70 years and going strong. Toyota Motor Corp is the world's best car manufacturer. The Japanese company boasts of 40 vehicle assembly plants around the world and 12 research, development and design centers while employing a mammoth figure of 310,000 people. Here is a chronology of main events and milestones in Toyota's colourful history:
1933 - Automobile department established within textile loom maker Toyoda Automatic Loom Works -- now Toyota Industries Corp -- founded by inventor Sakichi Toyoda
1935 - First vehicle, the Model G1 truck, built. First Toyota dealership established
1936 - Production starts of its first car, the Model AA
1957 - Crown becomes first passenger car made in Japan to be exported to the United States
1962 - First overseas vehicle plant, in Brazil
1964 - First Asian vehicle plant outside Japan, in Thailand
1972 - Cumulative production in Japan reaches 10 million vehicles
1984 - Toyota's first U.S. car assembly plant, a joint venture with General Motors Corp->ke32, opens in California
1989 - Toyota launches luxury Lexus->ke47 brand in North America
1992 - First European car plant begins production in Britain
1997 - Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid car, launched
1998 - Toyota takes majority stake in minivehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co->ke26
1999 - 100 millionth Toyota vehicle produced in Japan
2001 - Toyota takes majority stake in truck maker Hino Motors Ltd
2003 - Toyota makes 6.78 million vehicles and overtakes Ford Motor Co->ke31 in annual sales to become world No.2 behind General Motors
2005 - Toyota takes minority stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, maker of Subaru->ke86 cars, for cooperation in vehicle technology development and use of its U.S. factory
2006 - Toyota takes minority stake in truck maker Isuzu Motors Ltd->ke1688 to beef up diesel engine technology
2006 - Toyota's group global sales of 8.808 million vehicles exceeds GM's by 128,000, making it the world's biggest automaker, authoritative industry magazine Automotive News says. (This figure excludes cars made by a Chinese joint venture in which GM holds a minority stake)
.