Kiichiro Toyoda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kiichiro Toyoda
豊田 喜一郎
Born	(1894-06-11)11 June 1894 Kosai, Shizuoka, Japan
Died	27 March 1952(1952-03-27) (aged 57) Toyota, Aichi, Japan
Known for	Founder of Toyota Motor Corporation
Children	Shoichiro Toyoda Tatsuro Toyoda
Parent(s)	Sakichi Toyoda

Kiichiro Toyoda (豊田 喜一郎 (とよだ きいちろう), June 11, 1894 – March 27, 1952) was a Japanese businessman. He was the son of Sakichi Toyoda, who founded Toyoda Loom Works. Kiichiro made a big decision to change the company's focus from making automatic weaving machines (looms) to making cars. This decision led to the creation of what we know today as Toyota Motor Corporation.

Building Toyota Motor Corporation

Kiichiro Toyoda convinced his brother, who was in charge of the family business, to invest in a new part of Toyoda Loom Works that would focus on making automobiles. This was a risky idea at the time. Before his father, Sakichi Toyoda, passed away, he encouraged Kiichiro to follow his dream of making cars. Kiichiro used his family's skills in inventing machines to develop and build what became the famous Toyota Motor Corporation. He also changed the company's name from "Toyoda" to "Toyota" because it was thought to bring good luck.

Kiichiro resigned from the company he built in 1950 because sales were low. He passed away two years later. People at the time called him "Japan's Thomas Edison" because of his inventions and ideas. In 1957, his cousin, Eiji Toyoda, took over as the head of Toyota Motor Corporation. Eiji continued Kiichiro's work, making Toyota a world-famous company and launching the luxury car brand, Lexus.

Early Life and Education

Childhood and School

Kiichiro Toyoda was born on June 11, 1894, in Yoshitsumura Yamaguchi, Japan. He was the oldest son of Sakichi Toyoda and Tami Sahara. His mother left when he was very young, so his grandparents raised him.

When he was three, Kiichiro moved to Nagoya, Japan, where his father lived. He was a very good student. He went to several elementary schools and then junior high. In 1920, he graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tokyo Imperial University. He even stayed at the university for a few more months to study law.

After University

After graduating, Kiichiro returned to Nagoya and joined Toyota Boshoku. This company was founded by his father, Sakichi, in 1918. From 1921 to 1922, Kiichiro traveled to places like San Francisco and London. He wanted to learn more about the spinning and weaving industry.

In 1922, he married Hatako Iida, whose father helped start the Takashimaya department store. In 1926, Kiichiro helped establish Toyota Industries Corporation and became a managing director. He became very interested in automatic looms. He even set up a special plant to develop them, even though his father didn't agree at first.

From 1929 to 1930, he traveled to Europe and America again. During this trip, he realized that the car industry, which was still new, would become very important in the future.

Starting the Car Business

In 1933, Kiichiro created a new department within Toyota Industries Corporation just for making cars. This was the beginning of Toyota's journey into automobiles. In 1936, the company was officially recognized to make cars under a special law. Then, in 1937, the car department became its own company: Toyota Motor Corporation. Kiichiro became the vice president.

In 1941, Kiichiro became the president of Toyota Motor Industry. During World War II, his company had to make trucks for the Japanese army. Luckily, the family's factories were not destroyed before the war ended.

Developing Japanese Cars

Kiichiro was a key person in starting the Japanese automobile industry. Without him, it might not be as developed as it is today. The car industry is very important for Japan's economy. Between 1955 and 1980, the number of cars made in Japan grew from 70,000 to 11.4 million. Japan even made more cars than the United States in 1980.

Kiichiro wanted to create Japanese cars that were better than foreign cars, right from the start. In the early 1930s, he began working on making cars in Japan. It was hard because no one had much experience designing cars. He gathered people from all over Japan who knew about car manufacturing. It even took six months just to make the first engine!

In May 1935, the first A1 passenger car was finally finished. After that, they made improved versions like the AA passenger car and GA trucks. Kiichiro was worried that if the government controlled car manufacturing too much, it would stop the Japanese car industry from growing.

In 1937, Toyota Motor Corporation was officially established, and Kiichiro became its vice president. His management style was very good. He made the company's organization clear by dividing it into seven sections. He also worked on making both mass-produced cars and smaller cars. This helped reduce risks.

In 1938, the Koromo Factory was built to make cars. At first, there were problems with car quality and cost. Kiichiro solved these by quickly making changes and producing car parts within the company. In 1941, he became the president of Toyota Motor Industry.

