One of the earliest imports to the American market that truly took over the market is the Toyota brand which continues to be a giant today.
For many years the American automotive brands fought hard against this giant from Japan to try and keep their foothold on the marketplace, but the gasoline crisis of the 1970s offered the opening that Toyota needed. Since that time, the brand has flourished in the US and has become one of the best-selling brands on the market, but it still hasn’t been accepted as an American name just yet. That’s something Toyota is trying to change.
Lots of Money Hasn’t Changed the Image
Today we still look at Toyota as a brand that’s an import, but should we? They have invested more than $21 billion in the US market and are ready to add another $2 billion every year until 2022. There have been 17 million vehicles that have been built and sold in the US already. Yes, these models have been built here and the brand has four different assembly plants in place around the country to build many of the models we enjoy today. Shouldn’t this make the Toyota brand an American one?
The four plants that build the Toyota vehicles in the US turn out more than 1.2 million models every year including the Corolla, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Lexus ES 350, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, and Tundra. The four plants are located in Mississippi, Kentucky, Indiana, and Texas and support several different cities with the jobs that have brought with the plants that have been built. Still, this surge in our own economy over several decades, and the employment of Americans isn’t enough to make us think of this brand as an American one at all.
The Toyota Story is Certainly Worth Telling
With the assembly plants, three engine production facilities, and a number of suppliers to go along with the programs that Toyota has created in the US, the brand knows it has a story that’s worth telling. By entering NASCAR, Toyota USA is able to tell its story and offer vehicles that have been waving the American flag in a variety of ways. There’s no shortage of Toyota models that show up at the tracks every week to race and a parade of different vehicles can often be spotted before the races as a promotional exercise.
It’s important that we know that Toyota is fully in support of the American way of life and has invested in the future of the country. Right now, Toyota employs over 350,000 Americans across the country and has a variety of programs and contests that students are able to participate in and enjoy. While some of our own domestic names are looking for cheaper labor forces and a way to outsource work, Toyota continues to invest and show interest in the American way of life and the workforce we already have in place to create, build, and develop the Toyota products that are sold here.
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