If Toyota hadn't dared to enter the American market some 50 years ago, it wouldn't be the giant it is today. And a giant it is, having passed GM as the world's largest builder and seller of cars during the first quarter of 2007. Toyota sold 2.348 million cars worldwide from January to March, while GM put 2.26 million in buyers' garages. It's inconceivable that Toyota would have been able to surpass GM if it wasn't so successful in the US, on GM's home turf.
The story of Toyota's first 50 years in America isn't a wonderful tale of complete success. The company has built some truly awful duds along the way. But it is one of the great business stories and also a tale about how American attitudes towards Japan have changed with the passage of time. Ultimately, it's a story about how Americans have come to see America differently.
This isn't a comprehensive history-we don't have the space. Instead, this is a look at some of the cars that made Toyota what it is today. We'll deal with Lexus and Scion when they hit their 50th anniversaries in 2040 and 2053 respectively. Keep an eye out for those issues.
1957: The Beginning
It would seem Toyota couldn't have picked a worse year to come to America. Beyond the fact that a lot of Americans back then would never forgive Japan for World War II, America's homegrown automakers were having an absolutely spectacular time. It's also likely that most of America still agreed with former General Motors CEO, Charles Wilson, when he said, in 1953: "What was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa." How could Toyota fight that?
There were at least hints of change on the way. And Toyota wasn't attempting to flood the market anyhow. On October 31, 1957, Toyota opened its headquarters in an old Rambler dealership in Hollywood, California, importing a total of two $2300 Toyopet Crown sedans. The first American sale wouldn't come until 1958.
John A. Rose of San Diego became the first franchised Toyota dealer in 1957. The Rose family would run Rose Toyota until 2001, when it was sold to the Conant Auto Retail Group and became Toyota San Diego. Rose's son, Byron, told the San Diego Union-Tribune: "When people would say: 'Why are you selling Japanese cars, isn't that un-American?', he'd say: 'Are you still mad at the British?'"
Driving The 1961 Toyopet Crown
Among Toyota's stash of historic vehicles is a 1961 Toyopet Crown. It's a museum piece, but somehow SCC talked Toyota into letting it out for a photo shoot, alongside a 2000GT and a perfectly preserved 1997 Supra Turbo (owned by VP of Product Planning, Andrew Coetze) at Toyota North America's headquarters in Torrance, California. Then, miracle of miracles, I talked them into letting me drive the Toyopet. Not very far (we had to stay in the Toyota parking lot) and not very fast (it was a full parking lot), but I did drive it.
My bulk barely fit behind the wheel, but the car itself drives with some sweetness. The three-on-the-tree shifter works with hideous imprecision (though you get used to it), the steering is easy despite its lack of power assistance, and prodding the accelerator pedal produces more noise than actual thrust. Despite that, it's still a real car you could use for your daily commute. If, that is, you can get past the terror of trying to merge into freeway traffic and can trust the four-wheel drum brakes and skinny bias-ply whitewalls to stop once you get going.
What impressed me most about this unrestored 46-year-old car, though, was how solid it felt. It didn't shimmy or shake, there were no creaks going over speed bumps, and the seats still had some spring to them. It felt like a Toyota.
Corona: The Toyota Made For America
Toyota has never been run by fools. As early as 1960, it knew, much like the British sports car makers of the 50s, that it would have to build products tailored to the American market. The first Toyota designed as such was the 1965 Corona sedan.