Activities by Region
Africa
In the late 1950s, exports of the Land Cruiser to the Republic of South Africa, Nigeria, Angola and other countries began, along with the beginning of Crown exports to Ethiopia.
Toyota has established a solid presence in each country through meticulous efforts tailored to local conditions. Toyota currently has a sales network that extends to 53 African countries and is responding to market growth.
Production in Africa began in 1962 in South Africa, where a plant there became a production base for Hilux and Corolla units to be export to Europe and throughout Africa. Additionally, Land Cruiser assembly in Kenya began in 1977.
Southern Africa
South Africa
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1959
|
June
|
Exports to the Republic of South Africa commenced with one Land Cruiser
|
1961
|
January
|
Business with Toyota commenced; 10 Stout units exported and sold
|
1962
|
February
|
Distributor agreement signed with Toyopet Commercial (now the TSAM sales & marketing division) (Finally signed in January 25, 1965)
|
June
|
Stout assembly commenced by Motor Assemblies (now the TSAM manufacturing division)
|
|
November
|
Johannesburg Representative Office opened
|
|
1963
|
May
|
Tiara Pickup assembly commenced
|
1964
|
December
|
TSM (now the TSAM manufacturing division) directly managed by TBM (now the TSAM marketing division) Group (became wholly-owned in April 1979)
|
1966
|
May
|
Corona assembly commenced (assembly discontinued in March 1980)
|
1968
|
January
|
Domestic production agreement signed with TBM
|
July
|
Machine processing of engine parts commenced
|
|
1969
|
May
|
MarkII assembly commenced
|
1970
|
January
|
Hilux assembly commenced
|
1971
|
July
|
Operations commenced at new assembly plant
|
1972
|
March
|
Operations commenced at new engine plant
|
August
|
Durban Representative Office opened
|
|
1975
|
May
|
Corolla assembly commenced
|
1982
|
May
|
Model DA truck with domestically-produced engine launched
|
June
|
Technical support agreement concerning domestic casting signed with Feroholm
|
|
September
|
Toyota Unity Vehicle (TUV) assembly commenced
|
|
1987
|
March
|
Dealer Meeting held to mark one million vehicles sold
|
November
|
Monthly production reached 10,000 units
|
|
1989
|
May
|
Stout production discontinued
|
June
|
Toyota South Africa Foundation established with contributions from TMC and TSA
|
|
1991
|
November
|
Hiace stamping commenced
|
1992
|
March
|
Cumulative production reached 1.5 million units
|
July
|
Production and sales at Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) integrated
|
|
September
|
Local assembly of Camry commenced (continued through 2002)
|
|
September
|
Lexus introduced
|
|
1994
|
July
|
Locally-developed 22RE/G used on vehicles
|
July
|
Exports to southern Africa commenced
|
|
1996
|
October
|
Equity stake in TSAM acquired (27.8% stake)
|
1998
|
August
|
Cumulative sales reached 2 million units
|
2000
|
May
|
Toyota Financial Services South Africa (TFSSA), a South African sales financing company, established
|
2001
|
January
|
Cataler South Africa established as joint venture with Cataler Corporation (24% stake)
|
2002
|
June
|
TSAM made a subsidiary of TMC (74.9% holding)
|
2003
|
March
|
Export of Corolla Hatchback produced in South Africa to Australia commenced (continued through 2005)
|
2005
|
January
|
Local production of the Hiace switched to CBU imports
|
April
|
Production of Hilux in South Africa commenced
|
|
July
|
Export of South African-manufactured Hilux to other African countries and Europe commenced; Strategy shifted to bolstering competitiveness through decreasing number of production vehicles and increasing production volume
|
|
2006
|
February
|
Production and sale of Fortuner manufactured in South Africa commenced
|
June
|
Tazz production terminated (Corolla Hatchback introduced in 1988)
|
|
August
|
Production capacity increased to 220,000 units
|
|
2007
|
October
|
Export of Corolla manufactured in South Africa to other African countries commenced
|
December
|
Cumulative production reached three million units
|
|
2008
|
March
|
Export of Corolla manufactured in South Africa to Europe commenced
|
August
|
TSAM made a wholly-owned subsidiary of TMC
|
|
2009
|
March
|
No. 1 position held for 30 consecutive years
|
April
|
Dyna medium-size truck shifted to Hino brand to strengthen Hino business
|
Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1958
|
February
|
Exports to Angola commenced with eight Land Cruisers
|
June
|
Distributor agreement signed with Martin Macedo in Angola (nationalized in October 1977)
|
|
1981
|
May
|
Land Cruiser assembly commenced by Willowvale Motor Industries (WMI) in Zimbabwe
|
1983
|
March
|
Hilux assembly commenced by Rover Zambia in Zambia
|
1991
|
May
|
Toyota de Angola established through joint investment by Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Lonrho
|
1993
|
May
|
Local production in Zimbabwe terminated
|
1994
|
June
|
Botswana distributor placed under umbrella of TSAM
|
2001
|
February
|
Toyota Tsusho distributors established in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Angola (wholly-owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation)
|
Northern Africa
Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1947
|
|
SA passenger car presented as a gift to the King of Egypt
|
1979
|
