TOYOTA

External Analysis of Toyota

External Analysis of the Automotive Industry

Introduction

Toyota is one of the largest automakers with 7.4 million vehicles sold each year on five continents. With its commitment to its customers and its constant search for improvement, innovation of its Toyota occupies a leading position in the market Auto Asia, has the unique advantage of being the best Japanese brand sold in the United States and to be number one in Europe. The story of Toyota begins at the end of the 19th century with the invention of the first Sakichi Toyoda automatic loom in Japan, a machine that helps to revolutionize the textile industry countries (Vlasic, Bill, Fackler, Martin, 2008). In January 1918, Sakichi Toyoda founded the Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company and with the help his son, Kiichiro Toyoda, he managed to achieve in 1924 the dream of a lifetime building an automatic loom. Two years later he founded the factory looms Toyoda Automatic Loom Works. Kiichiro Toyoda inherits the innovative spirit of his father. In the years, twenty and he makes several trips to the United States and Europe, during which he is interested close to the nascent auto industry. Putting the best advantage of the £ 100,000 from the sale by Sakichi Toyoda of industrial property rights of his automatic loom, Kiichiro Toyoda lays the foundation of the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), which he founded in 1937 (Dawson, Chester, 2004).

Outside Japan, Toyota has begun to conquer foreign markets in the 1950s. The first Toyota Crown models arrive in the United States in 1957, and by 1965, the company will forged a reputation for quality, service and customer satisfaction, particularly through models car like the Toyota Corolla, which will enable it to compete with car manufacturers nationals. In 2004, annual sales of Toyota vehicles in the United States will exceed 2 million, including 1.4 million vehicles and nearly 1.36 million engines manufactured in the United States. The first European imports made in Denmark in 1963 and since that date, the company has grown steadily in the market for sophisticated, and complex motor Europe. In 2006, Toyota has shipped its 15 millionth vehicle in Europe and achieved sales figures record for the tenth consecutive year. Toyota has adopted a policy of locating its vehicle production to meet the specific and varied needs of European customers (Dawson, Chester, 2004). The company's operations in Europe - whether in production, research and development or marketing are generally located in the heart of the communities where continues its development (Dawson, Chester, 2004).

Opportunities

Major Threats and Opportunities Facing Toyota as a Company

Since 2005, the Japanese auto Enterprise Honda decided to introduce to the Mexican market the Civic hybrid. Nowadays, the automobile are more ecological that is commercialized in Mexico. Therefore, enterprises as Smart (German) and Toyota (Japanese) decided to enter as competitors with two hybrid models. Smart just in July of 2008 announced the introduction of the Micro Hybrid model FORTWO that will be available in September 2008 (Fackler, Martin, ...