Toyota’s vehicles (produced by Toyota, Daihatsu and Hino) can be classified
into three categories: hybrid vehicles, conventional engine vehicles, and fuel
cell vehicles. Toyota’s product line-up includes subcompact and compact
cars, mini-vehicles, mid-size, luxury, sports and specialty cars, recreational
and sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks, minivans, trucks and buses.
Hybrid Vehicles
The world’s first mass-produced hybrid car was Toyota’s Prius. It
runs on an efficient combination of a gasoline engine and motor. This system
allows the Prius to travel more efficiently than conventional engine vehicles
of comparable size and performance. The hybrid design of the Prius also results
in the output of 75% less emission than the maximum amount allowed by Japanese
environmental regulations. Toyota views the Prius as the cornerstone of its
emphasis on designing and producing eco-friendly automobiles.
In the last three years, Toyota has strengthened its hybrid lineup by introducing
the fully remodeled IS300h in May 2013, the fully remodeled Corolla Axio HV/Corolla
Fielder HV in August 2013, the fully remodeled Harrier HV in December 2013,
the fully remodeled Voxy HV/Noah HV in January 2014, the NX300h in July 2014,
the RC300h and the Esquire HV in September 2014, the fully remodeled Alphard
and Vellfire in January 2015, the Sienta HV in June 2015, the fully remodeled
RX-HV in September 2015 and the fully remodeled Prius in November 2015. In the
hybrid vehicles area, where strong growth is anticipated, Toyota aims to continue
its efforts to offer a diverse line-up of hybrid vehicles, enhance engine power
while improving fuel economy and otherwise work towards increasing the sales
of hybrid vehicles.
Fuel Cell Vehicles
Toyota began limited sales of a fuel cell vehicle in Japan and the United States
in December 2002. In June 2005, Toyota’s new fuel cell passenger vehicle
became the first in Japan to acquire vehicle type certification under the Road
Vehicles Act, as amended, on March 31, 2005, by Japan’s Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Leases for fuel cell vehicles began in
July 2005. By 2007, Toyota was able to make improvements to start-up and cruising
distance at temperatures below freezing, which were technological challenges.
Toyota has made advances by solving technological issues such as the above and
worked towards the practical use of such solutions, culminating in the general
sale of the world’s first mass produced fuel cell vehicle MIRAI in Japan
beginning in December 2014, in the United States beginning in June 2015 and
in Europe beginning in September 2015.
Conventional Engine Vehicles
Subcompact and Compact
Toyota’s subcompact and compact cars include the four-door Corolla sedan,
which is one of Toyota’s bestselling models. The Yaris, marketed as the
Vitz in Japan, is a subcompact car designed to perform better and offer greater
comfort than other compact cars available in the market with low emissions that
are particularly attractive to European consumers. In Europe, Toyota introduced
the fully remodeled Aygo in June 2014. In Japan, Toyota introduced the remodeled
Corolla Axio/Fielder in May 2012, the remodeled Porte and its variant, the Spade,
in July 2012 and the remodeled Auris in August 2012. In India, Asia, China and
other markets, Toyota introduced the Etios and Vios. In addition, Toyota introduced
the AGYA, which is designed and manufactured by Daihatsu. Moreover, Scion iA,
which is designed and manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation, was newly introduced
in July 2015.
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Mini-Vehicles
Mini-vehicles are manufactured and sold by Daihatsu. Daihatsu manufactures mini-vehicles,
passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and auto parts. Mini-vehicles are passenger
vehicles, vans or trucks with engine displacements of 660 cubic centimeters
or less. Daihatsu sold approximately 530 thousand mini-vehicles and 177 thousand
automobiles on a consolidated basis during fiscal 2016. Daihatsu’s largest
market is Japan, which accounted for approximately 80% of Daihatsu’s unit
sales during fiscal 2016. From 2011, Toyota began to sell some mini-vehicles
manufactured by Daihatsu under the Toyota brand.
