The ENTIRE History of Toyota in 8 Minutes

A weaving shed in Japan, 1924: one thread snaps, and the loom stops itself. That single idea explains the history of Toyota, the most successful carmaker on Earth. In this documentary, we follow Toyota from Sakichi Toyoda’s automatic loom to a record 11.3 million vehicles a year. You’ll see how the loom’s stop-on-a-problem rule, jidoka, became the heart of the Toyota Production System built by Taiichi Ohno, with its kanban cards and just-in-time thinking. Along the way: a patent haggled down to £83,500, a company that nearly collapsed in 1950, the Prius rushed out for a climate conference, the 2010 recalls, the 2024 certification scandal, and the 5.9 trillion yen buyout of the original loom company, Toyota Industries. If you enjoy clear, story-driven business history, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. And tell us in the comments: what’s the highest mileage you’ve ever seen on a Toyota?