The history of Toyota began in the early 20th century with Sakichi Toyoda, an inventor and industrialist who initially focused on textile machinery. In 1933, his son Kiichiro Toyoda shifted the company’s focus towards automobiles, establishing an automotive division within the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works. This venture led to the creation of the first prototype passenger car in 1935, the Model AA. Toyota Motor Corporation was officially founded as an independent company in 1937. Since then, Toyota has experienced rapid growth, becoming the largest automobile manufacturer by production volume in both Japan and globally. The company has been instrumental in introducing innovative manufacturing techniques such as Just-in-Time production and lean manufacturing, which have become industry standards.