Toyota is the world’s largest automobile manufacturer by sales volume. Their cars are consistently ranked as some of the best, most reliable, and well designed in the world.
Toyota’s automobile division was first founded in 1933. Previously known as “Toyoda” after the founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, the company was originally known for producing looms and other textile related machines. The Postwar environment saw their biggest expansion into the world market during the 1970s oil crisis where a need for fuel efficient vehicles became more apparent. Toyota, along with its rivals
Honda and
Nissan, gradually gained a dominant foothold in the American market with small, economical vehicles with a reputation for reliability. As the Japanese car markers took more bites out of America’s Big Three, their reputation only grew. Today’s Toyota’s cars are a common fixture on roads all over the planet. The Toyota Corolla, at 30 million sold, is the best-selling vehicle in the world.
Toyota’s reputation with green technologies is also now fully established with the best-selling Prius. Toyota’s work with hybrid technologies is seen as pioneering and visionary given the current environment of unstable fuel prices. Rivals are only now starting to catch up late in the game. The Prius while not the first hybrid car, was the first to actually gain acceptance and popularity with a mass audience.
