Analysis of Toyota Motor Corporation in

the U.S.A.
-International Marketing Case Study-

Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

BABE-BOLYAI UNIVERSITY
-Cluj-Napoca-

Students:
Gergely Levente
Hegyi Magor Pter

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Presentation of the Company........................................... 1

2. International Context ....................................................... 4
3. Marketing Mix .................................................................. 1
4. Success, Achievements and Failures ............................... 4
5. Conclusion ......................................................................... 4

Chapter 1. Presentation of the Company

General History

Toyota Motor Corporation, Japanese Toyota Jidsha KK, Japanese parent company of
the Toyota Group. It became the largest automobile manufacturer in the world for the first time
in 2008. Most of its nearly 600 subsidiary companies are involved in the production of
automobiles, automobile parts, and commercial and industrial vehicles.
Toyota Motor Corporation began in 1933 as a division of the Toyoda Automatic Loom
Works, Ltd. (later Toyota Industries Corporation, now a subsidiary) a Japanese manufacturer
founded by Toyoda Sakichi. Its first production car, the Model AA sedan, was released in 1936.
The following year the division was incorporated as the Toyota Motor Company, Ltd., an
automotive spin-off headed by Toyoda Kiichiro, Sakichis son. Toyota subsequently
established several related companies, including Toyoda Machine Works, Ltd. (1941), and
Toyota Auto Body, Ltd. (1945).
Today Toyota has assembly plants and distributors in many countries. Its vehicles, some in
the form of unassembled units, are exported to more than 140 countries. In addition to
automotive products, its subsidiaries manufacture rubber and cork materials, steel, synthetic
resins, automatic looms, and cotton and woolen goods. Others deal in real estate, prefabricated
housing units, and the import and export of raw materials.1

Company History in the U.S.A

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) is the North American Toyota sales, marketing, and
distribution subsidiary devoted to the U.S. market. Founded in 1957 in California, TMS
currently employs more than 6,500 people. Its current headquarters in Torrance, California

Toyota Jidosha KK, Encyclopedia Britannica, Yamini Chauhan, June 09, 20130

supervises 14 regional offices. Toyota has plans in 2014 to move its headquarters to suburban
Dallas, Texas in the next few years.2

TMS oversees sales in 50 states of Toyota, Lexus, and Scion products through a network of
over 1,200 Toyota dealers (of whom more than 900 also sell Scion vehicles) and over 200
Lexus dealers. TMS develops Toyota's television campaigns and other nationwide marketing
materials, and supervises dealer marketing to ensure that dealers present a uniform image. TMS
also manages regional distribution, which occurs through 12 parts centers and five vehicle
centers. James E. Lentz III is the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.3

Mission

Toyotas mission statement is the following one:

To sustain sustainable growth by providing the best customer experience and dealer
support. (Toyota, 2007)
Customer satisfaction is the most important driving force for the Toyota Company. By
keeping the customer satisfaction at the highest level possible the company is able to provide
the highest quality products and services. Toyota is characterized by Kaizen, a Japanese
word, which means continuous improvement of its technology, products, and services.
Toyota further explains its mission as follows:
Around here our values are just like yours. We are hard working. We are active in community.
We are creating jobs. We celebrate our diversity. We are building cleaner, greener cars. And
this is just the beginning.(Toyota 2007)

Jerry Hirsch and David Undercoffler, Toyota to move jobs and marketing headquarters from Torrance to
Texas, Los Angeles Times, April 27, 2014
3

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/business/10prius.html New York Times: October 10, 2008-

Vision
To be the most respected and successful enterprise, delight customers with a wide range of
products and solutions in the automobile industry with the best people and best
technology.(Toyota 2007)

The most respected.

The most successful.

Delighting customers.

Wide range of products.

The best people.

The best technology.

As we can see this goal for the future, the Toyota Global Vision is well-connected with its
Mission. The current vision, which reinforces the mission of the company (serving the
customers and the society by applying Kaizen) is like a fruit-bearing tree that grows from roots
that symbolize Toyotas main values and philosophies.

Figure 1. Toyota Tree, Toyota-Global.com.