Oh, what a feeling... Fifty years ago today, Toyota Motor Sales USA was started in a Rambler dealership in Hollywood, California.
Here's a bit of history:
By the end of 1958 (the first full year of business), Toyota had sold 287 Toyopet Crowns and one Land Cruiser. Toyota struggled in the US for a few more years, as the Toyopet Crown was unsuited for American roads, so the Land Cruiser was the only model in the lineup from 1961 unitil 1965, when the Toyota Corona was introduced. The Corona was an instant hit: it was thrifty, powerful, and reliable, Japan's answer to the VW Beetle. Three years later, the Corolla was added to the lineup (and it's still in there today).During the same timeframe, the Hi-Lux compact pickup (predecessor to today's Tacoma) was introduced.
In the 1970s, Toyota's first true national ad campaign "You Asked For It, You Got It" debuted. The energy crisis of 1973-74 helped Toyota sales, too, and by the late 70s, Toyota became the #1 import brand in the US.
The 1980s was a big decade for Toyota in the US. In 1983, the Camry was introduced, and in 1986, the first Toyota built on American soil (a Corolla FX-16 hatchback) was built in Fremont, California at a joint-venture factory with General Motors called New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI). Two years later, Toyota's first wholly-owned US factory, in Georgetown, Kentucky, opened, pumping out Camrys (it now also produces the Avalon and Solara, and it's now Toyota's largest factory outside of Japan). And in 1989, Toyota introduced the Lexus brand to consumers, defying skeptics that said that "Japan can't build a sedan that takes on Mercedes-Benz!".
The 1990s were a decade of changes, too. In 1994, the Avalon was introduced, a large sedan designed for American tastes and built at the Georgetown factory. Two years later, the RAV4 came over from the Japan domestic market, the first crossover SUV. Camry became the best-selling car in the US in 1997, interrupted only once since. New factories were built in Indiana to produce pickups and West Virginia to produce transmissions.
When the 21st century dawned, Toyota added the Prius to the lineup (no explanation needed here). Scion, a new, affordable division for the younger ones, was added. A new factory opened up in Texas (Pickup Country USA) to build Tundra pickups. Even the plain-vanilla Camry became available in a hybrid (with production at Georgetown, of course).
Happy 50th birthday! And here's to 50 more years of kaizen (striving for continuous improvement).
P.S.: Toyota will unveil an all-new 2009 Corolla and 2009 Matrix today in Las Vegas to celebrate.
Here's a bit of history:
By the end of 1958 (the first full year of business), Toyota had sold 287 Toyopet Crowns and one Land Cruiser. Toyota struggled in the US for a few more years, as the Toyopet Crown was unsuited for American roads, so the Land Cruiser was the only model in the lineup from 1961 unitil 1965, when the Toyota Corona was introduced. The Corona was an instant hit: it was thrifty, powerful, and reliable, Japan's answer to the VW Beetle. Three years later, the Corolla was added to the lineup (and it's still in there today).During the same timeframe, the Hi-Lux compact pickup (predecessor to today's Tacoma) was introduced.
In the 1970s, Toyota's first true national ad campaign "You Asked For It, You Got It" debuted. The energy crisis of 1973-74 helped Toyota sales, too, and by the late 70s, Toyota became the #1 import brand in the US.
The 1980s was a big decade for Toyota in the US. In 1983, the Camry was introduced, and in 1986, the first Toyota built on American soil (a Corolla FX-16 hatchback) was built in Fremont, California at a joint-venture factory with General Motors called New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI). Two years later, Toyota's first wholly-owned US factory, in Georgetown, Kentucky, opened, pumping out Camrys (it now also produces the Avalon and Solara, and it's now Toyota's largest factory outside of Japan). And in 1989, Toyota introduced the Lexus brand to consumers, defying skeptics that said that "Japan can't build a sedan that takes on Mercedes-Benz!".
The 1990s were a decade of changes, too. In 1994, the Avalon was introduced, a large sedan designed for American tastes and built at the Georgetown factory. Two years later, the RAV4 came over from the Japan domestic market, the first crossover SUV. Camry became the best-selling car in the US in 1997, interrupted only once since. New factories were built in Indiana to produce pickups and West Virginia to produce transmissions.
When the 21st century dawned, Toyota added the Prius to the lineup (no explanation needed here). Scion, a new, affordable division for the younger ones, was added. A new factory opened up in Texas (Pickup Country USA) to build Tundra pickups. Even the plain-vanilla Camry became available in a hybrid (with production at Georgetown, of course).
Happy 50th birthday! And here's to 50 more years of kaizen (striving for continuous improvement).
P.S.: Toyota will unveil an all-new 2009 Corolla and 2009 Matrix today in Las Vegas to celebrate.
