Discover Toyota with Premier Clearance Center Metairie

Toyota Models Throughout Time

If you’re looking for a quality used vehicle that is reliable, you’ll be quite happy with a pre-owned Toyota. Toyota is proud of the strong reputation for quality and value that has been established over the year. Not only is it reliable with fewer repairs while you drive it, Toyota models hold their value when it’s time to trade them in. You can find superior options for a sedan, coupe, truck or SUV when you’re ready to buy.

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The History of Toyota

Sakichi Toyoda is credited with the beginnings of the Toyota company. He invented a loom in 1924 using a principle that would later be prevalent in the auto industry. This principle was known as jidoka and meant that a machine would be designed to stop working when an issue occurred. Toyoda sold the loom company and used the proceeds to start building automobiles.

The first vehicles under the Toyota brand were built in 1933 under the company name Toyota Automatic Loom Works. The first models were A1, which was a car, and G1, which was a truck. It wasn’t until 1937 that the automobile department became its own entity and had the name changed to Toyota in 1936. A new logo was developed at that time that continued to transition through the years.

Light trucks became popular under the Toyota brand and in time entered the US automotive market. The US placed tariffs on imports in the 1960s, which raised the cost to build Toyota trucks. The company responded to the tariffs by building plants inside the United States during the 1980s. The lineup expanded during the next decade and began to include full-size trucks along with the light trucks it was already building. Luxury vehicles also became popular in the 1990s.

Toyota became well-known for its focus on innovation, developing new models with the latest in technology, such as hybrids. The company also spent time and money on safety systems, developing features such as advanced parking guidance before it became common in other models.

The Brand Now

Toyota has developed a strong reputation as a leader in the automotive industry. The company can be found in 27 countries with either a manufacturing plant building components or assembly plants putting vehicles together. The continent with the top total sales is North America, even beating out Asia, the home continent.

Headquarters for Toyota in North America is in Texas with production headquarters located in Kentucky. In the US, the company continues to focus on efficiency with more hybrid models being introduced, including plug-in hybrids. Several models feature a hybrid version, including the Highlander, Prius, Camry, and now the RAV4. Toyota is the number one company in sales for hybrid electric models.

The RAV4 is the latest innovation for the company with a compact SUV that now offers a hybrid model and a plug-in hybrid. For those who need even more space, the Highlander features hybrid technology. The Camry stands out in the sedan category while the Tundra has become competitive with the big names in pickup trucks.

Toyota has also developed the TRD edition, found on several models with technology and systems from motorsports and racing. This model offers impressive off-road performance.

Toyota has become well-recognized for its commitment to quality, efficiency, and safety all over the world. You can see a range of models at Premier Clearance Center Metairie.