Toyoda was the son of a father who was a textile worker. He hated drinking and smoking all his life. He always wanted to establish his own company and produce automobiles. And he finally did it. Here is his story:
Kiichiro Toyoda was born in Yamaguchi city in 1894. His father was in the weaving business. As soon as he finished his high school education, he was enrolled at Tokyo University. Kiichiro Toyoda, who studied engineering here, always dreamed of a business of his own. Since his father was a worker, he worked day and night. Kiichiro Toyoda was very upset about his father's situation and wanted very much to have a business now.
Kiichiro Toyoda (June 11, 1894 – March 27, 1952) was a Japanese businessman and the son of Toyoda Loom Works founder Sakichi Toyoda. His decision to change Toyoda's focus from automatic loom manufacture into automobile manufacturing created what would become Toyota Motor Corporation.
Although the education he received at university was shipbuilding, he was always interested in automobiles. In those years, automobiles were still new and even seeing them on the streets was a chance for people. Kiichiro Toyoda worked hard and went to America and European countries with the money he saved. Kiichiro Toyoda, who learned new information there, wanted to produce his car with great determination when he returned to his country. In those years, car brands such as Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler completely took over the Japanese market and Japan was spending a lot of money on these cars.
Kiichiro Toyoda, a nationalist, was very upset that his country was spending so much money. He wanted to produce his vehicle for his nation, but in those years, there were no technical tools or factories to produce cars in Japan. This was not something that would discourage Kiichiro Toyoda. He went into debt and ordered machines in foreign countries. However, all the machines he ordered could not pass through customs, and he could not receive his tools from maritime customs for six months.
He fell into debt and could not receive the machines he bought in exchange for his debt. He was very helpless in the face of this situation. Then a great idea came to his mind. What he did was for his country and he was thinking of his country's interests. That's why he asked for help from the leaders of his country for his project. In those years, the Japanese state was already ready for such an initiative. They immediately accepted Kiichiro Toyoda's offer. This action taken by the state was very admirable.
In those years, when car dealers focused more on their own countries, an opportunity arose for Kiichiro Toyoda. Not wanting to miss this, Kiichiro Toyoda rolled up his sleeves and immediately got to work. He brought machines from abroad and started producing engines with them. He first started motorcycle production. He finally started producing automobiles when he was in his 40s. The cars he produced were aerodynamic and there were only three of them.
In the following years, Kiichiro Toyoda founded his factory and named it Toyota Motor Company. With this, he officially started car production. Over the years, the cars it produced began to surpass all cars produced by foreign countries. During these years, US vehicles failed to enter Japan's borders.
The Second World War broke out in those years. This situation also affected Kiichiro Toyoda and vehicle production was paused. The country focused more on arms production. Vehicle production took the form of a Jeep used in wars. Kiichiro Toyoda also contributed to his country during the war years and produced the vehicles to be used in wars.
Finally, with the end of the war, Toyota began to heal its wounds again. It was now producing cars and trucks. The passenger cars he produced in those years, called SA, were very popular. However, Toyota, which experienced a crisis after the war, also faced an economic crisis. That's why he started laying off workers. He asked the workers to reduce their salaries, but the workers did not accept. Thereupon, Kiichiro Toyoda, who experienced great difficulties, was already on the point of sinking.
Although wars and crises always had a bad effect on Kiichiro Toyoda, this time the US-Korea war was very beneficial to Kiichiro Toyoda. The USA could not take a car to Korea due to its location, so it requested a car from Japan, which is close to Korea. He even paid the fee in advance. This positive development saved Kiichiro Toyoda from sinking. Buoyed by these developments, Toyota has now started selling cars to foreign countries.
Kiichiro Toyoda had a heart attack and passed away at the age of 65.