Toyota Cars Discussed by AP Autocare
With over 2.3M cars manufactured in 2019, Toyota Cars are amongst the most popular cars in the world.
AP Autocare is Bristol’s favourite car garage for Toyota cars. Popular Toyota models, that AP Autocare service, repair and MOT include:
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota RAV4
- Toyota C-HR
- Toyota AYGO
- Toyota Yaris
- Toyota GT86
- Toyota Prius
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Toyota Hilux
- Toyota GR Supra
- Toyota Camry
To book a service, repair or MOT for your Toyota please telephone 0117 963 8916 or book online here
About AP Autocare
We have been in business for over 40 years in Bristol and we are one of the most reputable and independent MOT, Repair and Service Centres in Bristol as well as being Bristol’s Largest Independent Multi Manufacturer Specialist and specialists in German and Japanese cars.
Our team is friendly, professional and we offer highly competitive rates with the skills and equipment of main dealerships but without the costs associated with them.
We are within walking distance from Bristol City Centre and Temple Meads Train Station and are ideal for any Service, MOT, or Repair if you work in the city centre or any of the surrounding areas.
We offer a courtesy car if you need a car whilst it’s booked in with us or we can arrange a lift to work or home after you’ve dropped your car off to us, or a collection and delivery service to ensure that being without a car isn’t an inconvenience for you.
We offer services for all vehicles of any age and size from small cars to light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes (Class 7).
Our Services include:
- Engine Diagnostics and Repair
- Winter Car Checks
- Servicing (Annual and Interim Services)
- MOT’s
- Bodywork & Paint Repairs
- Air Conditioning Servicing & repair
- Tyres & Exhausts
- Brakes
- Clutches
- Remapping
- Suspension & Steering
- Welding
- Battery Testing & Replacement
- Wheel Alignment
- Tyre Replacement
- Remapping
If you have a Toyota and need any of our garage services please call us on 0117 963 8916 and one of our experts will be able to answer any questions you may have and arrange an appointment for you.
Toyota History
Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer and Japanese Toyota Jidōsha KK is the Japanese parent company of the Toyota Group who manufacture Toyota cars.
Toyota’s origins lie in the Japanese weaving industry. Sakichi Toyoda invented the world’s first automatic loom and in 1918 he then set up the Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company. His invention of the automatic loom reduced defects and increased profits as the loom would stop working if there was a problem rather than continuing and producing faulty fabric whilst using up valuable thread. The automatic stopping of a production principle when designing equipment for the fault to be immediately rectified before any further production occurs is still crucial to the Toyota production and manufacturing system today.
In 1929 Kiichiro Toyoda had travelled to Europe and the United States to investigate automobile production and in 1930 he had begun his research on gasoline-powered engines.
In 1933 Toyoda Kiichiro founded what later became the Toyota Motor Corporation as a division of the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd.
In 1934, Toyota produced its first Type A Engine, which was used in the first Model A1 passenger car in May 1935 and the G1 truck in August 1935.
In 1936 Toyota launched its first production car, the Model AA sedan
Early vehicles bear a striking resemblance to the Dodge Power Wagon and Chevrolet, with some parts actually interchanging with their American originals.
In 1937 the division was incorporated as the Toyota Motor Company, Ltd and the company’s name was changed to Toyota, which has a more pleasing sound in Japanese.
Subsequently, Toyota established several related companies, including Toyoda Machine Works, Ltd. in 1941 and Toyota Auto Body, Ltd. in 1945.
Toyota suspended the production of passenger cars during World War II and was dedicated to the production of trucks for the Imperial Japanese Army. Due to severe shortages in Japan, military trucks were kept as simple as possible, as an example; the trucks had only one headlight in the centre of the hood.
Following the war, they did not start to manufacture passenger cars again until 1947. This was down to bombed manufacturing facilities and a very unstable economy and extreme economic difficulty. The reproduction of passenger cars in 1947 saw the introduction of the Model SA.
By the end of 1949, Toyota was on the brink of bankruptcy, however, they eventually obtained a loan from a consortium of banks which stipulated an independent sales operation and elimination of “excess manpower”. This supported Toyota’s automobile production factories to be back to full operation by the 1950s.
By the 1950s Toyota was keen to close the technology gap with their competitors and they began an in-depth study of American automobile manufacturers as it was thought that the US had technical advantages. As part of their study, Toyota executives visited the production facilities of corporations, including the Ford Motor Company. It was during these visits they observed the latest manufacturing technology and in turn, they implemented similar technology into their own manufacturing facilities which immediately increased their efficiencies and revenue.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., was established in 1957.
In 1958 Toyota released the Toyopet sedan which was its first model marketed in the USA. However, the Americans didn’t approve of the Toyopet sedan due to its higher prices lack of power.
Later in 1958 The 4×4 Land Cruiser was released and was far more successful.
In 1965 the Toyopet was completely redesigned for American drivers and released as the Toyota Corona which was Toyota’s first major success vehicle in the United States.
