The story of the world’s number one is also written at OttOmobile

Le Saviez-vous ? Toyota est le premier fabricant d’automobiles au monde ! Avec 10 millions de modèles vendus en moyenne ces deux dernières années, le constructeur japonais domine de nombreux marchés grâce à un catalogue diversifié.

Et chez OttOmobile, cette richesse se retrouve à travers une collection de miniatures fidèles à l’histoire et aux modèles iconiques de la marque japonaise. 

La famille Toyoda, des pionniers de l’industrialisation au Japon.

Sakichi Toyoda, the son of a carpenter, invented Japan’s first mechanical loom at the end of the 19th century. In 1918, he founded the Toyoda Spinning & Weaving Company and, together with his son Kiichiro, developed the first automatic loom. A few years later, he launched Toyoda Automatic Loom Works. At the same time, his son traveled to the United States and Europe, where he discovered the early days of the automobile industry. 

It was Kiichiro Toyoda who founded Toyota Motor Corporation in 1937, and the first commercialized model was called the AA. During World War II, Toyota mainly produced trucks for the national army. In the aftermath of the global conflict, the Japanese manufacturer contributed to the reconstruction of the country and successfully faced the industrial crisis affecting Japan. The 100,000th vehicle rolled off the production lines in 1947, and the 1,000,000th was produced in 1962. This figure doubled just three years later! 

Toyota established itself in the United States as early as 1957, launching two successful models in succession: the Crown and the Corolla. In Europe, the brand began expanding in 1963 with its first imports to Denmark. In France, the first Toyota was imported in 1967. The brand experienced exponential growth throughout the 1970s and 1980s, becoming a symbol of reliability and robustness. With a very wide range—from small city cars to 4x4s—there is a Toyota for every occasion. 

From rally success to global motorsport presence 

In the 1990s, Toyota entered rally racing and became the first Japanese manufacturer to win the World Rally Championship. From 1990 to 1995, the TTE (Toyota Team Europe) secured two manufacturers’ titles and three drivers’ titles. The 2000s marked Toyota’s involvement in Formula 1, though without the same success as in rallying. Similarly, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Toyota performed well but could not secure a win… at least not initially. Victories would follow in the world’s most famous endurance race between 2018 and 2022. 

Born in 1956, Akio Toyoda, the great-grandson of Sakichi, became the brand’s president. A true motorsport enthusiast, he strengthened Toyota’s presence in this field. The brand now competes in the Dakar Rally, WRC, endurance racing (24 Hours of Le Mans), NASCAR, Super GT, and is also involved in Formula 1 through the American Haas team. Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) has become a major institution in the motorsport world. 

Toyota in France 

In France, the Onnaing plant (Nord, 59) produces a fully French-built Yaris and has become the country’s leading factory in just two decades. This is one of the manufacturer’s many success stories that contribute to its position as the world’s number one. 

Discover the Toyota OttOmobile collection 

OttOmobile has been offering Toyota scale models since 2017. It all started with the Celica Twin Cam Gr.B in the rally range, before expanding collections with iconic models such as the Supra, MR2, and Celica ST165. Since then, many Toyota miniatures have been released, in both 1:18 and 1:12 scales. From cinema and pop culture icons like the Supra Mk.4, Hilux, and Trueno, to the wide diversity of the Japanese manufacturer’s catalog—from the compact Yaris GR to the impressive Land Cruiser! 

Currently, several Toyota scale models are available in our store. Like all OttOmobile models, they are made of resin and offered in limited, numbered editions.