Toyota Motor Corporation, abbreviated TMC, is a Japanese multinationalautomaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota employed 300,734 people worldwide, and was the largest automobile manufacturer in 2010 by production.

 

Toyota is the eleventh largest company in the world by revenue. In July 2012 the company reported that it had manufactured its 200 millionth vehicle.

 

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, along with several "non-automotive" companies. TMC is part of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the world.

 

Logo and branding

Employee at Toyota Museum explains development of Toyota name and brand

In 1936, Toyota entered the passenger car market with its Model AA and held a competition to establish a new logo emphasizing speed for its new product line. After receiving 27,000 entries, one was selected that additionally resulted in a change of its moniker to "Toyota" from the family name "Toyoda." It was believed that the new name sounded better and its eight-stroke count in the Japanese language was associated with wealth and good fortune. The original logo no longer is found on its vehicles but remains the corporate emblem used in Japan.

 

Still, there were no guidelines for the use of the brand name, "TOYOTA", which was used throughout most of the world, which led to inconsistencies in its worldwide marketing campaigns.

 

To remedy this, Toyota introduced a new worldwide logo in October 1989 to commemorate the 50th year of the company, and to differentiate it from the newly released luxury Lexus brand. The logo made its debut on the 1989 Toyota Celsior and quickly gained worldwide recognition. There are three ovals in the new logo that combine to form the letter "T", which stands for Toyota. The overlapping of the two perpendicular ovals inside the larger oval represent the mutually beneficial relationship and trust that is placed between the customer and the company while the larger oval that surrounds both of these inner ovals represent the "global expansion of Toyota's technology and unlimited potential for the future."

 

The logo started appearing on all printed material, advertisements, dealer signage, and the vehicles themselves in 1990.

 

Marketing

MEGAWEB, Toyota's permanent exhibition showroom and museum in Odaiba, Tokyo

 

United States advertising slogans

Toyota's marketing efforts in North America have focused on emphasizing the positive experiences of ownership and vehicle quality.The ownership experience has been targeted in slogans such as "You asked for it! You got it!" (1975–1979), "Oh, what a feeling!" (1979 – September 1985, in the US), "Who could ask for anything more?" (September 1985 – 1989), "I love what you do for me, Toyota!" (1989–1997), "Everyday" (1997–2001)", "Get the feeling!" (2001–2004), and "Moving Forward" (2004–present).