~My Toyota Page~
Toyota has been around for approximately 80 years. It was first formed by the Toyoda
family who had been making weaving machinery since 1926. In 1933, they started to recruit
employees, mostly from General Motors, to create their own small car division. Japan already had
3 big US motor companies competing for sales, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, so the
Toyoda family had to work hard to keep up and stay ahead.
Toyoda used imitation in its first production and introduced its first car in 1955. It was a clear
copy of the Chrysler Airflow, with a 3.4-liters six cylinder and an engine exactly like that of the
Chevrolet. The next year, they changed their cars' names to that of Toyota, the pictogram only
needed eight brush strokes instead of the ten that was required to make Toyoda.
After World War II, the American Occupation restricted production in Japan, but in 1955, Toyota came out
with its second car. The Crown had 1.5 liters and was completely produced domestically. Two
Crowns were shipped to the US and five years later, the production passed the one millionth mark.
It was successful because it had many features which European cars didn't , which was a radio, heater,
screenwashers, a cigarette lighter and clock.
Toyota also brought reliability with its next car, the Corona. The Corona was replaced by the
Corolla, which became the best selling name in motor industry history.
The first successful sports
car that Toyota came out with was the MR2 in 1984. Before it had come the Celica Supra in
1979, which was based on the Celica liftback design only now it was longer and wider. In 1983,
the Supra name stood alone and the engine was what set it apart from the Celica. These three
cars, the MR2, Supra and Celica, are mainly what has made Toyota so well known in it's sports
models. Toyota is now third in the world in the motor industry and lives up to its name of quality
and reliability. It has come a long way from the Toyoda family.
Celica |
Supra |
MR2
