Many well-known companies specializing in the production of automobiles today did not start with them at all, but with completely different products. Among them is the largest automobile company Toyota.

The history of the brand goes back almost one and a half centuries ago, when a businessman, and at the same time an inventor and an engineer, Sakichi Toyoda created a company named after himself - Toyoda Enterprise. True, it would be wrong to believe that he was an ordinary inventor, of which there are many in any country. Contemporaries called Sakichi the Japanese Thomas Edison and even the "king of Japanese inventors."

The future inventor was born in the family of a poor carpenter, on February 14, 1867. It was a period when Japan was going through a very difficult period of modernization, when it had to painfully pass from medieval feudalism to the world of rigid European capitalism with all its specifics.

As a result, Sakichi Toyoda, who grew up in a poor and small village located in Shizuoka Prefecture, learned from his own experience how hard the life of a Japanese peasant of that period was. His mother was engaged in weaving and, having seen enough of her hard work, the young man decided to invent a loom, which had a rather unusual design. I must say that it was this invention that became the basis for the prosperity of the Toyoda family.

Sakichi did not become content with what he had achieved, continuously improving the design of his looms, as well as other weaving mechanisms. As a result, the British company Platt Brother & Co., which at that time was the largest textile manufactory in the world, became interested in his developments. The British persuaded Sakichi to sell them the patent rights to the machine, and to sign the contract and settle other formalities, Sakichi's son Kiichiro traveled through the United States to Great Britain.

Kiichiro obviously followed his father and realized that, despite the fact that industrialization ruled the ball in the most developed part of the world (and these were the 30s of the XX century), Japan continued to be a predominantly agrarian country. Ambitious and active, Kiichiro Toyoda decided to change such an unenviable position in the country. Like many other young people of that era, he admired cars and took full advantage of the opportunity to get acquainted with the auto industry of the developed countries, which he visited during his "business trip".

As a result, when he returned to his native land, Kiichiro decided to say goodbye to the looms that provided his father's family with the name and financial well-being, and to associate his future only with cars.

From machine to vehicle

Kiichiro understood that one decision to take up the automotive industry is not enough: first you need to convince your father of this. However, he did not meet any opposition from him. Moreover, the father supported his son in his decision to try himself in this unusual business for Japan and provided his son with support.

Kiichiro enthusiastically embarked on a new challenge and began to develop his first car, or rather a prototype of the future A1 four-door sedan. It started in 1936, and the car was ready in just six months.

Considering that Kiichiro has never dealt with cars before, such a pace of work can be called supersonic. True, this speed can also be explained by the fact that A1 consisted of a set of standard solutions, which the nosy Kiichiro spied on from European and, mainly, American brands.

For example, the chassis design, as well as the 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine and gearbox, were basically "borrowed" from Chevrolet, and the body of its first car turned out to be a copy of the Chrysler Airflow, which was slightly reduced in size. This was understandable, because in addition to the fact that Kiichiro did not have the proper experience in this area, this aerodynamic sedan was quite progressive by the standards of the 30s. In order to be able to thoroughly understand its structure, Kiichiro specially ordered one copy from the United States, giving it to his inquisitive engineers "to be torn apart". In addition, the design of the Chrysler Airflow was so relevant that the prudent Japanese decided not to risk it and leave everything as it is. Although some changes have been made. In addition to the fact that the scale was somewhat reduced, the headlights also changed: in the Chrysler Airflow they were integrated into the front fenders, while on the "Japanese" they were placed in the old style - over the fenders.

The number of A1 prototypes was three, and one of them was even consecrated according to all Buddhist traditions. What's interesting is that the first trip in this car was made by Kiichiro to the grave of his father, who had died shortly before. So, the prototype was created, and a year later the AA model, almost indistinguishable from the A1, came into production.

Production was established in the town of Koromo, where a completely new plant was built. It is worth saying that today this settlement, like its surroundings, is called the big name Toyota City. At first, the machines were sold under the same name under which the looms were produced - Toyoda. However, the ambitious Kiichiro was not satisfied with this option, since in Japanese “toyoda” is “fertile rice field”. This agricultural name was not very suitable for cars, and Kiichiro decided to find a new name for his brand, for which a competition was announced. In total, more than 20 thousand different applications were submitted, among which the family chose the option that is known to almost everyone today - "Toyota". This name no longer kept hints of agrarian activity, sounded good in any language, was easy to remember and, which is very important, indicated family continuity.

Toyota Motor Corporation was officially registered as a subsidiary of Toyota Enterprise. It happened on August 28, 1937 - shortly before the start of World War II.

Already in November, production began at the aforementioned plant, and it was then that the brand was born, which became one of the most famous cars in the world.

