Toyota Motor Corporation (Japanese: トヨタ自動車株式会社 Toyota Jidōsha KK, IPA: [toꜜjota][4]) TYO: 7203,LSE: TYT, NYSE: TM, commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinationalautomaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2009, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 71,116 people worldwide (total Toyota 320,808).[3] TMC is the world's largest automobile manufacturer by sales[5][6] and production.[7]
The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father's company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. Three years earlier, in 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries, it created its first product, the Type A engine, and, in 1936, its first passenger car, the Toyota AA. Toyota Motor Corporation group companies are Toyota (including the Scion brand), Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino Motors,[8] along with several "non-automotive" companies.[9] TMC is part of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the world.
Toyota Motor Corporation is headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi and in Tokyo.[10] In addition to manufacturing automobiles, Toyota provides financial services through its Toyota Financial Services division and also builds robots.
Electric technology
Main articles: Hybrid Synergy Drive and Hybrid electric vehicle
Toyota is one of the largest companies to push hybrid vehicles in the market and the first to commercially mass-produce and sell such vehicles, an example being the Toyota Prius. The company eventually began providing this option on the main smaller cars such as Camry and later with the Lexus divisions, producing some hybrid luxury vehicles. It labeled such technology in Toyota cars as "Hybrid Synergy Drive" and in Lexus versions as "Lexus Hybrid Drive."
The Prius has become the top selling hybrid car in America. Toyota, as a brand, now has three hybrid vehicles in its lineup: the Prius, Highlander, and Camry. The popular minivan Toyota Sienna is scheduled to join the hybrid lineup by 2010, and by 2030 Toyota plans to offer its entire lineup of cars, trucks, and SUVs with a Hybrid Synergy Drive option (Toyota has said it plans to make a hybrid-electric system available on every vehicle it sells worldwide sometime in the 2010s).[48]
Worldwide sales of hybrid vehicles produced by Toyota reached 1.0 million vehicles by May 31, 2007, and the 2.0 million mark was reached by August 31, 2009, with hybrids sold in 50 countries.[49][50] Toyota's hybrid sales are led by the Prius, with worldwide cumulative sales of 1.43 million by August 2009.[49] Toyota's CEO has committed to eventually making every car of the company a hybrid vehicle.[51][52] Lexus also has their own hybrid lineup, consisting of the GS 450h, RX 400h, and launched in 2007, the LS 600h/LS 600h L.
Toyota and Honda have already said they've halved the incremental cost of electric hybrids and see cost parity in the future (even without incentives).[53] Hybrids are viewed by some automobile makers as a core segment of the future vehicle market.[54]
[edit]Plug-in hybrids
Main article: Plug-in hybrid
Toyota is currently testing its "Toyota Plug-in HV" in Japan, the United States, and Europe. Like GM's Volt, it uses alithium-ion battery pack. The PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) could have a lower environmental impact than existing hybrids.[55][56]
On June 5, 2008, A123Systems announced that its Hymotion plug-in hybrid conversion kits for the Prius would be installed by six dealers, including four Toyota dealerships: Westboro Toyota in Boston, Fitzgerald Toyota in Washington D.C., Toyota of Hollywood in Los Angeles, and Madison Wisconsin-based Smart Motors.[57]
[edit]All-electric vehicles
Toyota is speeding up the development of vehicles that run only on electricity with the aim of mass-producing them in the early part of this decade. Road tests for the current prototype, called "e-com", had ended in 2006.[58] Toyota has made many concept electric vehicles, including the FT-EV and FT-EV II.
In May 2010, Toyota launched a collaboration with Tesla Motors to create electric vehicles. Toyota agreed to purchase US$50 million of Tesla common stock subsequent to the closing of Tesla's planned initial public offering.[59] Tesla will buy Toyota's recently closed NUMMI factory for US$42 million.[60][61] Toyota plans to release an electric version of the RAV4 by 2012 using components from Tesla and the platform of the RAV4.
[edit]Cars
Further information: List of Toyota vehicles
As of 2009, Toyota officially lists approximately 70 different models sold under its namesake brand, including sedans, coupes, vans, trucks, hybrids, and crossovers.[62] Many of these models are produced as passenger sedans, which range from the subcompact Toyota Yaris, to compact Corolla, to mid-size Camry, and full-size Avalon.[62] Vans include the Previa/Estima, Sienna, and others.[62] Several small cars, such as the xB and tC, are sold under the Scion brand.[
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