Toyota was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father's company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. Toyota also owns and operates Lexus and Scion brands and has a majority shareholding stake in Daihatsu and Hino Motors, and minority shareholdings in Fuji Heavy Industries, Isuzu Motors, Yamaha Motors, and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. The Toyota Motor Company received its first Japanese Quality Control Award at the start of the 1980s and began participating in a wide variety of motorsports. Due to the 1973 oil crisis, consumers in the lucrative U.S. market began turning to small cars with better fuel economy. American car manufacturers had considered small economy cars to be an "entry level" product, and their small vehicles employed a low level of quality in order to keep the price low.

Toyota ranked eighth on Forbes 2000 list of the world's leading companies for the year 2005.  The company was number one in global automobile sales for the first quarter of 2008. Toyota is one of the largest companies to push hybrid vehicles in the market and the first to commercially mass-produce and sell such vehicles, an example being the Toyota Prius. The company eventually began providing this option on the main smaller cars such as Camry and later with the Lexus divisions, producing some hybrid luxury vehicles. It labeled such technology in Toyota cars as "Hybrid Synergy Drive" and in Lexus versions as "Lexus Hybrid Drive."

Finding IA Used Toyota

Used car shoppers are often drawn to Toyota for its reputation of quality vehicles and good reliability. The used Camry is one of these vehicles. The Camry has gone on to dominate the midsize family sedan segment for virtually all of the next quarter-century, as consumers immediately embraced it for its high build quality, comfortable ride and impressive durability. The current Toyota Camry represents the sixth generation, introduced for 2007. The prior two generations will be of particular interest to shoppers looking for a solid choice in the used-car market. The 2002-'06 Toyota Camry is a comfortable sedan that offers a roomy cabin, a choice of inline-4 or V6 power and, depending on trim level and optional equipment, most of the latest safety features such as stability control and side curtain airbags.

Those looking for a used pickup truck may be interested in the Tundra as an alternative to the American heavyweights, such as the Ram, F-150, and Silverado. The Toyota Tundra was considered by many people to be the first import-brand full-size pickup truck to truly go head-to-head against the Big Three's pickups. The current Toyota Tundra represents the second generation, which debuted for the 2008 model year. A pair of special TRD packages arrived for '09. Note that these 2008 and '09 trucks had a less powerful base engine, a 4.7-liter, 271-hp V8 with a five-speed automatic transmission.