Anniversary Toyota Takes Bold Steps Along Its 60-Year Journey in America
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september/october2017 THE MAGAZINE FOR TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS TH ANNIVERSARY TOYOTA TAKES BOLD STEPS ALONG ITS 60-YEAR JOURNEY IN AMERICA 2018 Camry 7 1 0 2 Passion Play 13 Craig Zinn owns one of the largest collections of 2000GTs and considers it the perfect sports car. Photo by Koichi Shinohara Sixty years ago, Toyota OUR embarked on a bold journey. Here’s a look sept/oct AMERICAN back on how it went and a glimpse at where JOURNEY it’s going. by Dan Miller and Dan Nied 2 American Journey 17 Rugged and Revered Toyota celebrates 60 years of doing business in Enthusiasts around the globe understand why Land the U.S., leaving an indelible mark along the way. Cruiser is the longest-running Toyota in production. When Jim Lentz announced in 2014 that Toyota U.S. marketplace. Then, as now, there was great would establish an all-new North American risk. But it was outweighed by the promise of far 2017 11 Staying Power 19 Leap of Faith headquarters in Plano, Texas, the Toyota Motor greater reward. sept/oct Longo Toyota and Le Mieux Toyota are among After 20 years, the Prius continues to raise the bar North America CEO said the bold move would set No one can say for certain where the current the oldest dealerships in the country. on sustainable transportation. the stage for the next generation of the company’s journey to One Toyota will lead. But, as Toyota 2 customers, dealers, leaders and team members. celebrates its 60th year of doing business in the 12 Test of Time 21 Lean and Green today U.S., we can look back at the twists and turns ota Talk about history repeating itself. Johnstons Toyota, with John and Steve Jardine Toyota’s commitment to the environment is evident oy t at the helm, is 60 years strong. in its places, products and people. That’s because in 1957, Lentz’s predecessors that led us to this point. Henry Ford once said made a similarly bold move — leaving their that “history is bunk.” For Toyota, though, there’s 15 Best is Yet to Come comfort zone of success in Japan in hopes of every reason to believe that the past will be the Dealers and executives share their favorite memories establishing a foothold in the vast but foreign prologue to an even brighter future. from back in the day. continued on page 3 EDITORIAL STAFF toyotatoday.com Sr. Manager Scott DeYager Published six times per year for Toyota dealers and dealership personnel by the Corporate Communications Division of Toyota Motor North America. Manager Lisa Yamada Copyright ©2017 by Toyota Motor North America. Contents may be reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. Editor Karen Nielsen Address magazine inquiries to: Writers Dan Miller Karen Nielsen Dan Nied TEL: 469.292.2659 eMAIL: [email protected] Brin Wall For customer inquiries please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center: Design AkinsParker TEL: 800.331.4331 For product and company information: WEB: toyota.com TEL: 800.GO.TOYOTA Hollywood Toyota Motor opened for business in 1958. CULTURAL TRENDS later, Toyota stopped selling the Toyopet in 1960 until it could come up with a vehicle suited to this market. Meanwhile, the Land Cruiser, and then the Stout pickup, kept operations afloat and helped promote a gradual build-up of a U.S. dealer network. Johnstons Toyota in Maybrook, New York, (see related story on page 12) was a typical example. It operated for several years as little more than an adjunct to a Texaco station before the gas pumps were replaced by a two-car showroom. Elvis hit the scene, rocking jailhouses and poodle skirts simultaneously. Jack Kerouac hit the road in 1957, the Then came 1965 and the debut of the Corona. same year Toyota found its way to America. Its 90-horsepower engine outgunned the Volkswagen Beetle, the import leader at the time. Toyopet Crown A heater and radio were standard equipment and air conditioning was an option, a rarity for an entry-level car. Toyota promoted it with its first U.S. television commercials and print ads in such 2017 continued from page 2 magazines as Life, Time, Newsweek and Look. sept/oct Humble Beginnings (1957–1969) “This thing is underpowered, overpriced and Americans loved it. By the close of the decade, 3 Toyota’s American adventure got off to a it won’t sell. And the name’s all wrong,” said James Toyota had 792 dealers selling more than 130,000 decidedly rocky start. At the time, full-sized gas McGraw, the sales administrator at Toyota’s first vehicles annually. today guzzlers heavily outnumbered small cars. So, in U.S. facility, a converted Rambler dealership in And Detroit took notice. In 1969, Ford ota oy t retrospect, perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a Hollywood, California. introduced the Maverick, the domestics’ first surprise that Toyota’s initial entry — the Toyopet McGraw was right. Americans purchased just significant response to the imports’ domination In 1967, the (Sean Connery) James Bond film You Only Live Crown — failed to find its footing. 