Internationalization at Toyota: A Case Study

Examining the internationalization of the Toyota Motor Corporation, this essay argues that the firm’s strategy of localism, pertaining to both design and production, has lain at the core of the firm’s international successes. In this regard, it notes that Toyota learned from early failures, pertaining to export vehicles, and adjusted its strategy in longitude so as to make the most of export opportunities across the international economy. Noting that the pooling of research & development (R&D) resources which exists in Japan is highly relevant to success in this regard, the essay proposes that Toyota’s all-encompassing strategy of localism is responsible for its international success. Concluding, the essay does note that two areas of weakness, pertaining to quality control and emergent market penetration, still plague Toyota’s internationalization ventures. Thus, while the firm is highly successful in this regard, potent internal difficulties problematize its continued success.
Toyota’s First Attempts at Internationalization To begin, understanding Toyota’s significant contemporary global posture requires an understanding of the firm’s humble roots. Indeed, in the pre-World War II era, Toyota was a very small automobile manufacturing firm with middling success in the country’s domestic market. Indeed, it is only through the American War Department’s industrial training program that Toyota ultimately succeeded, in the early post-war period, as it pertained to gaining significant market share within the country. Upon achieving a high degree of success in this regard, Toyota attempted to consolidate the gains which it made at home, and looked to partners in Western Europe and North America so as to expand to these new locales. Thus, Toyota made use of a highly-centralized approach in terms of its initial