Toyota reaches 200 million vehicle milestone

Toyota has just made its 200 millionth vehicle, 77 years after its first, a Toyota G1 truck appeared in 1935, followed by its first car, the AA in 1936.

Toyota grew out of the Toyoda Loom Works. The "d" was replaced by a "t" because it was felt to be more auspicious in the Japanese language – and one cannot say they were wrong. Toyoda had started as licensees of British loom manufacturers, but the company developed the world's most advanced automatic looms – and put a lot of its British competitors out of business.