Untimely start and second attempt

While the start of the first Japanese car brand was a good one, it turned out to be ill-timed. The Second World War began, and it did not work out properly. By 1943, the company was able to produce only 1404 AA sedans. In addition to them, 353 convertibles were sold, created on the basis of the AB convertible and 115 AC sedans, which almost did not differ from the AA, with the exception of a more powerful engine. In short, there was not much progress.

But it should be borne in mind that during the war, the company worked mainly for the army, producing not only military trucks, but also light reconnaissance all-terrain vehicles, amphibians and even individual components for the needs of military aviation. In general, despite the weak progress in the production of cars for the population, the enterprise worked and worked very intensively, gaining new experience. In addition, during the war, despite regular air raids, the company's plant suffered almost no losses. And yet, by the fall of 1945, the members of the company did not have much to rejoice. But the Japanese brought up in the spirit of Zen Buddhism look at deprivation from a slightly different angle, so instead of complaining about life, the employees undertook to rebuild their power anew. Military products were rapidly redesigned for peaceful needs, and grain crops began to be grown in the surrounding territories. For some time, the company's workshops even assembled various tools and pans from aviation components.

The conversion was quite successful, but Kiichiro did not forget about his main goal - the production of cars and the development of new models. And already in October 1945, when Japan had surrendered for only a month, the company's engineers began to develop a new model. It is quite natural that in light of the difficult economic situation in the country, it was necessary to create as cheap and unpretentious car as possible. And soon a prototype of the first post-war Toyota was created - a two-door SA sedan equipped with a 1-liter four-cylinder engine. Outwardly, this car was very similar to the well-known "Beetle" Volkswagen Type I. And only the external differences were not limited to - the similarity was seen in the backbone frame, which was used in Japanese production for the first time.

However, despite all the similarities, Toyota SA (received the affectionate nickname "toyota baby" - Toyopet) was an independent development of the company's engineers. This is indicated at least by the fact that instead of the rear-engined, the classic layout of the model was used.

In October 1947, the small-scale production of Toyota SA began and we can say that the beginning was successful: on the basis of SA, several serial Toyota models were produced, and the “baby” itself became a kind of pass for the company into the elite of the automotive world. If hitherto Toyota, like other Japanese car manufacturers, relied on a not too rich and extensive Japanese market, now there is a turn towards a brighter future. Then few could believe it, because outside of Japan, the concept of "Japanese car" was perceived in about the same way as "Ethiopian skater", but Kiichiro believed in the success of his business, not looking back at the clichés.

Success time

Currently, the word "Japanese" is the blue word for "quality" and this applies to cars too. And this became possible in large part thanks to Toyota. After all, it was this company that once started a real war to improve production efficiency and the quality of products. True, the Just-in-Time method, according to which the components for assembly were not stored in the warehouse, but transported directly to the conveyor, were planned by Kiichiro Toyoda at the initial stage, when the plant in Koromo was just being built.

Since production volumes were still very modest in the thirties, there was no need for such innovations. And in the post-war period, when production began to gain momentum, accelerated production methods were again remembered.

Of course, there was nothing revolutionary in these developments, since the "father of the car" Henry Ford began to deliver the components directly to the assembly site, having done this almost half a century earlier than Kiichiro Toyoda - in the 10-20s of the XX century. But what the Japanese were famous for was their ability to bring everything to perfection, which was achieved at the Toyota factories. However, the company did not stop at this means of increasing production efficiency and reducing costs. The next step was a simple but very effective method that came from the textile past of Kiichiro and his father. This experience deserves a special mention.

Taichi Ono, who at the beginning of the 50s was the manager of the final assembly of machines at that very first plant, once remembered such a feature of spinning machines as an independent shutdown in case of an accidental thread break. This ability made it possible to significantly reduce the amount of defective tissue. True, the automobile conveyor of those years was not much like a loom and was only partially automated: most of the work had to be done manually.

However, Taichi Ono did not stop this, and he contrived to adapt this "idea from the textile past" to the automotive industry. The new principle was named "Jidoka", which in translation from Japanese into Russian could be translated as "automation with a human guise." The essence of "jidoka" was the increased responsibility of each employee of the plant. If a worker caught sight of a defective part or an incorrectly installed component, it was his duty to pull the “andon” (as the special cord was called) and thereby stop the conveyor. Thanks to this, defective parts could be identified and eliminated at an early stage of production, spending a minimum of time and money.

The combination of Taichi Ono's "jidoka" invented, Ford's delivery of components directly to the conveyor and the constant implementation of rationalization proposals from the company's employees, which has become almost a hallmark of the company, explains why the quality of products has increased incredibly in a very short time, becoming a model of the quality of Japanese goods.

Expansion

The firm's ascent to the peaks can hardly be called stepped. As a rule, the ascent to the next step was planned even when the previous one had not been conquered. This happened in the case of the expansion of the company, the need for which was realized even when the quality of Toyota was still in its infancy. It was at that time that it became clear that in order to become on a par with the leaders of the global automotive industry, one quality is not enough - you also need to master the markets of other countries. It was a rather risky step, but if successful, the result could be overwhelming.

