In 1936, Toyota entered the passenger car market with its Model AA and
held a competition to establish a new logo emphasizing speed for its
new product line. After receiving 27,000 entries, one was selected that
additionally resulted in a change of its monikor to "Toyota" from the
family name "Toyoda." It was believed that the new name sounded better
and its eight-stroke count in the Japanese language was associated with
wealth and good fortune. The original logo no longer is found on its
vehicles but remains the corporate emblem used in Japan.
Still, there were no guidelines for the use of the brand name,
"TOYOTA", which was used throughout most of the world, which led to
inconsistencies in its worldwide marketing campaigns.
To remedy this, Toyota introduced a new worldwide logo in October
1989 to commemorate the 50th year of the company, and to differentiate
it from the newly released luxury Lexus brand. The logo made its debut
on the 1989 Toyota Celsior and quickly gained worldwide recognition.
There are three ovals in the new logo that combine to form the letter
"T", which stands for Toyota. The overlapping of the two perpendicular
ovals inside the larger oval represent the mutually beneficial
relationship and trust that is placed between the customer and the
company while the larger oval that surrounds both of these inner ovals
represent the "global expansion of Toyota's technology and unlimited
potential for the future."
The logo started appearing on all printed material, advertisements, dealer signage, and the vehicles themselves in 1990.
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Toyota Takes 10 Vincentric 'Best Value in America' Awards Including Best Overall Passenger Car
TORRANCE, Calif., March 1, 2011 - - Toyota led all
manufacturers with 10 winners in the 7th annual Vincentric’s Best Value
in America awards for the 2011 model year. Toyota’s award total was
twice as many as the runner-up brand and represented nearly one-quarter
of all awards selected.
Vincentric determines its Best Value in America awards based on
cost-of-ownership by measuring eight different cost factors:
depreciation, fuel, insurance, opportunity cost, financing, maintenance,
taxes and state fees, and repairs.
The 10 segment winners were highlighted by Toyota receiving the
brand level award for the passenger car segment, in addition to its nine
model-specific awards. The remaining nine model-specific segment awards
captured by Toyota included:
• 4Runner – SUV, Mid-Size (third year in a row)
• Avalon – Large (six-time winner)
• Camry Hybrid – Mid-Size Hybrid Sedan
• FJ Cruiser – SUV, Compact
• Highlander Hybrid – SUV, Mid-Size Hybrid
• Land Cruiser – SUV, Mid-Size Premium (fourth year in a row)
• Prius – Compact, Advanced Fuel Technology (six-time winner)
• Tacoma – Compact Pickup (seventh year in a row…more than any other vehicle)
• Venza – Crossover, Mid-Size (two-time winner)
