Toyota
Toyota has been one of the best-selling automakers in the world for many decades, and for good reason. Since its founding in the early 1900s, Toyota Motor Company has produced high-quality, affordable cars, trucks and SUVs that are popular with drivers.
The 1930s and 1940s saw the creation of the company now known as Toyota Motor Company. In 1935, a prototype car and a prototype truck were produced in a factory in Japan. In 1937, "Toyota Motor Co., Ltd." was established; in 1941, production of passenger cars began, and in 1942, production of the truck KB began. In 1945, the present Toyota Auto Body Co. was established, and by 1947, 10,000 Toyota vehicles were produced in Japan. In 1950, Toyota Motor Sales Co, Ltd. was established, and in 1957, the present Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. was established. In that year, the Toyota Crown became the first passenger car to be exported to the United States, starting a trend that continues to this day.
In 1961, the first Toyota Corolla dealership was established, and a few years later, in 1966, the first Toyota Corolla (one of the most popular passenger cars of all time) rolled off the assembly line. The year the first American astronauts walked on the moon, annual sales of Toyota vehicles reached one million units, and in 1975 exports of Japanese vehicles reached five million units and in 1979 ten million units. In 1980, one of the most popular and reliable cars of all time was introduced - the Toyota Camry.
Since then, Toyota Motor Company has grown exponentially, producing millions of amazing vehicles every year. In 2012, more than four million Toyota vehicles were sold worldwide, and just one year later, that number reached five million. Today, the Corolla is sold over 40 million times worldwide.
With a corporate mission of "At the forefront of mobility, quality and innovation in the service of customers and society," Toyota has been a world-leading automaker for nearly a century.
Toyota VIN license plate: Where can I find it?
Your Toyota VIN should appear on your vehicle registration and insurance documents, but you can also find it on the car itself. Check these places:
Behind the windshield
Behind the driver’s door
Stamped into the chassis, under the driver’s seat
Lexus
Lexus (レクサス, Rekusasu) is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide [3][6] and is Japan's best-selling premium vehicle brand. In terms of market value, it is among the top 10 Japanese brands worldwide. Lexus is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Operational centres are located in Brussels, Belgium, and Plano, Texas, United States.
Lexus was founded around the same time that Japanese rivals Honda and Nissan launched their luxury divisions, Acura and Infiniti, respectively. Lexus grew out of a corporate project to develop a new premium sedan, code-named F1, which began in 1983 and culminated in the 1989 introduction of the Lexus LS. Later sedan, coupe, convertible and SUV models were added. Until 2005, Lexus did not exist as a brand in its home market, and all vehicles marketed internationally as Lexus from 1989 to 2005 were launched in Japan under the Toyota brand and a corresponding model name. A hybrid version of the RX crossover debuted in 2005, and other hybrid models were later added to the division's lineup. In 2007, Lexus introduced its own performance division with the IS F sports sedan, followed by the LFA supercar in 2009.
Lexus vehicles are largely manufactured in Japan, primarily in the Chūbu and Kyūshū regions, particularly at Toyota's Tahara, Aichi, Chūbu and Miyata, Fukuoka, Kyūshū plants. Assembly of the first Lexus produced outside the country, the Canadian-built RX 330, began in 2003. Following a corporate restructuring from 2001 to 2005, Lexus began operating its own design, development and manufacturing centers.
Since the 2000s, Lexus has increased sales outside its largest market, the United States. In 2005, Lexus became the first Japanese premium car brand to open dealerships in the domestic Japanese market, and has since also debuted in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe, and other regions, introducing hybrid vehicles in many markets.