As a result, in 1957 Toyota became the first Japanese firm to embark on such an adventure as opening a subsidiary in America. But they decided not to drive them right off the bat, and therefore, at first, three "scouts" were sent to Los Angeles, whose task was to study the local car market. Apparently the "landing" was successful and just a couple of months later - on October 31, 1957 - Toyota Motor Sales was founded.

Toyota's first export models were the Land Cruiser BJ SUV and the Crown sedan.

However, it was not possible to achieve much success in the American market since overclocking. In the first six months of product sales, only 288 vehicles were sold. The "Toyota" product could not impress the Americans with either its prestige (which had not yet been won), its dynamics, or its design. We must not forget the long-standing dislike of the Americans towards the Japanese, which vaguely resembled those "warm" feelings that the peoples of the USSR had for the Germans. However, Toyota did not try to punch through the wall with its forehead, trying to keep up with the trends of the late fifties. Instead, the company's management decided to wait in the wings, and this decision was not wrong.

At that time in the US car market the ball was ruled by the huge size of cars, which someone rightly called auto-repairmen. However, the fashion for such Detroit-style monsters suddenly ended, and then unpretentious and reliable Toyota got a chance to break through to the top. But fashion alone was not enough, and only the fuel crisis of the late 70s led to a real breakthrough, which radically changed American car preferences. It was then that the main requirements for the residents of the United States were availability, reliability and economy.

The Americans did not wait for Detroit to be able to respond to new trends, but they unexpectedly discovered that Toyota has long been producing economical, inexpensive and extremely high-quality products. For example, the following indicators can be cited: in the 66th year, the Corona sedan became the first model of the brand on the American market, the circulation of which exceeded 10,000 copies per year. By 1972, the total sales of Toyota in America had reached a million cars, and three years later, the company managed to become the most popular brand in the United States, displacing Volkswagen from this place.

After the conquest of the United States, expansion began to South America, Europe, Australia, and then to Russia. New assembly plants were opened around the world, a completely new luxury brand Lexus was born, and by the end of 2010 Toyota became the largest automaker in the world.

Top ten Toyota vehicles in the history of the company

Land Cruiser BJ20 (1955)

The progenitor of this car was the pre-production prototype of the Wyllis MB - Bantam BT-40. However, there is nothing surprising in this, since the "Willis" was generally the first jeep in history. At the very beginning of the Second World War, the Japanese troops, who had captured American trophies in the Philippines, found among them this all-terrain vehicle intended for reconnaissance. The car was immediately handed over to Toyota engineers for thorough examination and subsequent copying. As a result, the Toyota AK-10 car appeared, which was, in fact, a "Japanese Jeep".

And after the end of the Second World War, the Americans ordered a batch of licensed "Willis" BJ to the Japanese company. It was the Americans who later dubbed the result of this order "land cruiser". However, if at first it was a copy of an American jeep with Japanese components and an engine, then its subsequent version, called the Land Cruiser BJ20, already had its own civil body. And, probably, it was with him that the history of "Toyota" Land Cruisers began.

Corona T30 (1964)

Externally (and in the cabin too) there is nothing special about this small car. In fact, this is an ordinary compact sedan, of which there were quite a few in the mid-60s. In terms of its size, the car hardly differed from the domestic Zhiguli and the dynamics were also not very impressive (it gained 100 km / h in 15 seconds). The design, despite the fact that the famous Italian designer Batista Farina participated in its development, was very nondescript. But it was this car that kick-started Toyota's success in America.

The car was cheap, unpretentious, reliable and at the same time very well equipped. The fact that Corona became one of the first "compacts" with both air conditioning and automatic transmission could not fail to interest buyers.

During the first year, US residents purchased over 20,000 copies of these machines. And all eleven generations of "Crowns" have sold around the world in the amount of about 27 million copies.

2000 GT (1967)

This rather unusual car, one might say, has become a landmark both for Toyota and for the entire Japanese automotive industry. This is due to the fact that it was this high-status sports model that broke a kind of stereotype, according to which the Japanese can produce only high-quality and cheap small cars. Although it is worth noting that during the period of serial production, the "two thousandth" did not gain much fame, having obtained it when the release of the model was over. One of the reasons for this was the rather high price of the car. True, there was something to pay for: the spectacular design of the rear-wheel-drive sports car was set in motion by a two-liter inline six, which develops a power of 150 "horses".

It may not be impressive now, but in the late 60s it was pretty solid. In terms of dynamics, the model was on par with the 911 "Porsche" and had a top speed of 220 km / h, of which the first hundred gained in 8.4 seconds. In total, only 337 copies were produced, for any of which you will now have to pay a colossal amount (350-400 thousand dollars).

