Why Did Toyota Become the World's Number One?
3 Answers
Toyota became the world's number one due to its strong capabilities. Here is an introduction about GAC Toyota: Introduction: GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd., established on September 1, 2004, is a joint venture with 50% investment each from Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. and Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan, with a cooperation period of 30 years. The company is located in Nansha District, Guangzhou, the geometric center of China's highly dynamic Pearl River Delta, covering an area of 1.87 million square meters with a building area of 400,000 square meters and an initial production capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year. Product Introduction: The first sedan produced by the company, the Camry, is one of the best-selling mid-to-high-end sedans globally. The company's second model, the YARiS, is one of Toyota's global strategic models.
Toyota's rise to global dominance, I believe, stems from its exceptional understanding of ordinary families' needs. As a Corolla owner for ten years, my car has required nothing beyond routine oil changes, with the engine still running perfectly even after 300,000 kilometers. Toyota's quality control is obsessive—even windshield wiper rubber strips undergo thousands of durability tests. I recall visiting a Toyota plant in Thailand where workers' screw-tightening torque was monitored by sensors. This fanatical commitment to quality makes their used cars command premium prices. Their localization strategy is equally impressive: ultra-affordable compact cars for India, full-size pickups for America—each market gets its tailored hit model. During the chip shortage crisis, Toyota's supply chain remained rock-solid thanks to brilliant inventory strategies. For families prioritizing reliability and cost-efficiency, Toyota delivers like no other.
From a manufacturing perspective, Toyota's dominance secret lies in lean production. I visited the Kyushu plant where the assembly line can simultaneously produce eight different models with model changeovers taking just 90 seconds. The workshop has no parts warehouse, relying entirely on kanban systems for real-time replenishment - even screws are precisely allocated in 10-minute supply quantities. This zero-inventory model reduces costs by over 15% compared to European/American automakers. More remarkably, its supplier development approach transformed small workshops like Denso into industry giants. Toyota also treats factories as laboratories - the tropical-spec rubber seals improved at its Thailand plant are now used globally. This ability to transform car manufacturing into precision instrument production remains unmatched after two decades of competitors trying to catch up.
