In August of 1957, two Toyopet Crown sedans were put on a ship headed for the West Coast of the United States. These two sample cars were the first attempt by the the Japanese auto manufacturer, which had been founded in 1937, to enter the US market. They arrived in California in September and on October 31, 1957 Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. was established in a former Rambler dealership in Hollywood.
1958 would be a banner year for Toyota USA. By years end there would be 45 dealers, a distribution and marketing arm of the company, and a parts warehouse in Long Beach, California. First year sales of the Toyopet Crown, with a MSRP of $2300, totaled 287.
Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that the Toyopet Crown was not going to be the company's ticket to success in the American market. It had some serious mechanical shortcomings. Weighing over 3,000 lbs and powered by a 58 horsepower engine, Toyopets, which were used as taxis in Tokyo, seemed unsuited for the high speeds and easy steering of US Interstate highways.
Engineers discovered that the Toyopet engine did not have enough horsepower to pull the vehicle over the hills in and around Los Angeles. On an incline, speed and power dropped and the engine overheated while complaining loudly.
As one American executive later observed, the Toyopet was "underpowered, overpriced ($700 more than the number one import Volkswagen) and built like a tank."
American Sales Administrator James F. McGraw had issues with the name Toyopet, stating that “Toy” sounded like a toy and “pet” sounded like a dog. He was not alone in this opinion.
Still, it was a start, and the Toyopet Crown (and it's redesigned sister, the Tiara) would sell over 2300 units by the time they were replaced in 1965 with the car that would put Toyota on the map to stay: the Corona.
Toyota did have one other car in their line up in 1958, but nobody thought much of it at the time. Ironically, it would go on to be the only model to remain in production continuously for the entire fifty years of the company: the Land Cruiser.
Total sales for the Toyota Land Cruiser in 1958? One.
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