Corolla E80 (1983)

This model has become the most popular car in history, and it is simply impossible not to mention it. In total, these machines were produced and sold over 40 million copies!

The reason for this supernatural popularity is the affordable price multiplied by the simplicity and reliability. The best of ten generations of the model can be considered, in the opinion of many, the E80, which debuted in 1983. It must be said that this particular version is the most popular among other Corollas and it was it that marked the transfer of compact Toyota models to front-wheel drive.

HiLux N40 (1983)

Outside of Russia, this is one of the most popular pickups. This is not surprising, since a colossal number of these mini-trucks have been produced in half a century. Already the very first model Toyota HiLux, which debuted in 1968, was distinguished by incredible performance and endurance.

With such data, it is quite natural that representatives of the most diverse strata of society and professions like this model. And almost the only country in which the HiLux N40 remained not very famous is Russia, where the Japanese for some reason did not want to sell this car officially for a long time. Maybe they were afraid of our roads?

MR2 W10 (1984)

Nowadays Mazda MX-5 is considered to be the pinnacle of inexpensive but "cocky" sports cars. However, three decades ago, everything was somewhat different: it was then that the Toyota MR2 appeared - a mid-engined coupe of compact dimensions and low cost. Then this car made a real sensation. A similar car was expected from anyone, but not from Toyota. And no one at all counted on such amazing characteristics.

In terms of dynamics, it makes no sense to compare this model with supercars: the most powerful version of the "em-erok" had 130 "horses" under the hood and could gain 100 km / h in 8.5 seconds.

In other words, the car was quite playful, but not a record holder either. But as for handling, here it has earned only rave reviews from both the owners and experts. I must say that one of the reasons for such a miraculous handling was the chassis tuning, which was worked on not only by Toyota engineers, but also by invited specialists from the British Lotus. Naturally, the handling of this Japanese model is legendary to this day.

Celica T180 (1989)

This model can be attributed to the number of "Toyota" long-livers, but, unfortunately, today the car has been discontinued. This sports car has become the embodiment of a stylish and affordable sports coupe and has won the hearts of thousands of fans around the world who sincerely believe that the company's management will change its mind and resume the release of the legend. There were seven generations of the model in total, and it is rather difficult to choose the best of them, since each is good. The first model captivates with its grace and magnificent curvature of the rear fenders.

The latest rear-wheel drive Celica of the third generation with the A60 body is in no way inferior to it. By the way, it was she who served as the basis for the first rally success of Group B. The seventh generation model (T230) attracts with its dissimilarity from competing cars. But perhaps the most significant is the T180 with hidden headlights and beautiful body lines. It is worth noting that it was on the Celica T180 that Carlos Sainz won the title of world rally champion twice.

Supra Mk IV (1992)

Supra has become Toyota's most luxurious and expensive sports car, inheriting the 2000 GT. This continuity can be seen both in appearance and in the strength component. Improved versions of the 2.0-liter inline-six were used by the first three generations of the model.

However, at the same time, the Supra was increasingly moving away from the relatively affordable sports coupe in the direction of the prestigious two-door Grand Turismo, which was, perhaps, not so nimble in turns, but was distinguished by luxury and perfectly suited for long trips. The result of this "drift" was the Supra Mk IV, which is distinguished by comfort, power and beauty.

RAV4 XA10 (1994)

This car became conditionally the first "SUV" in the world. The abbreviation RAV can be translated into Russian with some stretch as "four-wheel drive vehicle for outdoor activities." True, in all honesty, it will not work to call this model the first "SUV" in the world: there are other contenders for this honorary title.

It was RAV, which was first introduced in the 94th year of the last century, that became the impetus that caused a real madness for SUVs.

Although this cute little "all-terrain vehicle" RAV4 before and now lacks any fantastic characteristics, he was the one who managed to demonstrate how important such a trait as timeliness is.

Prius XW10 (1997)

A lot of money has been invested in the development of the Prius. This is quite natural, given that it was being developed as a car of the new century. Despite all the pathos, the car turned out to be just that, having more than recouped the investment. It was with this gasoline-electric model that the Japanese company became the leader in the global automotive industry for the production of hybrids. The success turned out to be contagious, and all the major car manufacturers were involved in the hybrid race to one degree or another.

Background

The company began its development in 1933. It was originally just a car-making department at Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, which was exclusively dedicated to the manufacture of automatic looms. The founder of the new department was the eldest son of Sakichi Toyoda, the owner of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works.

After a while, it was Kiichiro who made the Toyota brand recognizable all over the world. The initial investment required to develop the new industry was the proceeds from the sale of rights to use spinning machines from Platt Brothers.

Epic stages

1930s

The year 1935 was marked by the creation of the first passenger car from Toyota, which was named Model A1, and was later renamed AA.

The first truck, the G1, was also created.

In 1936, full production of the Model AA began, at the same time the first export of cars was organized.

