Toyota: 77 Years, 200 Million Vehicles

The Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has this week announced that it has produced its 200 millionth vehicle.

No particular vehicle has been identified as the 200 millionth however, and that's fair; the company currently produces approximately 30,300 vehicles per day, or 1263 vehicles per hour.

And, with Toyota's manufacturing operations spread across 26 countries and regions, the actual 200 millionth vehicle would be a trick to pinpoint.

As a comparison, first-quarter 2012 results show that Toyota’s nearest rivals, General Motors and the Volkswagen Group, are producing 1041 and 986 vehicles per hour respectively.

Toyota has hit the 200 million sales mark in just 76 years and 11 months after producing its first vehicle, the Model G1 truck, in August 1935. Incidentally, just 20 examples were produced that year.

The first 100 million vehicles took 61.5 years to produce, with Toyota’s recent momentum evident in the 15.5 subsequent years it has taken to produce the second 100 million.

Currently, TMC models are sold in more than 170 countries and regions under the Toyota, Lexus, Scion, Daihatsu and Hino brands, and employs over 300,000 staff.

"I have the most profound respect and gratitude for the efforts of all persons who were involved in developing, manufacturing and marketing Toyota vehicles over the years," TMC president Akio Toyoda said recently.