5-Years on: Toyota, still the World's Biggest Car Maker

When Toyota knocked down the American vehicle giant General Motors in sales volume last 2013, it took with it the title of being the world’s biggest car maker. Some people may question how Toyota managed to pull off this amazing feat while others may not be so surprised. Why? Look around you. The most common nameplates on the road today are typically Toyota’s.

The success story doesn’t necessarily comes as a result of Toyoto being the most perfect car on the road. As a matter of fact, most of their models won’t even be on the honor roll for the fastest, quickest, or the most luxurious. What Toyota offers to the market as a car manufacturer is a range of vehicles that boast unequivocal value and reliability.

Dreaming for a global milestone, the company has placed strategic locations in marketing their cars across the globe; including the United States, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Europe, and Thailand. It raised the banner with great stress on quality reassurance regardless if cars were assembled domestically - result made possible thanks to the Toyota Production System. 

Despite the growth, Toyota has actually faced difficulties when it started selling cars overseas. Five years ago, the biggest Toyota recall reached a total of nine million cars, pointing to a faulty floor mat and an accelerator pedal problem. This led to question Toyota’s commitment to quality to an extent that it has caused distress to their CEO Aiko Toyoda apologizing in public despite an inconclusive investigation. Still with all honesty and commitment to make way of the true Toyota culture that embodies continuous improvement and respect for people. It reassured their customers who have long been acquainted with the brand that Toyota is still a Japanese corporate icon that speaks of quality, reliability, and safety. 

What Toyota is today also marks the celebration of a series of models that won much praise globally. For example, the Toyota Land Cruiser which started its roots from a utilitarian off-roader but offered as a cheapskate alternative to the Land Rover and Jeep models with the same amount of equipment and capability in its time. It is even regarded as 'the 4WD that helped build Australia', and has long been the preferred vehicle of choice for the United Nation. 

Another model that’s widely regarded as being the most popular car in the world is the Toyota Corolla, thanks to its unrivalled sales figures since 1977. It showed success during the oil crisis in the seventies when fuel-efficiency was a number one priority. It is also said that 90% of cars running in Afghanistan are all Toyota Corolla which speaks volumes regarding their affinity as a sedan.

Today, the company is steadily footing towards producing the most efficient cars on the planet starting with its lineup of hybrid technology, a car that runs on both gasoline and electric to get the best mileage possible. They’ve also debuted the first hydrogen fuel-cell car called the Mirai, which is billed to be commercially available for the masses starting in April 2015. 

In the Philippines, Filipinos have long enjoyed the products that Toyota is offering to the market. In the past, we’ve seen models like the Crown, Liteace, Starlet, and the Celica produce waves. These models were highly regarded to be equally practical and robust for a developing country like our own. While at present, Toyota has the Corolla, Camry, Hilux, Hiace, and the Land Cruiser in its lineup. Yet fresher nameplates such as the Innova, Avanza, Yaris, and Vios are garnering great sales because they offer buyers good value and up-to-date technology compared to their competitors. With the addition of the 86, Toyota’s truest sports car to date, these are good signs that Aiko Toyoda is really serious in making a good turn for the company. Another worth mentioning car that’s already hitting good sales is the Wigo hatchback, it is officially the people’s Toyota for the majority of Filipinos who dreamed of owning their first car.

With Toyota’s way of research on getting things done, the company has nailed the milestone again here and abroad as sub-brands like Scion, Daihatsu, and Lexus are also in full-throttle to deliver you value-oriented cars packaged with Toyota’s promise for this era of Moving Forward.