The start of the 1960s saw Toyota’s size increase quickly and they began exporting large numbers of their cars to foreign markets.
They began to expand in the 1960s with new research and development facilities and a presence in Thailand was established.
Toyota’s 10 millionth model was produced
A Deming Prize and partnerships with Hino Motors and Daihatsu were established.
In 1966 Toyota acquired Hino Motors, Ltd who manufactured buses and large trucks; Nippondenso Company, Ltd. who made electrical auto components.
In 1967 they acquired Daihatsu Motor Company, Ltd and for several decades they were Japan’s largest automobile manufacturer.
During these times they continued to thrive in the American market and gained a reputation for their fuel-efficient, reliable and low-cost automobiles. Toyotas success in America also included the Corolla which was released to the US market in 1968.
By the end of the 1960s, Toyota had established a worldwide presence and they had exported their one-millionth vehicle.
In 1982 Toyota Motor Company was merged with Toyota Motor Sales Company, Ltd and this is when it took its current name of Toyota Motor Corporation.
In 1984 Toyota partnered with General Motors Corporation to create New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. This was a dual-brand manufacturing plant in California and in 1986 Toyota began its U.S. production.
During the 21st century, Toyota saw significant growth with innovations such as its luxury brand, Lexus in 1989.
In 1997 the Toyota Prius was the first mass-produced electric-gasoline hybrid-powered vehicle in the world,
Toyota was listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange in 1999.
Throughout its time, Toyota has always expanded to new markets, one of which was the launch of its Scion in 2003 which targeted younger buyers, as well as manufacturing the world’s first luxury hybrid vehicle, the Lexus RX 400h in 2005.
In 2008 Toyota had grown to be the largest automobile manufacturer in the world for the first time. It has many (circa 1,000) subsidiary companies and affiliates who are involved in the manufacturing process. These subsidiary companies and affiliates all had an interest in the production of automobiles, parts, commercial and industrial vehicles.
Following their years of continued growth and success, Toyota subsequently faced significant financial challenges with plummeting sales which stemmed from the global financial crisis in 2008.
In June 2008, Toyota reported a double-digit decline in sales, similar to figures reported by the Detroit Big Three.
In addition to this, in 2010 they had an international safety recall of more than eight million vehicles which temporarily halted the production and sales of several of its top models.
Toyota attributed their financial challenges to slow sales of its Tundra pickup, as well as shortages of its fuel-efficient vehicles such as the Prius, Corolla and Yaris. In response, they quickly announced plans to decrease its truck plants and shift production at other facility sites to manufacture in-demand vehicles.
In 2012 Toyota reported the production of its 200-millionth vehicle.
At the start of 2014, millions of vehicles manufactured by Toyota as well as other car companies vehicles were recalled by regulators in the United States because of potentially malfunctioning airbags produced by the Japanese automotive-parts supplier Takata. The recall was “the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Despite this, as of July 2014, Toyota was the largest listed company in Japan by market capitalisation and worth more than twice as much as number 2-ranked SoftBank.
The Toyota Prius family was the world’s top-selling hybrid vehicle as of January 2017 with over 6 million units sold worldwide.
In 2017, Toyota’s structure consisted of circa 364,445 employees worldwide.
Based on 2018 sales, Toyota was the largest automobile manufacturer in Japan and is actually the second-largest in the world behind Volkswagen.
They were the world’s first automobile manufacturer to produce more than 10 million vehicles per year.
As of December 2019 Toyota was the tenth-largest company in the world by revenue.
Toyota Present Day
Toyota’s main headquarters are based in Toyota, Aichi which is an industrial city east of Nagoya, Japan.
Toyota is the global market leader in sales of hybrid electric vehicles and is one of the largest companies to encourage the mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles across the globe. They are also a market leader in hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
In January 2020 the cumulative global sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrid passenger car models achieved their 15 million sales milestone.
Toyota Motor Corporation produces vehicles under five brand names:
- Toyota
- Hino
- Lexus
- Ranz
- Daihatsu
Toyota also holds or has held percentage stakes in the following automotive brands:
- Subaru Corporation 20.02%
- Until 2018 Isuzu 5.9%
- Mazda 5.5%
- Suzuki 4.9%
The Toyota Group is best known today for its cars, however, it is still in the textile business and still makes automatic looms which are now computerised, as well as electric sewing machines which are available to buy worldwide.
Toyota now has assembly plants and distributors in many countries across the world. As well as its automotive products, its subsidiaries manufacture rubber and cork materials, steel, synthetic resins, automatic looms, and cotton and woollen goods. Others deal in real estate, prefabricated housing units, and the import and export of raw materials.
Toyota provides financial services through its Toyota Financial Services division, and also builds robots.
References: Information for this article has been sourced from:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Toyota-Motor-Corporation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota
https://www.toyotauk.com/about-toyota/history-of-toyota.html