Toyota: A Company Whose Cars Can Withstand Rockets

 Toyota: A Company Whose Cars Can Withstand Rockets 

It’s no surprise to anyone that Toyota makes reliable cars. Headquartered in Toyota City, Japan,  the manufacturer has built and maintained this reputation since the very beginning. From a trusty four-door Camry to the king of the hills, the Land Cruiser, Toyota keeps on making cars that can  brave any climate and continent on the planet.  

The Land Cruiser is so durable, in fact, that Mark Wallace, the former U.S. ambassador to the  United Nations said “Regrettably, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux have effectively become  almost part of the ISIS brand.” So, the question needs to be asked: What makes a Toyota so  reliable that it has become the go-to vehicle of paramilitary organizations, warlords, and suburban families across the world? 

Some history 

In the early 1920s, Sakichi Toyoda invented a loom machine called the Toyoda Model G. The  machine was the world’s first automatic loom and it greatly reduced imperfections and increased yields. Sakichi’s patent for the loom machine was bought out by the British company, Platt  Brothers, for one hundred thousand British pounds in 1929. Sakichi gave that money to his son,  Kiichiro Toyoda, and encouraged Kiichiro to pursue his dream of automobile manufacturing  before passing away.  

Kiichiro instituted many changes to the company, such as changing the name from “Toyoda” to  “Toyota” because it took 10 strokes to write Toyoda and it took 8 to write Toyota and 8 is a lucky  number in Japan. He oversaw the transition of the company from loom works to automobile  manufacturing. Kiichiro led the automobile industry in Japan as he wanted to create a domestic competitor for foreign automobiles. However, when World War 2 broke out, the company had to  contribute to the war effort, making pick-up trucks for the Imperial Army. After the war, the  reconstruction of Japan and the economic changes harmed the automobile industry. With  declining sales, Kiichiro resigned from his position in 1950 and handed the reigns of the  company to his cousin, Eiji Toyoda. Kiichiro died in 1952 without ever knowing the success  Toyota would go on to have.  

With Eiji’s leadership, the Toyota Motor Corporation became a powerhouse for vehicle  manufacturing. He visited the Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan from which he drew  inspiration to set up the Toyota Factory. As the managing director of the company, he tried  penetrating the US market with the Toyota Crown. Though the Crown failed, the company later  released the Toyota Corolla which was, and still is, a commercial success. In 1981, he stepped  down as president and became the chairman, introducing the Lexus brand to compete in the  luxury car market.

As of today, Lexus and its parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation, are hugely successful  vehicle manufacturers and have solidified their place as true giants in the car market. 

The Toyota Way 

It was under Eiji Toyoda that much of the Toyota production and design philosophy came to be.  He collaborated with Taiichi Ohno, a Japanese industrial engineer, to come up with practices that  would limit defects and produce reliable cars, much like how Sakichi improved the loom  industry. One of the first ideas was Kaizen. In Japanese, Kaizen means constant improvement or  change. Toyota takes its parts and tinkers with them ever so slightly so that they improve in a  positive direction. A lot of other manufacturers like Dodge, Ford, Mercedes, or Audi go over the  top, putting in massive engines and coupling them with sporty looks to create a car that grabs  attention. Not Toyota though. The company has 14 management principles, called The Toyota  Way, which explain how Toyota makes its decisions in all capacities. Some of the principles are: 

“Build a long-term philosophy, even if short-term goals need to be sacrificed.” “Prioritize quality and stop to fix problems.” 

“Use standardized tasks and processes to achieve continuous improvement.” “Use thoroughly tested technology that serves your people.” 

“Create leaders that understand the philosophy, practice it, and teach it to others.” “Make deliberate decisions through a consensus.” 

Through these principles, Toyota maintains a culture that helps its employees create dependable machines that can outlive their owners. For example, Toyota used the same chassis for the 100  series Land Cruiser and the Lexus LX 470 simply because it is a reliable and thoroughly tested  

part. Another example of the Toyota Way in effect is that Toyota uses one component in multiple  different models. This makes working on multiple cars easier since they all have standard  equipment instead of having to tackle each model separately. The company’s 3MZ-FE 3.3-liter V6 engine is used in the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, Camry, Sienna, and the  Lexus RX 330, RX 440h (hybrid) as well as the Lexus ES 330. The company uses proven  technology to serve the user well. 

Beyond just standardization of parts, Toyota’s drive to prioritize quality is observable. The  British motoring show Top Gear tested out the quality of a Toyota by taking a Toyota pickup  truck and putting it through hell. The presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, battered it through the city,  drowned it in the English Channel, hit it with a wrecking ball, set it on fire, and blew up a 

building with the truck on top of the building. And the truck still ran. The Toyota Way worked its  magic and even through this assault, the car was fine.  

Clarkson smashing the Toyota into a tree. 

The Toyota drowning in water. 

The car on fire.

The truck on top of the building which is about to be demolished. 

All this goes to show that the company’s past, present, and future are in complete alignment,  coming together to make a product that is trustworthy. It’s easy to see why the company is at the  number one spot for vehicle manufacturing when it makes cars that can be lit on fire and shot at  and still survive. As a testament to Toyota’s durability, the War in Darfur, which stemmed from  oppression and instability in the region, was nicknamed the Land Cruiser War since both sides  used Land Cruisers to fight against each other. In Northern Chad, when Chad and Libya were in  the last stage of fighting, the conflict was called the Toyota War because both sides used Toyotas  to wage war. Though this is a company image that Sakichi Toyoda may not have wanted, being  the vehicle of choice in a war zone speaks volumes about Toyota.
























Works Cited 

“Eiji Toyoda.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Jan. 2024,  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiji_Toyoda. 

“Killing a Toyota Part 1 | Top Gear | BBC.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Sept. 2010,  www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk.  

“Killing a Toyota Part 2 | Top Gear | BBC.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Nov. 2010,  www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTPnIpjodA8&t=118s.  

Lutkevich, Ben, and Ivy Wigmore. “What Is Toyota Way? - Definition from  TechTarget.” WhatIs, TechTarget, 1 Feb. 2023,  

www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Toyota-Way. 

Roser, Christoph, et al. “The Toyoda Model G Loom (with Videos).” AllAboutLean.Com, 24  Aug. 2021, www.allaboutlean.com/toyoda-model-g/. 

“Toyota Motor Corporation Global Website: 75 Years of Toyota: Part1 Chapter2 Section6: Item  1. Resumption of Factory Production.” TOYOTA Global Website, www.toyota global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/text/taking_on_the_automotive_business/c hapter2/section6/item1.html. Accessed 9 Feb. 2024. 

“Toyota War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Dec. 2023,  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_War. 

“War in Darfur.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Feb. 2024,  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Darfur.

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