Look back at the history of Toyota. It traces the company's development through 1937 from when Toyota Motor Corporation was established to when the 2 millionth Prius hybrid was sold.
The AA Sedan
Koromo Plant
(currently Honsha Plant)
Older building of
Toyota Head Office
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| 1867 | Birth of Sakichi Toyoda. |
|---|---|
| 1924 | Sakichi Toyoda invents Toyoda Model G Automatic Loom. |
| 1929 | Automatic-loom patent is sold to a British company. |
| 1930 | Kiichiro Toyoda begins research on small gasoline-powered engine. |
| 1933 | Automobile Department is established at Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. |
| 1935 | The Toyoda precepts are compiled. |
| 1936 | The AA Sedan is completed. |
| 1937 | Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. is established. |
| 1938 | Honsha Plant begins production |
| 1950 | Company faces a financial crisis; Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd. is established. |
| 1951 | Suggestion System begins. |
| 1955 | The Toyopet Crown, Toyopet Master and Crown Deluxe are launched. |
| 1957 | The first prototypes of the Crown are exported to the United States; Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. is established. |
| 1959 | Motomachi Plant begins production. |
| 1962 | Joint Declaration of Labor and Management is signed. |
| 1965 | Toyota wins the Deming Application Prize for quality control. |
| 1966 | The Corolla is launched; business partnership with Hino Motors Ltd. begins. |
| 1967 | Business partnership with Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. begins. |
| 1974 | Toyota Foundation is established. |
| 1975 | The prefabricated housing business begins. |
| 1982 | Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. and Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd. are merged into Toyota Motor Corporation. |
| 1984 | Joint venture with General Motors (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.) begins production in the USA. |
| 1988 | Toyota Motor Manufacturing, USA, Inc. (present TMMK) begins production. |
| 1989 | The Lexus brand is launched in the USA. |
| 1992 | Toyota Motor Manufacturing (United Kingdom) Ltd. begins production. |
| 1997 | The Prius is launched as the world's first mass-produced hybrid car. |
| 1999 | Cumulative domestic production reaches 100 million vehicles. |
| 2000 | Sichuan Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. begins production in China. |
| 2001 | Toyota Motor Manufacturing France S.A.S. begins production in France. |
| 2002 | Toyota enters Formula One World Championship; Tianjin Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. begins production in China. |
| 2004 | The Toyota Partner Robot is publicly unveiled. |
| 2005 | The Lexus brand is introduced in Japan. |
| 2008 | Worldwide Prius sales top 1 million mark. |
| 2010 | Worldwide Prius sales top 2 million mark; Toyota and Tesla Motors agree on joint EV development. |