It was back in August 1935 when Toyota produced its very first vehicle, a G1 pickup truck, which was technically assembled by the automotive production division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works. This original company was founded in 1926 and made automatic looms before a standalone automotive department was spun off from the car production division in 1937 as the Toyota Motor Corporation we know today. Fun fact - Toyota Industries still makes automatic looms in 2023.
Fast forward to the present times, the Japanese automaker is celebrating an important moment in the company's history. Some 88 years after the first truck was built, Toyota is proud to say it has produced 300 million cars. Although announced today, the remarkable milestone was actually reached at the end of September.
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In the nearly nine decades that have passed, Toyota has put together a little over 180 million cars at its domestic factories while nearly 120 million have been made outside of Japan. As expected, the Corolla is the most popular model, with 53.39 million vehicles assembled. The nameplate has been around since 1966 and has taken a multitude of forms, from sedans and hatchbacks to wagons and coupes, plus the occasional minivan.
In 2022 when it shipped 10.5 million vehicles, Toyota was the best-selling automaker in the world for the third year in a row. In addition, the RAV4 was the most popular car, according to JATO Dynamics. Its lineup is growing as the Crown has blossomed into a four-model lineup and there's also a Century SUV now.
Even more models could be on the way if the electric pickup, SUV, and sports car unveiled last month at the Japan Mobility Show will make it to production later this decade.