1940s

During World War II, the company only produced trucks for the Japanese army. After the war, namely in 1947, the production of passenger commercial vehicles of the SA model began.

1950s

The country is hit by a severe financial crisis, and the company is beset by the first and last workers' strike. After her, in 1950, a separate organization Toyota Motor Sales Co. was separated from the former sales department. Considering that at that time the country was in a difficult post-war situation, the company was able to hold out quite successfully and suffered not the greatest financial losses.

Intensive development of our own technologies began, and large-scale research began. The company expanded its lineup with the launch of the Land Cruiser

and also founded Toyota Motor Sales in the United States of America, exporting Toyota products to the United States. Initially, the American market rejected the new car brand, but the company quickly analyzed the current situation and corrected the situation by conquering a new market for itself.

1960s

In 1962, Toyota celebrated the release of its one millionth car. During this decade, the economic environment in Japan improved markedly, which had a positive impact on the company's sales. At the same time, active development of the dealer network began in other countries of the world.

In 1965, Toyota became the most popular Japanese car brand represented in foreign countries.

In 1966, the company developed and launched its most popular car, the Corolla.

During these years the company entered into two important contracts for its further development - with the companies Hino (1966) and Daihatsu (1967).

1970s

In the 70s, Toyota began active construction of new factories and constantly improved its technical equipment, and the company also began to introduce innovations from expensive models to cheaper Toyota brands.

The Celica was released in 1970.

In 1978, the Toyota Celica XX began to be produced, now it has the name Toyota Supra, it also had the name Toyuta Celica Supra.

Sprinter also began production

and the Tercel Mark II, Toyota's first front-wheel drive vehicle.

During this period, the company launched the first generation of the Supra model, which was based on the Toyota Celica. It was called Selica-Supra.

In subsequent years, they were separated.

The company enters the new decade by overcoming the economic crisis and releasing a new exhaust system that meets the environmental standards of that time.

1980s

In 1982, Toyota Motor merged with Toyota Motor Sales and merged into the large Toyota Motor Corporation, along with the Camry.

Toyota is gaining a leading position among Japanese car manufacturers and is ranked third in terms of production among other countries.

In 1983, the company enters into a multi-year contract with General Motors, and the following year starts production of cars at their joint facility in the United States. At this time, the construction of the test site begins and continues until 1988. 1986 Toyota launches Corolla II, then Corsa

and finally 4Runner.

Toyota is opening a new Lexus division aimed at the luxury car market. Previously, Japan was a supplier of economical and inexpensive cars, with the advent of Lexus, the position of the company changed.

1990s

In 1990, the company opens its own Tokyo Design Center. In the same year, the first service station was opened in the Soviet Union, and branches of the company continued to open and develop all over the world.

The Supra becomes the serial sports model of the company. Thanks to its rear-wheel drive, powerful turbo engine and futuristic design, it has become a cult car for racers and tuners of all countries for a long time.

Celica, on the other hand, became a front-wheel drive car and embodied more "civil", pseudo-sports characteristics. It has become more popular than the Supra due to its price segment.

Following scientific and technological advances, Toyota opens its own research companies. The company's policy is actively fighting for the ecology of the environment, plans for its protection are being developed, and thematic books are being published. In 1997, a new model Prius with a hybrid engine was developed. Following the new model, hybrid engines appear in the RAV4

and Coaster

Throughout the 90s, Toyota opens Training Centers in Moscow and Vladivostok, produces its 100 millionth car, enters into dealer agreements with such global manufacturers as Audi and Volkswagen, becomes the owner of the majority of Daihatsu shares, and signs a share distribution agreement with Hino and Daihatsu , begins production of new VVT-i engines and launches a new global business plan. In 1997, the launch of the production of the Raum model began

and the next year Avensis appeared

and Land Cruiser 100

2000s

In 2000, the production of the new RAV4 began.

All this time, there has been a strong increase in sales of the Prius and Camry.

In 2000, the VVTL engine was used for the first time on a Toyota Celica, an improved version of the VVT-i has variable valve timing and valve lift.
In 2002, Toyota opened up new horizons for itself by taking part in the Formula 1 competition.

Following General Motors' announcement of its intentions to develop an electric vehicle called the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota issued a response statement on the creation of an analogue and began testing the Toyota Plug-in HV in several of the world's largest countries. Toyota is of the opinion that electric vehicles are not as harmful to the environment as a hybrid car (Toyota Prius).

The company logo was officially introduced in 1989. It is made up of three ovals: two perpendicular ovals located in the center of the emblem symbolize a strong relationship between the client and the company. These ovals represent the letter "T", the capital letter of the Toyota brand name. The third oval, which serves as a background, carries the idea of ​​the company's inexhaustible potential.

In 2004, the sign was improved and acquired a volumetric outline. These changes were made in order to express the main promise of the company - perfect quality. The name of the brand is in red to indicate its affiliation with the brand.