Mid-Size
Toyota’s mid-size models include the Camry, which has been the bestselling
passenger car in the United States for eighteen of the past nineteen calendar
years (from 1997 to present) and also for the last fourteen consecutive years.
The Camry was fully remodeled in August 2011. Camry sales in the United States
for 2015 were approximately 429 thousand units (including Camry hybrids). In
addition, Toyota’s other mid-size models include the REIZ for the Chinese
market, the Avensis, which was remodeled in November 2008 for the European market,
and the Mark X, which was remodeled in October 2009 for the Japanese market.
Luxury & Large
In North America, Europe, Japan and other regions, Toyota’s luxury lineup
consists primarily of vehicles sold under the Lexus brand name. Lexus passenger
car models include the LS, the GS, the ES, the IS, the HS, the CT and the RC.
Lexus models also include the LX, the GX, the RX and the NX sold as luxury sport-utility
vehicles. Toyota commenced sales of its luxury automobiles in Japan under the
Lexus brand in August 2005. As of March 31, 2016, the Lexus brand lineup in
Japan includes the LS, the GS, the HS, the IS, the CT, the LX, the RX, the NX
and the RC. The Toyota brand’s full-size luxury car, the Avalon, was remodeled
in October 2012, and the Crown was remodeled in December 2012. Toyota also sells
the Century limousine in Japan.
Sports and Specialty
In the United States Toyota sells the Scion tC, a sports model targeted at young
drivers. In December 2010, Toyota introduced the LFA model under the Lexus brand
as the high-performance sports model, and in April 2012, Toyota introduced the
86 (called Scion FR-S in the U.S.), a compact sports car with a front-mounted
engine and rear-wheel drive. In October 2014, Toyota introduced the RC coupe
that leads the image of Lexus, which engages drivers on a sentimental level.
Recreational and Sport-Utility Vehicles and Pickup Trucks
Toyota sells a variety of sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Toyota’s
sport-utility vehicles available in North America include the Sequoia, the 4Runner,
the RAV4, the Highlander, the FJ Cruiser and the Land
Cruiser, and pickup trucks available are the Tacoma and Tundra. The Tacoma,
the Tundra, the Highlander and the Sequoia are manufactured in the United States.
Toyota also offers four types of sport-utility vehicles under the Lexus brand,
including the LX, the GX, the RX, and the NX. Toyota also manufactures the RX
and RAV4 models in Canada. Toyota’s pickup truck, the Hilux, has been
the bestselling model of all Toyota cars sold in Thailand. In North America,
the fully remodeled RAV4 was introduced in December 2012 and the fully remodeled
Highlander was introduced in December 2013. In July 2014, Toyota introduced
the new NX model under the Lexus brand. In May 2015, Toyota introduced the fully
remodeled Hilux in Thailand and in September 2015, it introduced the fully remodeled
RX of the Lexus brand in North America.
Minivans and Cabwagons
Toyota offers several basic models for the global minivan market. Its largest
minivans in Japan, the Alphard and the Vellfire, were remodeled in January 2015.
In addition, the Corolla Verso was remodeled in December 2008 in Europe, and
the Wish was remodeled in April 2009, the Noah/Voxy was remodeled in January
2014 and the new model Esquire was introduced in October 2014 in Japan. Toyota’s
other minivan models include, in Japan, the Estima, the Sienta and the Isis,
and, in North America, the Sienna.
Trucks and Buses
Toyota’s product lineup includes trucks (including vans) up to a gross
vehicle weight of five tons and micro-buses that are sold in Japan and in overseas
markets. Trucks and buses are also manufactured and sold by Hino, a subsidiary
of Toyota. Hino’s product lineup includes large trucks with a gross vehicle
weight of over eleven tons, medium trucks with a gross vehicle weight of between
five and eleven tons and small trucks with a gross vehicle weight of up to five
tons. Hino’s bus lineup includes medium to large buses used primarily
as tour buses and public buses, small buses and micro-buses.
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