September
|
Distributor agreement signed with Toyota Egypt
|
1983
|
April
|
Proposal submitted for the plan to domestically produce compact commercial vehicles in Egypt
|
April
|
Proposal submitted for the plan to domestically produce compact passenger cars and commercial vehicles in Algeria
|
|
1984
|
July
|
Proposal submitted for the plan to domestically produce compact passenger cars in Egypt
|
1986
|
August
|
Import of CBUs generally prohibited in Egypt
|
1993
|
June
|
Algeria distributor (JALCO) established
|
1994
|
March
|
Algeria distributor (THIA) established
|
1995
|
May
|
ALJ purchased Morocco distributor
|
1996
|
March
|
Ceremony held to mark opening of TOYOTA DU MAROC
|
2001
|
March
|
Algeria distributor (THIA) placed under umbrella of JALCO
|
2004
|
January
|
JALCO renamed Toyota Algeria
|
2010
|
January
|
Libya distributor established
|
October
|
CKD production of the Fortuner in Egypt announced
|
East Central Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius, Uganda, Eritrea, Rwanda
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1957
|
April
|
Exports to Ethiopia commenced with 12 vehicles including the Crown
|
1963
|
October
|
Crown displayed at the Royal Show in Kenya
|
November
|
Distributor agreement signed with Westland Motors (later called Motor Market) in Kenya
|
|
1977
|
August
|
Stout and Toyota Truck (DA116) assembly commenced by Associated Vehicle Assemblers in Kenya
|
September
|
Land Cruiser assembly commenced by Associated Vehicle Assemblers in Kenya
|
|
1994
|
January
|
Kenya Training Center established
|
1997
|
February
|
New distributor established in Eritrea
|
1998
|
April
|
New distributor established in Rwanda
|
1999
|
March
|
TEAL, a distributor in Kenya, established
|
2001
|
May
|
TEAL made a wholly-owned subsidiary of TTC through the latter's acquisition of Lonrho
|
2003
|
May
|
Mauritius operations transferred to Toyota Tsusho Corporation
|
2005
|
January
|
Uganda distributor made independent by Kenya distributor (wholly-owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation)
|
2006
|
January
|
Investment made in TOYOTA MAURITIUS by Toyota Tsusho Corporation (joint investment with Bee Chand)
|
West Africa
Nigeria
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1959
|
February
|
Exports to Nigeria commenced with four Land Cruisers
|
1968
|
October
|
Distributor agreement signed with R.T. Briscoe
|
1976
|
May
|
Proposal for compact passenger car assembly plan submitted
|
1977
|
April
|
Agreement signed with four new distributors in accordance with the government domestication policy
|
1978
|
April
|
Distributors conference held in Japan
|
1981
|
January
|
Proposal submitted for the plan to domestically produce compact passenger cars
|
1982
|
August
|
Lagos Representative Office opened (closed in June 1985)
|
1983
|
January
|
Import of CBUs generally prohibited
|
1996
|
July
|
Toyota Nigeria established, existing distributors made into dealers
|
2004
|
September
|
Toyota Nigeria invested in by Sumitomo Corporation (26% stake)
|
Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Cote d'Ivoire, etc.
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1960
|
January
|
Exports to Cameroon commenced with four Land Cruisers
|
1969
|
July
|
Corona assembly commenced in Ghana by Fertile Vehicle Assemblies (nationalized in August 1978)
|
July
|
Distributor agreement signed with Premoto in Cote d'Ivoire
|
|
1974
|
July
|
Distributor agreement signed with CAMI in Cameroon
|
1987
|
November
|
Comoros distributor established
|
1988
|
April
|
Mauritania distributor established
|
1989
|
April
|
Guinea distributor established
|
1993
|
July
|
Cape Verde distributor established
|
1995
|
April
|
Gabon parent company changed from SCOA to SOGAFRIC
|
1998
|
January
|
New distributor established in Ghana (wholly-owned by Marubeni Corporation)
|
1999
|
May
|
Training center for French speaking countries established in Cameroon
|
2001
|
May
|
Operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo put under umbrella of CFAO
|
2006
|
April
|
Operations in Cote d'Ivoire put under umbrella of CFAO
|
2007
|
April
|
Operations in Guinea Bissau put under umbrella of CFAO
|
November
|
Operations in Guinea put under umbrella of CFAO
|
Other
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1973
|
April
|
Distributor agreements signed with Impocasa and Brandy Brothers in the Canary Islands
|
1979
|
March
|
Pan-Africa campaign launched
|
1980
|
December
|
First Distributor Conference for French speaking countries held in Cote d'Ivoire
|
1981
|
September
|
First African Product Conference held
|
November
|
First Distributor Conference for English speaking countries held in Nairobi
|
|
1986
|
June
|
First Africa Distributor Conference held in Cameroon
|
June
|
Cressida assembly commenced by WMI in Zimbabwe
|
|
1991
|
January
|
Direct sales for U.N. operations transferred to Africa Division
|
1994
|
January
|
Distributors in Canary Islands integrated
|
1995
|
August
|
Investment made in Toyota Canarias (capital investment made by Sumitomo Corporation)
|
1997
|
January
|
Sales and marketing operations centered in east Africa transferred to Toyota Tsusho Corporation
|
1999
|
April
|
Agency agreement signed by TGS and TMME
|
2005
|
January
|
Agency agreement under CFAO umbrella signed with SFCE
|
2009
|
February
|
South Africa Representative Office opened
|