Toyota: 26 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer that has been around for more than 80 years. You’ve probably heard of them, but there’s probably a lot that you don’t know about them and today my aim is to change that.

Here are 26 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know about Toyota

1. The company (formally known as the Toyota Motor Corporation) was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937.

2. The company was originally founded as a spinoff of Toyota Industries, a machine maker started by Sakichi Toyoda, Kiichiro’s father.

3. While still a department of Toyota Industries, the company developed its first product, the Type A engine, in 1934 and its first passenger car in 1936, the Toyota AA.

4. When the company entered the passenger car market, it held a competition to establish a new logo emphasizing speed for its new product line. After receiving 27,000 entries, one was selected that additionally resulted in a change of its moniker to “Toyota” from the family name “Toyoda” (which means rice paddy). The new name was believed to sound better, and its eight-stroke count in the Japanese language was associated with wealth and good fortune.

5. During World War II the company halted production of passenger vehicles and focused on producing trucks for the Japanese military.

6. In the 1950s, Toyota’s car factories resumed full operation. To enhance competitiveness, the company closely studied American automakers due to their perceived technical and economic edge. the company’s executives visited companies like Ford to learn the latest manufacturing techniques, which they swiftly incorporated into their own facilities. This resulted in significant efficiency gains for the company’s production.

7. According to 2021 statistics, the corporation employs more than 360,000 people around the globe. According to 2014 statistics 8500 people are employed by Toyota in South Africa.

8. Toyota is one of the biggest vehicle manufacturers in the world. The automaker produces more than 10 million vehicles annually.

9. The company is headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. In 1959 the Japanese city of Koromo changed its name after the town’s major employer.

10. The Toyota Corolla holds the record for being one of the best-selling car models of all time. It has been consistently popular for its reliability, fuel efficiency, and affordability. More than 44 million Corollas have been sold in 150 countries around the world. The first Toyota Corolla model was introduced in 1966. On average a Corolla is sold every 27 seconds globally.

11. The corporation reported the production of its 200 millionth vehicle in 2012.

12. Toyota introduced the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car, the Prius, in 1997. The Prius became a symbol of environmentally-friendly transportation and helped popularize hybrid technology. The company now sells more than 40 hybrid vehicle models around the world.

13. As of 2022, the corporation produces vehicles under four brands: Daihatsu, Hino, Lexus and Toyota.

14. The company also holds stakes in the Subaru Corporation, Mazda, Suzuki, Isuzu, the Yamaha Motor Corporation and Panasonic.

15. The corporation created Lexus in 1989 to compete with other luxury car brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Lexus vehicles are known for their comfort, performance, and high-quality features. Lexus had the highest U.S. consumer satisfaction index score across automobile and light vehicle brands in 2022.

16. Toyota started manufacturing vehicles in the US in 1986. To date more than 26 million vehicles have been manufactured by them in the US.

17. Production of vehicles by the company started in South Africa in 1962 / 1963. The one millionth Toyota Corolla was manufactured in South Africa in 2013.

18. The company assembles vehicles in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Czech Republic, France, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela.

18. The Toyota Land Cruiser debuted in 1951 and has sold over 10 million units as of 2019. It enjoys immense popularity in regions like the Middle East, Russia, Australia, and Africa. In Africa, it serves diverse roles including use by farmers, construction, NGOs, the UN, and military groups. The Land Cruiser is even adapted by irregular armed groups with mounted machine guns, known as ‘technicals’.

19. The Toyota Yaris, launched in 1999, derives its name from the Greek goddesses of charm and beauty, the Charites. By March 2020, global sales of the Yaris had reached 8.71 million units.

20. The Toyota Fortuner was first introduced in 2004. The the first-generation Fortuner was actually developed in Thailand by Thai and Japanese engineers.

21. The Toyota Hilux was first introduced in 1968. Cumulative global sales of this pickup truck and its variations reached 17.7 million units by 2017.

22.  80% of the Toyota vehicles that were sold 20 years ago are still active and on the roads today.

23.  The company’s RAV4 SUV is Australia’s top-selling vehicle. In August 2020, the hybrid version alone outsold every other vehicle on the market in Australia.

24. It’s the first automobile company to commercialize a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.

25. The company was awarded the title of ‘The Most Admired Company’ consecutively for three years by Fortune magazine.  Along with this, the company was also counted among ‘50 Smartest Companies” by MIT.

26. The current company logo was only introduced in 1989. It is constructed from three ovals, the two inner ovals intersect to form a styalised letter ‘T’, while the outer logo represents the world embracing the brand.

Well, there you have it, 26 interesting facts you might not have known about Toyota. If I’ve left out something important, feel free to comment below.

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