What are the things you need to remember when looking back on the history of the Toyota emblem?
- First Toyota Logo by Kiichiro Toyoda
- 1936 Contest for Toyota Logo
- Establishment of The Present Toyota Logo in 1989
A road is not complete without a Toyota cruising by with its iconic emblem shining on many variations of high-quality vehicles. Sometimes, you can’t help but wonder how it became the popular logo it is today. In the Philippines, Toyota Motors remain as one of the primary automobile producers for the people with family cars such as the Innova and Wigo making their name as the best-selling cars for the modern Filipino.
Toyota succeeds in delivering quality vehicles all over the world — a true testament to its long-serving excellence in the industry. Let us take a look back on an integral part of the Toyota brand — its emblem, and learn about interesting facts about this symbol!
The First Toyota Logo by Kiichiro Toyoda
Toyota Motors is the brainchild of Mr. Kiichiro Toyoda who decided to reinvent his father’s company to become an automobile manufacturer. Before it became Toyota Motors, it was first Toyoda Loom Works, Ltd., founded in 1926 by Mr. Sakichi Toyoda. The first Toyota logo during this time was just a simple diamond-shaped badge bearing the family name of the founders enveloped in red and white. This was used until the 1936 and it has come to be the start of the brand’s ascent into the Japanese and global auto industry. Thus, marking the beginning of Toyota’s journey into being one of the greatest car manufacturers in the world.
1936 Contest for Toyota Logo
The Toyoda logo has enjoyed the spotlight until 1936 when the company decided that they will hold a public contest for the goal of having a newly-revamped logo. According to The News Wheel, this competition was made in the hopes of transitioning the company away from being a family-owned business into a full corporate enterprise. There was a great turnout as 27,000 entries went through but the winner emerged to be the katakana design, spelling ‘Toyota’ in a circle.
The stroke order and number in katakana writing in the winning entry were also taken into consideration because there is an association with luck and good fortune for these elements in Japanese writing. Instead of the 10-stroked, Toyoda, it has been changed to Toyota which only has 8 strokes which is a number of good luck in Japan!
Establishment of the Present Toyota Logo in 1989
From its humble beginnings, Toyota Motors Philippines, along with every distributor around the world, use this present-day logo featuring the smooth and sleek overlapping ellipses that represent the relationship of the two groups who make up the Toyota brand — the company and its customers.
This design has been adopted in 1989, marking the company’s 50th year anniversary as the number one carmaker in the world. The design that you see today is the two overlapping perpendicular ovals in the middle that forms a T for Toyota and it closely resembles a steering wheel. The oval that is surrounding these ellipses in the middle is a symbolism that the world is embracing Toyota according to Hiland Toyota. It is also made as a symmetrical logo so that it would look the same when you view it on a rear view mirror.
Key Takeaway
The brand name is as important as the car itself because this is where you can see how the company carries out their goal of providing the best for their customers. The legacy that Toyota has established can be seen in how their logo bears the company and family name, changing the auto industry in a tremendous manner.
With the creation and reinvention of their logos through the years, you can see that Toyota strives to provide a good image for its consumers whom they put first and foremost through every production decision. The logos of Toyota may change but one thing remains constant — their dedication to delivering the best product and service there is!
