Kiichiro

Kiichirō Toyoda (June 11, 1894 – September 27, 1952) was a Japanese industrialist who founded Toyota Motor Corporation. He was the son of Sakichi Toyoda, the inventor of the automatic loom, and led his family’s business from textiles into automobile manufacturing. After studying Western manufacturing methods and returning to Japan, he championed the development of domestic car production as a strategic diversification for the family business.

In 1933 the automotive department of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works began work on a passenger car, and by 1936 the company produced the Model AA. The automobile division was reorganized as Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. in 1937, marking the formal establishment of the automobile business as a separate entity from loom manufacturing.

The brand name Toyota was adopted for the company’s cars in the 1930s. According to popular explanation, the name was chosen because it is relatively easy to write in Japanese and is associated with good fortune. Under Kiichirō’s leadership, Toyota emphasized disciplined manufacturing and product development, laying the foundations for the company’s postwar expansion and its emergence as a major global automaker.

Kiichirō Toyoda’s work established the early direction of Toyota and helped define the company’s approach to quality, efficiency, and growth. His death in 1952 occurred while Toyota was still expanding, but his legacy influenced the trajectory of the firm for decades.