Toyota G1

The Toyota G1 was the first truck built by the company that became Toyota. It was 6 m (20 ft) long, could carry 1.5 tons and was loosely based on similar class Ford and GM trucks.

The G1 was succeeded by a line of similar Toyota trucks as technology progressed. The entire series was replaced by the BM truck in 1947.

Kiichiro Toyoda's desire was to produce automobiles. Unfortunately, the A1 passenger car that was under development in 1935 was unlikely to sell well due to Japan's underdeveloped economy. Work still progressed on the A1 but emphasis was shifted to a truck derived from the same engine and chassis (slightly lengthened).

The financial resources of the parent company, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, were stretched almost to breaking point and large loans were required to put the G1 into production. The total cost of the G1 development was well several times the annual profits of Toyoda.

The G1 was sold as a Toyoda. The company changed its name from Toyoda to Toyota at the introduction of the G1's successor, the GA.

Since this was Toyoda's first production vehicle, there were still many problems to be solved. When the first production examples were driven to Tokyo for the motor show, they were packed with many spare parts. These spare parts were in case something broke during the trip - luckily only a few replacement parts were required. Early sales were mostly to people who were sympathetic to local manufacturers and who were willing to endure many failures. To support them, design engineers from the factory were often sent to do repairs in order to learn which parts needed the most attention. For example, broken rear axle housings were common until new welding methods were developed. Repairs were done for free and sometimes entire trucks were replaced for free. Rectifications were then applied as running changes on the production line.

The G1 prototypes were completed in August 1935, shown to the public in November 1935 and released for sale in December 1935. This was just in time to meet the government deadline for licensing motor vehicle producers.

The G1 used the 3389 cc Type A six-cylinder engine that was also used in the A1 and AA. It produced 65 hp (48 kW).

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