Company

The main office of the company is located in Toyota.

The Toyota Automobile Plant is a national treasure in Japan. The concern of the company, in addition to the production workshop, is equipped with an exhibition hall and a museum of the history of the famous brand. Toyota opens factories all over the world: in the Czech Republic, Britain, Russia, China and other countries.

A plant in St. Petersburg has been operating in Russia since 2002.

Toyota is actually a huge company. By 1957, the small village of Koromo, in which the first plant of the company was located, had grown to the size of a real city, and a year later it was renamed Toyota City. The population of the city is 400 thousand people, it houses the headquarters of the auto concern, 7 Toyota factories and the main technical center of the company.

The company also manufactures trucks and buses under the brands Toyota and Lexus, as well as Hino, Scion and Daihatsu.

Current position in the world market

Today Toyota is one of the largest car manufacturers worldwide and the largest national automaker. The average production speed is one machine every six seconds. Toyota is an amalgamation of many companies from a variety of industries.

Toyota sold about 9.7 million vehicles worldwide in 2012, surpassing 2011 sales by 22%, which fell due to the natural disaster that struck Japan. In the new year, the company plans to increase sales to 9.9 million cars through the release of restyled models.

In addition to the automotive industry, the main achievement under the auspices of the Toyota brand is an achievement in robotics: a robot partner. Its creation was the result of close cooperation between the company and the Tokyo University of Technology. This project has already presented 10 of its robots to the public and is not going to stop there.

Sports achivments

Since 2002, the Toyota team has taken an active part in Formula 1 competitions. The Toyota Team Europe racing team was located in the German city of Cologne. The company invested large sums in its new project, but the results never met expectations.

2009 was the last season for the Toyota drivers. On November 4, the company announced the termination of participation in Formula 1.

The Toyota Celica ST165 rally car brought the company's first victory in the Finnish Formula 1 race under the leadership of Juha Kankkunen. She became the car that brought Carlos Sainz the victory in the 1990 World Championship.

Toyota Celica ST185 brought five victories in 1992, success in 1993 and 1994. At the rally, she was the number one car.

The 1994 Toyota Celica ST205 had too many flaws to replicate the success of its predecessors.

Toyota Celica ST165

Sport Team

Toyota Racing is the company's Formula 1 racing team. Among the drivers of the team in 2007 were Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli, in 2008 Timo Glock appeared, replacing Schumacher.

In 2005, Jarno Trulli finished second, while Schumacher brought the team two third places. In addition to Formula 1, Toyota participates in races such as NASCAR, Super GT, Formula Nippon.

Probably, every person in our time wants to use only high-quality things, and cars are no exception. Do you want to buy a car that will serve you as a masterpiece of modern technology and get incredible pleasure from driving it? In fact, the question is rhetorical.

So, if you want such a car for yourself, then in this case you need to take a closer look at the Toyota Camry passenger car, since this car is exactly what you need. It should be noted that Toyota Camry contains all the positive qualities of cars - reliability, safety, and quality. This car will make you look solid and also give you self-confidence.

In fact, the Toyota Camry car today is more than a vehicle, since while driving this car, a person begins to feel like a real and living person who takes everything positive from life.

It's worth paying attention to the comfort that Toyota cars have as they are great. Excellent external data, comfort, space and many other qualities that are interesting to every driver of a vehicle will be pursued if you get into the salon of this magnificent car. Technical equipment and smoothness of movement are far from the last pleasant moments that serve in favor of a Japanese-made car.

The Toyota Camry car is a rather powerful vehicle, and the passengers sitting in the cabin may not notice the speed of the movement. It is unlikely that you will also be able to hear any extraneous noise while driving a Toyota Camry car, because manufacturers have taken great care to minimize wind noise and other extraneous sounds due to excellent streamlining.

Take another Toyota vehicle, the Land Cruiser, for example. This is a car that you don't need to introduce. For more than 60 years, this SUV has been renowned for its technical characteristics, super-cross-country ability, and amazingly serious design.

Of course, this is a completely different car - this is a huge jeep, although it is not very fast, it accelerates to 100 km per hour in 9 seconds, but its weight is certainly impressive. In general, the Land Cruiser is not a racing jeep, like, but a huge SUV, a tank, one might say.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is also worth noting. This car is unique in its own way.

Gasoline 6-cylinder engine with VVT-i system, which can develop an output of 282 horsepower. This indicator is the best among the cars of this class.

Another car that deserves attention is the Toyota Avensis. This car was developed with a focus on the European market, as one of the competitors. It combines high technology, sophisticated design, modern style, power, confidence and dynamism.

We are used to the fact that Japanese automakers are by far some of the best in the world, to say the least. So, Japanese-made cars most often delight us with their quality, reliability, and also comfort than car manufacturers from other countries. It is worth noting that Toyota cars, in addition to all the positive qualities, are also characterized by a high class that surpasses other "Japanese".

