User:Stepho-wrs/Toyota dealer networks (Japan)

These are rough notes only - they will be reordered, reworded and any conflicts resolved for the article itself.

Notes

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April 1956, 8 Toyopet Dealers to sell SKB and small passenger cars. By June 1957 there were 50 Toyopet dealers and a total of 100 Toyopet/Toyota Dealers.[1]

June 1961 - created new marketing channel for Publica.[2]

1968 - created new sales channel Auto Dealers By Dec 1968 there were 49 Toyota, 52 Toyopet, 11 Diesel, 80 Publica and 45 Auto dealers.[3]

March 1956 announced Toyota Forklift, sold through Toyota Dealers.[4] In August 1960, new Toyota Forklift Dealers were appointed specifically to sell industrial equipment.[5]

TMS created in April 1950.[6] TMS handled both domestic and export sales.[7]

September 1947, Toyopet name chosen for all small vehicles.[8]

Vista Dealers created (1979/80/81?)[9]

2/3 days after the end of WWII, director Kamiya began work to rebuild the dealer network.[10] Kamiya's philosophy of "customer first, dealer second, manufacturer third"[11] June 1946, wartime distributions channels closed and many pre-war Toyota dealerships re-established. Many pre-war Nissan dealerships also joined Toyota.

Shotaro Kamiya hired as a director in October 1935. Kamiya creates a dealership in every prefecture, each controlling several outlets within the prefecture and using local capital. Hinode motors of Nagoya was the first dealership of Toyoda Automatic Loom works in November 1935 and each prefecture had a dealership by the end of 1938.[12]

During wartime all automobile manufactures used the government controlled Japan Motorcar Distribution system, formed from pre-war dealerships. Kamiya was the managing director of the MDS. GHQ disbanded this system and left each manufacturer to form its own sales channels. Kamiya was hired by Toyota. He convinced many of the dealers who were previously with Nissan or Isuzu to join Toyota, although the Tokyo and Osaka dealers choose to go with Nissan.[13]

From 194x to 1962, sales were made to the US military for the Korean war. TMC or TMS?

SKB started sales in September 1954 at the Toyota dealerships. Toyopet Dealerships opened in 1956 with the SKB as their first product.[14]

1957 started a diesel dealership. But demand was low so only nine outlets were open in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya ? other prefectures sold diesel vehicles through the existing Toyota dealers. The initial diesel dealerships were later used to start the Publica dealerships, which was later rename as Corolla dealerships.[15]

Partnership with Hino. Hino stopped making its Contessa cars and sold its car dealerships. Toyota shifted its truck manufacturing to Hino and Hino's existing truck dealerships continued.[16]

TMC and TMS merged in January 1982.[17]

Kamiya leaves GM-Japan to join Toyota in 1935 at 120 Yen a month - one fifth of his GM salary. Kamiya convinced som GM dealers to change to Toyoda. The first G1 was shown at a Tokyo exhibit on 21 November 1935. The G1 was for sale 2 weeks later at the Hinode Motors (previously a GM dealership) dealership at Nagoya. Early breakdowns of the G1 were closely monitored by the factory, with factory workers helping dealership technicians when needed. [18]

The Law Concerning the Manufacture of Motor Vehicles was passed in May 1936 to encourage local manufactures and to discourage foreign manufactures. So when Toyoda was licensed under this law in September 1936, many GM and Ford dealers changed to being Toyoda dealers. A Tokyo exhibit on 14 September 1936 showed the G1 truck and also the A and AB passenger cars. The license was granted the same day. A contest was held to determine the logo of the new car. The circle containing the three Japanese characters for Toyoda were selected but Risaburo Toyoda changed the name to Toyota so that it could be written in eight brush strokes - eight being a Japanese lucky number.[19]

  • I'm still reading Against all odds - more notes to follow soon.
  • Need information on
  1. Vista network,
  2. Auto network,
  3. how Lexus cars were badged as Toyotas before the Lexus network in existed Japan ,
  4. anything after 1987,
  5. whether the sales channels are/were owned by TMC or the Toyota group.

References

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  1. ^ First50, p136
  2. ^ First50, p149
  3. ^ First50, p189
  4. ^ First50, p199
  5. ^ First50, p200
  6. ^ First50, p106
  7. ^ Toyoda, p150/168
  8. ^ First50, p102
  9. ^ First50, p265
  10. ^ First50, p94
  11. ^ First50, p98
  12. ^ First50, p63
  13. ^ Toyoda, p99
  14. ^ Toyoda, p123
  15. ^ Toyoda, p123-124
  16. ^ Toyoda, p132/160
  17. ^ Toyoda, p158
  18. ^ Odds,p66-68
  19. ^ Odds, p72-73

Bibliography

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  • Eiji Toyoda (1987). Toyota-fifty years in motion. Tokyo: Kodansha International.
  • Yukiyasu Togo; William Wartman (1993). Against all odds. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-09733-6.
  • Toyota: A history of the First 50 Years. Toyota Motor Corporation. 1988. p. 133/135/137. ISBN 0-517-61777-3.
  • http://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/