ehsankiani
12-16-2007, 11:26 AM
In 1954, the first Land Cruisers were exported to Pakistan. In 1955, 23 Land Cruisers were exported to Saudi Arabia. The vehicles proved to be wildly popular and exports grew steadily. On Feb 21, 1956, the first two Land Cruisers were exported to Venezuela.These were quickly followed exports to Burma, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico.
Toyota entered the African market by sending Crowns and Land Cruisers to Ethiopia. Because marketing proved difficult with the large number of languages spoken in Africa, Toyota was forced to adopt the sales technique of driving a sample vehicle all over Africa and dealing direct with potential purchasers. The U.S.A. was somewhat different in that in 1957, it received two Crowns before any Land Cruisers. However, the Crowns were found to perform poorly at the higher speeds of American Interstates.
Toyota was forced to halt passenger car importing in 1960, leaving only the Land Cruiser to bear the company's name in the United States. Toyota did not make the same mistake in Australia. The first vehicles sent there were Land Cruisers. They arrived in July 1959, and were marketed by Theiss Sales as commercial vehicles. Toyota began to market the Model DA60 truck, its first powered by a diesel engine, in March 1957. However, brand loyalty was strong in Japan so Toyota was forced to establish links to Hino Motors, a diesel truck manufacturer. Hino would later provide the B and H series diesel engines used in LandCruisers. In May, 1959, Toyota do Brasil began Land Cruiser assembly in Brazil. This was the first case of knock-down kits being assembled outside Japan. LandCruiser assembly started in 1963 in Venezuela, 1970 in Indonesia and Pakistan(although Pakistani production was terminated in 1986), and 1977 in Kenya,and 1982 in Bangladesh. Toyota's first exports to Europe were to Denmark, in 1964. That was quickly followed by exports to Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Italy, Austria, Greece, and finally, Germany.
Toyota entered the African market by sending Crowns and Land Cruisers to Ethiopia. Because marketing proved difficult with the large number of languages spoken in Africa, Toyota was forced to adopt the sales technique of driving a sample vehicle all over Africa and dealing direct with potential purchasers. The U.S.A. was somewhat different in that in 1957, it received two Crowns before any Land Cruisers. However, the Crowns were found to perform poorly at the higher speeds of American Interstates.
Toyota was forced to halt passenger car importing in 1960, leaving only the Land Cruiser to bear the company's name in the United States. Toyota did not make the same mistake in Australia. The first vehicles sent there were Land Cruisers. They arrived in July 1959, and were marketed by Theiss Sales as commercial vehicles. Toyota began to market the Model DA60 truck, its first powered by a diesel engine, in March 1957. However, brand loyalty was strong in Japan so Toyota was forced to establish links to Hino Motors, a diesel truck manufacturer. Hino would later provide the B and H series diesel engines used in LandCruisers. In May, 1959, Toyota do Brasil began Land Cruiser assembly in Brazil. This was the first case of knock-down kits being assembled outside Japan. LandCruiser assembly started in 1963 in Venezuela, 1970 in Indonesia and Pakistan(although Pakistani production was terminated in 1986), and 1977 in Kenya,and 1982 in Bangladesh. Toyota's first exports to Europe were to Denmark, in 1964. That was quickly followed by exports to Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Italy, Austria, Greece, and finally, Germany.