Let's emphasize that Toyota cars are especially popular in the Far Eastern regions of Russia. For example, in Vladivostok, Toyota is incredibly popular due to the fact that the city is not so far from the border with Japan, so it is a sin not to take such a luxurious car for yourself. Of course, there are also others in Vladivostok, but it is Toyota that is the most popular brand, and this is understandable.

In an era of total progress of mankind, it is not at all difficult to get acquainted with the prices of cars of this brand, since it is possible to do this on the Web. Naturally, everyone can take an interest in Japanese-made cars personally by arriving at a dealership located in their hometown. Everyone can find all the information you need, as well as the details and addresses of the official representatives of the Toyota brand on the Internet, which will give him the opportunity to save personal funds.

It is worth paying attention to the optimism, hard work, mutual assistance, as well as the enthusiasm of the Japanese, since the hardworking people managed to quickly recover the consequences of the accident at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant, which arose due to the strongest earthquake. Today the production of Toyota cars has been completely restored and is ready to delight with its cars, competing with many!

And this video shows how tenacious the Toyota Corolla is:

In a Toyota car assembly shop, a young worker at the conveyor belt unexpectedly tugs at a special cord near him. A melody sounds and the whole conveyor stops. The rest of the assemblers in the chain are calm, there is no panic, everyone knows - this is how one of the fundamental principles of the production management system (TPS), developed by the company, works in practice. The young worker just did not have time to tighten the nut or put on the washer. And he has every right to pull the andon (special cord) and stop the entire conveyor in order to do his job. And make it efficiently. He will never receive reprimands or punishments for this, on the contrary - the reason will be carefully analyzed, the interference will be eliminated and, if any, his suggestions for improving the workflow at this point in the conveyor will be listened to. After all, the ultimate goal is the highest level of assembly quality for Toyota cars.

The 1901 loom designed by Sakichi Toyoda was also equipped with an automatic stop in the event of a thread break. And although in the modern assembly system a person stops the conveyor, the thread, as a prototype of an uninterrupted production cycle, interrupted only in the event of a "break" in the chain, served as the idea for the implementation of one of the principles of the same TPS system, called "jidoka". If you try to literally translate the hieroglyphs of this word, then it becomes clear that it consists of two words - "man" and "automation". Andong and Jidoka are part of Toyota's quality secret. We will talk about the rest of the principles below, but for now, let's return to Toyoda's looms.

Sakichi Toyoda began to design his first looms at the age of 20, in 1887. Subsequently, he will have an unsuccessful experience of creating his first own manufacturing production, and machines of various designs, including automatic ones, and, finally, in 1920 success - the second major weaving and spinning plant, where 60,000 spinning wheels and 400 looms were owned by Sakichi Toyoda. The Toyota Museum of Industry and Technology, which is in the same building as the Toyoda Spinning Mill and later the Toyota Motor Corporation, now displays some of those looms.

Although Sakichi Toyoda did not see the cars named by his last name during his lifetime, he laid the material basis for the future largest automaker in the world. Sakichi will successfully sell the patent for the production of automatic looms developed with his son Kiichiro to the British company Platt Brothers. These funds will become the start-up capital when, after the death of Sakichi Toyoda in 1930, Kiichiro takes up the production of cars.

Since the 1920s, the Japanese car market has been dominated by American companies. Datsun held a small share of the market. Obviously, focusing on a consumer accustomed to American cars, Kiichiro decides to take American samples as a basis for the release of the first model. For several years, the designers, on the instructions of Kiichiro, have been studying Chevrolet cars, disassembling them to the cog. This was followed by business trips of Japanese engineers to the United States, where they studied the intricacies of production. And finally, in 1935, prototypes of two models were assembled - a passenger car and a truck. They were named, respectively, A1 (AA) and G1. The next year they went into series.

Sales started. And in 1937 Kiichiro transforms the department for the production of automobiles into a separate concern Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. True, the first passenger car Toyota AA was not in great demand. The truck, on the other hand, was sold more successfully, since it was possible to arrange its deliveries for the army.

During World War II, Toyota supplied the Japanese armed forces with simplified versions of several brands of trucks. The company's factories were badly damaged by American air raids, but this did not stop Toyota in 1947 from starting production of post-war models at the surviving factories, such as the Toyota SB pickup and the Toyota SA passenger car. In the same year, the 100,000th car of the company will roll off the assembly lines.

1950 was a difficult year for Toyota. The post-war crisis in Japan gave rise to the threat of dismissal of company employees. A wave of internal protests, supported by Kiichiro, forced him to resign, showing his solidarity with the employees. His place as Managing Director is taken by Eiji Toyoda's cousin.