288 of them in 1958. And while sales tripled a year of the emerging small-car market. Twice showed the world just how cool the Toyota 2000GT was. Toyota opens for business in California, TOYOTA MOTOR SALES and first five dealers offer Toyopet Crown CORONA hard-top sedan 50FOUNDED IN CALIFORNIAS for sale 2000GT introduced joins product lineup 1957 1958 1959 1964 1967 1968 Toyota sales for 1959 totals pickup truck 1,028 from 97 dealers STOUT introduced to U.S. market Advertising slogan “Get Your Hands on a Toyota Two sedans First sold in the U.S. TOYOPET CROWN LAND CRUISER and You’ll Never Let Go,” introduced. New arrive in the United States TMS sales for 1958 total 288 headquarters dedicated in Torrance, California. continued from page 4 CULTURAL TRENDS Gaining Traction (1970–1988) Whether you were Once Toyota got rolling, it soon got up to full Toyota had the right product at the right time. into Led Zeppelin or speed. In 1972, it sold its 1 millionth vehicle in the Increasingly, it also had the right message. Classic Donna Summer, the U.S. Just four years after that, it passed the 2 million advertising campaigns in the 1970s, such as “You ’70s was a pretty fun milestone. And it took only two more years to reach Asked For It, You Got It” and “Oh, What a Feeling!” decade. Not only was the music amazing, 3 million in cumulative sales. connected with a car-buying public that wasn’t the clothes alone In part, the growth was fueled by the 1973 accustomed to an automaker that actually paid are enough to take oil crisis, leading to gasoline shortages and price close attention to their needs and wants. a time-traveling increases. But it took a second oil shock, in 1979, A few classic Toyota models showed their face field trip. A group of upstart rebels took on Darth Vader’s to shift small efficient cars from novelty to necessity. in the ’70s. The Celica got sporty in, the Cressida empire in 1977, just a year after Rocky went the distance Lexus named against Apollo Creed, proving he wasn’t just another bum luxury division from the neighborhood. In the ’80s, people went to the movies to see the cutest extra- came aboard, while the Supra and Tercel took to terrestrial ever in the nation’s highways. 1982. And, somehow, And the Calty design studio opened, playing a even the least cool major influence in Toyota’s design going forward. among us identified with Ferris Bueller. Meanwhile, Toyota began to lay the groundwork for local production. In 1983, it entered into a joint Everyone freaked out over Thriller, and the Nintendo agreement with General Motors to build Corollas Entertainment System gave us 8-bits of awesome. sept/oct2017 in California. In 1986, it broke ground on its first Fashion wasn’t the greatest in the ’80s. Basically, you could 5 get by on loose and puffy. And the looser and puffier your stand-alone U.S. manufacturing plant to build clothes were, the cooler you were. And that seems a little odd. today Camrys in Kentucky, investing $800 million and ota Gas was $1.03 per gallon, which seems about right. So, you oy creating 3,000 jobs. The first unit rolled off the t didn’t have to pay too much to drive around town blasting line in 1988. Hungry Like the Wolf on the radio. Rap like Run-DMC was mainstream now. You might see a Camry gas pedal pressed to the metal by Adidas tennis shoes, sans laces. 1981 Celica Supra NUMMI launches the Ad slogan “You Asked Toyota Racing Development Toyota sells Calty Design Research For It, You Got It!” U.S.A. established COROLLA FX16 1 MILLIONTH established in Southern helps launch Toyota’s CELICA SUPRA the first Toyota vehicle vehicle in the U.S. California 22-model lineup introduced produced in America 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1979 1981 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 Ad slogan The first Toyota Technical Center Toyota becomes No. 1 in CAMRY LEXUS opens its first U.S. R&D import vehicle sales in the “OH, WHAT introduced to the U.S. 4RUNNER named the luxury facility in Michigan U.S. with total annual retail as a replacement for hits showroom car division sales of 328,918 A FEELING!” the Corona floors of Toyota debuts the “Toyota Jump” Toyota Financial Services opens its door Atlas Fabricators of Long Beach Toyota national headquarters Groundbreaking is held on Toyota’s is signed to produce truck beds building and complex opens $800 million manufacturing plant for pickups, marking Toyota’s in Torrance, California in Georgetown, Kentucky first U.S.