in 2001. It followed up this success with another victory in 2005, for the Prius.
• Lexus is a subsidiary of Toyota, which also owns Daihatsu. Toyota also has a US-only subsidiary, called Scion, which sells cars aimed at young drivers.

TOYOTA'S AT AUTO TRADER

Here at Auto Trader we have a wide variety of new & used Toyota models available. If you are selling or buying a Toyota, visit Auto Trader today.