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The history of Toyota since its founding
Toyota Motor Corporation — the Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer, currently the world's number one in terms of the number of cars produced per year (more than 10 million), in second place is the German company «Volkswagen». In 2012, 200 million vehicles were produced throughout history. The headquarters is located in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. «Toyota» is a leader in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and the world's most important promoter of them. The «Toyota Prius» is the world's best-selling hybrid passenger car.
The company was founded in 1937 by Japanese Kiichiro Toyoda. It was a subsidiary of the parent company «Toyota Industries», which was founded in 1926 and produced automatic looms. «Toyota Motor» has been focused on the production of passenger cars and commercial vehicles from the very beginning. Car production began in 1933 under the direction of the founder's son. The first prototypes were the passenger «A1» and the truck «G1» in 1935. The first mass-produced car was the passenger «Model AA», which was sold since 1936 under the name «Toyoda». It was 10-15% cheaper than similar American «Ford» or «General Motors».
In 1936, the name «Toyota» was coined. Since the word «toyoda» means «fertile rice fields», the name change made it possible not to associate modern cars with old-fashioned agriculture.
During the Second World War, the company produced trucks for the Japanese Imperial Army. After the war, Japan experienced extreme economic hardship. Production began in October 1947 with a «Toyota SA» family car with a four-cylinder petrol engine. By the end of 1949, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, but received a loan from a consortium of banks, which allowed reforms to be carried out. In June 1950, only 300 trucks had been produced and the company was on the verge of going out of business.
The outbreak of war between South and North Korea led to an order from the US military for more than 5,000 vehicles and the company received a second wind. In 1959, the large «Motomachi Plant» was built, which allowed it to outpace its rival «Nissan» in the next decade. In 1950, a separate trading company, «Toyota Motor Sales Co.», was founded, which in 1982 merged with the main «Toyota», and in 1956, the «Toyopet» dealer network was founded. In 1955, the «Crown» appeared, which in 1957 was first exported to the United States. In 1962, for the first time, they began to export cars to Europe. In 1963, the «Toyota» car was produced for the first time outside of Japan - in Australia, and later Australia became the largest market for its products. In 1968, small-scale assembly of cars (SKD) was established in Portugal.
«Toyota» now owns a 16.7% stake in «Subaru Corporation», a 5.9% stake in «Isuzu», and automotive joint ventures with two in China, one in India, one in the Czech Republic, and several non-automotive companies. The company currently produces cars under five brands – «Toyota», «Hino», «Lexus», «Ranz» and «Daihatsu».
Toyota's most famous passenger cars are the Crown business class sedan, mid-size sedans and station wagons «Camry» and «Corona, Avensis», compact family cars «Carina, Allion and Premio», as well as the well-known «Corolla», included in the Book Guinness World Records as the best selling car in the world. Trucks are represented by the legendary full-size SUV «Land Cruiser», produced since 1951, mid-size SUVs «Highlander» and «4Runner», a compact modern crossover of «RAV4» and the ultra-reliable «Hilux» pickup truck, which was sunk, set on fire and dropped from a height in the popular TV show «Top Gear», but it still worked.
Methods of repairing Toyota cars
Almost all Japanese cars are famous for their high quality and reliability, and «Toyota» cars are among the most expensive in Japan and have a reputation for being the most reliable. This company has a long history, experience in the automotive industry and numerous awards. Some car models began to be produced back in the 50s of the last century, that is, they have a history of more than 60 years. During this time, many shortcomings have been identified during the long-term operation of many machines in various climatic conditions, to eliminate them and make them even more reliable and convenient.
Proper operation, daily care and timely maintenance of «Toyota» cars, and all others, will help extend the life of a rather expensive mechanism. Daily care and careful handling of your car should be done by the owner himself. Maintenance is best done at an official representative of the company or in a specialized car service, this is especially important when the car is under warranty. After passing the warranty period, you can do maintenance at a universal service station, in a garage with private craftsmen or on your own.
But despite the careful attitude to technology, even the most reliable mechanism is not immune from breakdowns. Repair of a «Toyota» car is also recommended to be done at official representatives. This method is the most reliable, but has significant drawbacks - not all cities have «Toyota» car services, and this method is also very expensive. It is cheaper for private companies to repair a car, they will also help you choose an analogue of expensive original spare parts, but there are still drawbacks - they can cheat by installing low-quality components, and it still costs money. You can repair your car yourself. To do this, you need metalworking skills, a place to carry out repairs, a fairly large set of tools and time to carry out the necessary work ... But that's not all. You will need information, instruction, or a step-by-step guide on how to repair a complex mechanism without ruining it. We hope that on this site you will find the repair manual you need for your particular «Toyota» model.