Toyota is marking 60 years in the US since starting with a Hollywood, California, dealership on 31 October, 1957.
Its first vehicle, the Toyopet Crown, was not a success with obsolete styling and slow acceleration but Toyota products were later redeemed by a new generation of well made (if rust-prone), well equipped, economy focused four cylinder models such as the Corolla and Corona. The later Crown series were also, for a time, sold in the US.
Starting from that 3,000 sq ft, (former Rambler) dealership, Toyota now has 10 factories (14 in North America), nearly 1,500 Toyota and Lexus dealerships and 136,000 direct, dealer and supplier US employees.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Long based in Southern California, mostly in Torrance, south of Los Angeles, the company recently unified US operations by bringing together its quality engineering, sales, marketing, financial services and corporate functions in one location at a new North America headquarters in Plano, Texas. The controversial move, mirroring a similar Nissan relocation to Tennessee several years ago shocked California authorities and also led to some staff resignations though many accepted comprehensive relocation packages to benefit from cheaper housing in Texas.
The company has rededicated a 50th anniversary time capsule originally buried at the former Torrance HQ in 2007. The capsule – which includes items such as a die cast matchbox edition 2000GT model car, an original key for a 1977 Hilux truck and a Toyota Formula One racer scale model – will be re-opened on the 100th anniversary in 2057.
Models
After that first Crown that was not fast enough to cope with 1950s V8s' freeway onramp speeds, and the no-frills, Land Rover rivalling Land Cruiser, the '60s launched Corolla would go on to become the bestselling nameplate in the world.
The '70s saw the sporty Celica and Supra while the '80s introduced the Camry to the US – the first Toyota car built in the US – and Hilux based 4Runner. Corona Mark Two and its Cressida successor have also been sold in the US along with a variety of niche models and, later, North America-specific SUVs and minivans.
Lexus launched in the US in 1989 with two models, the LS400 and Camry based ES250.
The 1990s range included the Tacoma truck, RAV4 SUV, Avalon sedan and Sienna minivan. Lexus added the GS, LX and RX.
In 2003, Toyota launched the ultimately unsuccessful Scion brand to lure younger customers and to test out revolutionary processes and products. Today, Mazda supplies a Toyota branded model to cover that end of the market.
Hybrid technology arrived with the Prius, launched in Japan in 1997 and in the US in 2000.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThe hydrogen fuel cell powered Mirai is now available in the US but is hardly mainstream.
Manufacturing, engineering and captive finance
US production, of sorts, began in the 70s as Toyota contracted Atlas Fabricators of Long Beach (later changed to TABC) to make truck beds. Toyota Technical Center, which celebrated 40 years last May, opened its first US R&D facility and Calty Design Research opened its doors in Southern California.
Full car factories opened in the 1980s in Georgetown, Kentucky (Camry) and Fresno, California (NUMMI JV with GM making Corolla-based cars; now the Tesla factory).
Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (now known as Toyota Financial Services), began US operations in October 1982.
In the '90s and '00s, Toyota added vehicle, engine, transmission and parts plants in Indiana, West Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Missouri and Mississippi though the global credit crunch saw the Mississippi plant mothballed as only a completed building for several years and it never built the Prius for which it was first planned. As the NUMMI joint venture ended, it was fitted out to make Corollas.
To support the rapid growth, Toyota consolidated R&D and manufacturing operations under a single company in 2006.
The 2010s have seen the end of the Scion brand (with the 2016 model year) and sourcing of a Mexican built, Yaris iA badged variant of the Mazda 2 as an entry level model.
The future
Toyota Motor North America now says it has transformed from just a sales company into a mobility company.
In 2016, the Toyota Research Institute launched, leading the way to autonomous vehicles, robotics, vehicle safety and materials science. In the same year, Toyota Connected was created to use data to personalise the customer driving experience.
