Toyota

Mechanical engineering graduate Kiichiro Toyoda’s ambition to build cars was realised in 1936 with the American-inspired Model AA. Toyota Motor Company was formed a year later, with the name changing for reasons of pronunciation and Chinese superstition. A post-WWII 4x4 would become the basis for the LandCruiser in 1951 – the model that in 1959 became the first Toyota to be imported to Australia. Kiichiro’s nephew Eiji became a key leader of the organisation in the early ’50s, adopting mass-production techniques he’d learned from Ford – but applying improved processes that would lead to the brand becoming renowned for quality and reliability. That included the 1966 Corolla that became a breakthrough model for the company and a gigantic global seller. The model was built in Australia before the Camry became the established locally produced nameplate, though Toyota announced in 2014 that Australian manufacturing would end in 2017. Toyota has established itself as a world leader in petrol-electric hybrid vehicles since the 2001 Prius, though in a bid to add excitement to its lineup Toyota introduced the 86 sports car in 2012 to rekindle memories of models such as the 2000GT, Celica and Supra.