About Toyota

Toyota Motor Corporation (トヨタ自動車株式会社, Kabushiki-gaisha Toyota Jidōsha) is a Japanese automaker. It is the world's second largest automaker behind General Motors ; however it ranks first in net worth, revenue and profit. It is also the only car manufacturer to appear in the top 10 of the BrandZ ranking.

The company was founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda as a spinoff from his father (Sakichi Toyoda)'s company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. In 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries, it created its first product Type A engine and its first passenger car (the Toyota AA) in 1936. It is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi pref., Nagoya, Aichi pref. and Tokyo, Japan. It also provides financial services through its division Toyota Financial Services and also creates robots besides automobiles. The company along with the original Toyota Industries form bulk of the Toyota Group.

Toyota owns and operates Toyota, Lexus, Scion, has a majority shareholding in Daihatsu Motors , and has minority shareholdings in Fuji Heavy Industries, Isuzu Motors, and the engine, motor cycle and marine craft manufacturer Yamaha Motors. The company includes 522 subsidiaries. Toyota plans to produce 9.51 and sell 9.36 million vehicles overall in 2007.. It plans to produce 9.95 and sell 9.85 million vehicles in 2008 setting an industry record if it happens.

By January 8 ,2008, the company will drop "Motor" from its corporate name and call itself simply "Toyota Corporation" (株式会社豊田 Kabushiki-gaisha Toyota). Toyota will change the Japanese writing of its brand name from Katakana to Kanji and "Corporation" will move from the end to the beginning.

Founding and earlier history

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