In 1951, the founder of the Toyota Land Cruiser jeep line appears - the Toyota BJ military SUV, created with an eye on the American Willis MB. Under the hood, the Japanese jeep hid a 3.4-liter 6-cylinder engine, in contrast to the Willis MB's 4-cylinder 2.2 liter engine. Subsequent evolutions of the line, continuing up to the present day, resulted, as a result, in an expensive luxury SUV - Land Cruiser 200, which does not resemble its distant ancestor in any way.

Meanwhile, a major change is brewing within the company as its survival is at stake. Eiji Toyoda gets down to business, sleeves up. In the first place in terms of importance, he takes the quality of car assembly. Even the design itself, in his opinion, does not play such an important role. He introduces the "kaizen" principle, which means quality control at every stage of the assembly, not just at the end of the process. In addition, any employee, even a simple worker, could get involved in optimizing the build process. If his idea was put into practice, he received a solid reward. A five-year plan for the modernization of equipment is also being developed.

In 1957, the gates of the American market open for Toyota. Toyota Crown begins shipping in the US, but finds no response from US buyers. But such relatively small failures, against the backdrop of the rapid internal evolution of the company, only provoked an increase in further growth. Toyota's philosophy continued to evolve. The principle of "kanban", when components are delivered directly to the assembly site as needed "exactly and on time", made it possible to get rid of intermediate warehouses, corresponding material losses and unnecessary waste of working time. Pickers order what they need using the card system and receive it right on time. At the same time, the andon and jidoka system described above appeared.

In 1963, the production of Toyota forklifts began, which were also exported. The next expansion into the American market in 1968 with the Toyota Corolla was more successful. Possibly, the exact hitting of consumers' demands played a role. The segment of compact, cheap and practical cars has not yet been fully filled with the Volkswagen Beetle, which has been successfully sold in the USA. In a short time, the Corolla achieved its popularity and sales level. In 1965 the company received the Deming Prize, a Japanese award for quality, which rightly followed as a result of a competent and wise internal policy of organizing production. The 2000GT, originally designed for racetracks, made its debut in 1967, setting 16 speed records. Today, 2000GT is an exclusive collectible sports car, the price of which ranges from 100-150 thousand dollars. The export reached the million mark in 1969. Not only passenger cars, but also small trucks and pickups, such as - Land Cruiser, Stout, Hi-Lux, are exported abroad. In the same year, the company expanded its expansion into Europe by opening a Central European Dealer Office in Brussels.

In 1970, the sports Toyota Celica appears, which will also be used in rally races and will undergo a lot of technical changes until 2007 (the year the line was released). 7 generations will be produced with different engines, with all types of drives, with four types of bodies. Also in the 70s, production of such models as Carina (a sports sedan, produced until 2001), Tercel (a compact economy car with front-wheel drive), Corona Mark II (offered as a 4-door sedan, a station wagon and 2-door coupe). In 1972, the total production volumes for all years amounted to 10 million units.

In 1980, the annual production of Toyota is 3 million cars per year, and at the beginning of the year, the 30 millionth car was assembled. In 1982 Toyota and General Motors form a joint company called New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated. The Toyota Camry, introduced in 1983, became the favorite family sedan in the United States and the nation's best-selling car between 1997 and 2005. The Camry is currently sold in 27 countries and manufactured in 10. In 1989, Toyota created the Lexus luxury brand specifically for the US market, opening up the premium car segment. The first Lexus LS 400 and ES 250 models went on sale on September 1, 1989.

In 1994, combining in one model the quality of an SUV, a compact station wagon and economy, the company produces. Claimed initially as a youth outdoor activity vehicle, the RAV4 drifts towards premium vehicles with every generation. Since 2010, it has been produced in the 3rd generation. In 1997, Toyota surprises the world with its environmental commitment with the introduction of the hybrid production model. The Toyota Prius, which is still being produced, can run on both a gasoline engine and electric motors, while the battery is recharged from the generator or during the braking process. The petrol engine itself is also unusual. This is a five-stroke motor of the so-called Atkinson system. It is distinguished by high efficiency and good environmental performance, but, at the same time, by low power, which is compensated by electric motors. In 1998, another model, which has become popular, appears - the Avensis. Now the third generation is being produced with diesel and gasoline engines, with a 6-speed manual transmission or with an automatic transmission-variator.

In 2002, Toyota and the PSA Peugeot Citroen alliance begin to cooperate and open car production in the Czech Republic, and the Toyota Scion also appears - the first concept car launched into mass production. In 2009, the global economic crisis also affected Toyota, for the first time in 59 years the company ended the year with a negative balance. However, already in 2012 Toyota came out on top again.

Today, the company offers 6 passenger models, such as - Camry, Corolla, Prius, Auris, Avensis, Verso, 4 SUV models - RAV4, Land Cruiser 200, Land Cruiser Prado and Highlander, Hilux pickup, Alphard minivan, and Hiace minibus. ...