Toyota During and After the War

Wartime Challenges

The second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 brought many challenges. The Japanese government controlled companies to help with the war effort. It became hard to produce and sell passenger cars. In 1938, a law was passed that required Toyota to make trucks for the military first. Passenger car production was limited, and small passenger cars were stopped.

By 1944, Toyota Motor Corporation was officially a "munitions company," meaning it had to focus on war supplies. Kiichiro was likely unhappy that he couldn't make passenger cars. But even during this tough time, he kept thinking about technical problems. He believed that the car business would be very important for Japan after the war.

After the War

Japan surrendered in August 1945. After the war, Japan was occupied by the GHQ (General Headquarters). The GHQ did not allow Japanese car companies to make passenger cars, only trucks. Kiichiro still faced many problems, but he didn't give up.

He took charge to help the Japanese car industry recover. In November 1945, he started an organization for the car industry and became its chairman. He even talked directly with the GHQ to make sure the new organization was different from the wartime one. Kiichiro also met with car dealers from all over Japan. He gave powerful speeches about Toyota's plans and how to rebuild the car industry. These actions showed how much he cared about cars.

Many dealers who had worked with Toyota before the war rejoined as Toyota dealerships. This showed how much they trusted Kiichiro as president. He always valued his relationships with dealers and listened to their ideas.

Difficult Times and New Opportunities

It was still hard to make and sell cars. Raw materials and parts were scarce after the war. It was difficult to find good quality parts at a low price. Truck production was low. In 1945, they made 3,275 units, and in 1946, 5,821 units.

Even though passenger car production was banned, the GHQ allowed research on them. Also, Toyota was hired to repair American military vehicles in Japan. This was a great chance for Toyota employees, including Kiichiro, to learn about how American cars were built. They used this knowledge to develop their own passenger cars. Kiichiro worked very hard to develop the Japanese car industry during these difficult times.

Passenger Car Production Starts Again

Kiichiro kept putting a lot of effort into passenger cars. In June 1947, the GHQ finally allowed the production of up to 300 passenger cars per year. In October 1947, Toyota released the first Japanese passenger car after the war, the SA model. It was nicknamed "Toyopet."

However, there were two main problems. First, these passenger cars didn't sell well. People in Japan weren't used to buying cars just for driving. Only 197 Toyopet cars were sold in five years, compared to 12,796 trucks sold in the same period. Second, the production facilities were old and not well maintained. Kiichiro worried if Toyota cars could compete with foreign cars. He even considered working with a foreign car maker if Toyota couldn't make better and cheaper cars that Japanese people would want to buy. This shows that Kiichiro wanted to make affordable, high-quality cars for the Japanese people.

Challenges and Resignation

Economic Difficulties

In 1949, Japan faced an economic slowdown. This made it even harder for the car industry. Demand for cars dropped, and the cost of materials went up. Toyota Motor Corporation faced serious financial problems. Kiichiro and other executives personally went out to sell cars and collect payments. He tried his best to save money, but the company was losing a lot of money each month. Many companies went bankrupt during this time.

Avoiding Layoffs

In August 1949, the company suggested cutting wages by 10% and reducing retirement pay. In return, they promised not to fire any employees. Other car companies were laying off workers, but Kiichiro wanted to avoid this. He had seen employment problems before and wanted to prevent them from happening again. He believed that making cars would help create more jobs.

Kiichiro visited banks every day to get loans, but no one would lend money to the company at first. Finally, a managing director named Shotaro Kamiya convinced the Bank of Japan to help. A group of 24 banks provided a large loan, which helped Toyota avoid bankruptcy in 1949.

Labor Disputes and Kiichiro's Resignation

Even with all the efforts, the company's financial situation didn't improve much. In October 1949, the GHQ removed most restrictions on car production and sales. However, the government still controlled the supply of materials and car prices. This made it hard for car companies to make a profit.

Toyota's losses continued to grow. The labor union realized that job cuts might be unavoidable. Negotiations between the company and the union became very tense. Kiichiro, who already had high blood pressure, became ill.

On April 22, 1950, the company announced it would ask 1,600 employees to voluntarily retire. The union was furious because the company had promised not to lay off anyone. They started extreme strikes that lasted for about two months. Production dropped by 70%.

To end the strike and take responsibility for the company's problems, Kiichiro announced on June 5, 1950, that he would resign as president. His resignation shocked everyone, and the strike finally ended. The union members respected Kiichiro for his decision.

Retirement and Passing

After stepping down as president, Kiichiro set up a laboratory at his home in Tokyo. He spent his days working on designing a small helicopter. He passed away on March 27, 1952, at the age of 57, due to a brain hemorrhage.

Family Tree

See also

In Spanish: Kiichiro Toyoda para niños