ever since i got my celica, ive always wondered why it doesnt have that toyota 't' (the elipse thing) on it anywhere. so then i figured that that wasn't there symbol when they built my car. i have yet to find anything that backs this theory up. anyone know the history of the toyota emblem? did they have it and just not put it on the car? did they have a different symbol?
I think the circle T came in the 90's In Africa till then the logo was a prancing horse similar to the Ferrari one What's really funny is the JDM Toyota's, Mazda's, Nissan's all come with different badging to the rest of the world Check the grilles on the ST162 Corona for example The Official story: (African version) A company’s logo is quite simply the image that represents that company and its products in the market. Its function is to create a memorable, recognisable impression in the minds of our potential and existing customers. And like the very design of the cars we sell, our logo has undergone a number of refinements and improvements over the years. Where it all began To tell the story of Toyota, we have to go back to the early 20th century and a company called the Toyoda Loom Works. It was out of this company that Toyota was born, with the production of the first motor in 1937. Initially, the company was named after its founders, the Toyoda family, but this was soon changed, the word Toyota being easier to write in Japanese. It will come as no surprise, then, that the first Toyota logo was a stylised combination of the Japanese Katana, or characters, for “TO,” “YO,” and “TA.” Not sure if this was the race division logo or not? - kinda looks like a turbo & I've seen it on some old race cars South African roots Inevitably, Toyota took root in South Africa. By this time, Toyota was re-presented by the word, “Toyota,” executed in a special font. (Circular "O's", thin font) From here, things quickly evolved. Dr Albert Wessels, founder of Toyota South Africa, had more elaborate plans in mind. He believed that the company should have some form of emblem associated with it. His passion for horses led to the development of a unique identity for Toyota South Africa – namely the addition of a white stallion encircled in a red background. By the mid 1970s, it was time for a change, once again. Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan had changed their font, and South Africa followed suit. At the same time, the circle was replaced by a red square with rounded edges – which was felt to be in keeping with the design trends of the day. Interestingly enough, the Stallion has never actually appeared on a vehicle. It has always been a unique identifier of the Company itself. A step forward It was late in the 80s that things really began to get interesting. In September of 1989 Toyota made a significant leap forward by launching Lexus, its luxury division, into the US market. Along with a fresh marketing thrust, a new logo, in the form of a stylised “L” found its way onto the grilles, boot lids and engine covers of these luxury cars. Since Lexus vehicles shared many of their components with Toyotas, and in fact were even marketed as Toyotas in Japan, the need for a new Toyota logo was identified. And not long afterwards, the logo that you are used to seeing today appeared. Used for the first time internationally in 1989, the new stylised “T” first appeared in South Africa in 1992 with the launch of a new vehicle known as the Camry. By 1995 Toyota South Africa had adopted the international dealer corporate identity standards and all fascia boards at dealers across the country were replaced. At the same time Toyota South Africa adopted the new logo for all marketing communications. Today, the stylised “T” and its surrounding ellipses are worn proudly by both vehicles and staff, and are recognised and respected throughout South Africa. Symbolism of the New Toyota logo The Toyota logo consists of three ellipses, arranged to form a stylised “T.” The outer ellipse The outer ellipse is essentially a circle – the symbol of completeness. It represents strength and dynamism. It is viewed from a slight perspective – to give it its elliptical shape – which is representative of Toyota’s unique perspective on the automotive industry. The outer circle draws together various elements including family, fellowship, unity and responsibility. It symbolises our embrace of future challenges with the boundless potential of our technology and our priority to create a “full-circle” experience. The horizontal ellipse The horizontal ellipse represents the actual product that you interact with on a day to day basis – quality, workmanship, reliability and longstanding relationships that have become synonymous with the Toyota experience. The vertical ellipse The vertical ellipse is a sign of life. It represents our customers and their importance to Toyota. We understand your needs and strive to meet them in everything we do. As is evident in our logo, you are central to the goals of the organisation in that we endeavour to exceed your expectations. Lead the way The Toyota logo is based on the circle, prized for its characteristic of continuous movement, represented in the form of three ellipses. The Pythagoreans regarded three as the number of harmony, since it combines unity (the number one) and division (the number two). In the Toyota logo, each ellipse has a specific meaning. The first is the sign of life. It represents customers and Toyota’s ongoing dedication to fulfilling their needs. The second is the symbol of power. It embodies the power Toyota puts at the customer’s fingertips as well as the strength and drive of Toyota’s infrastructure and support. The outer circle stands for friendship. It provides the basis for Toyota’s success, both today and in the years to come.
Well, I'm learning too... I think if I told you guys the Toyota logo was a prancing horse you would've told me I was full of b/s. Yet I grew up (and millions of Africans) believing that the prancing horse was "the" Toyota logo all these years. Imagine my surprise when I got here and saw all these different JDM logo's ps. The original logo is all over your motor, oem parts etc The "new logo" 1st saw use on the ST182 So - "No" you are not allowed to use the circle logo, or draw horns on it or use the Dragon logo as the ST162 slayed the Dragon but you could put on the prancing horse and REALLY piss off some bald guys in red cars :mrgreen:
yeah i can imagine your suprise. if i wanted to, where would i even get that prancing horse logo from?
Toyota made different emblems for a lot of their cars before the oval. Just to name the ones I know of: MR2's, older Celicas, Cressidas, and Supras - but those might of shared the same with the Celicas, since they were the 6 cylinder version of the Celica up to 1986.5.
As far as I know the Supra was a seperate model? Never seen a 6 cyl Celica I pasted that stuff directly from Toyota.co.za - Logo history section. The marketing section is a strange read full of sales b/s but mentions "Kaizen" and "Genchi Genbutsu" http://www.toyota.co.za/toyotaworld/about_toyota.aspx Basically those two phrases were/are Toyota's mission statement and gave different marketing areas the power to decide what was best on each model in their area - may explain why we are finding these anomalies between different areas and why they didn't care if it cost more in tooling to please the customer - Pity nobody took the trouble to actually ask the customer what they actually wanted or the cars would be a lot more similar. The Stallion logo - dunno, I'm looking for a clearer version myself? There were 3 Toyota factories in South Africa, 60% of the cars made were for overseas markets, ie Australia (all 90's Corolla's) and Europe. Sadly many models were kept secret and we never ever got to see them, instead Africa got crappy versions of O/S cars - Here's an example called ironically "Stallion" http://www.algoatoyota.co.za/Specifications/toyota_stallion_2000i_panelvan_(2003).aspx - LOL, you could buy a decent house then for R135 000, a top-of-the range Corolla (RunX) will cost you R300 000 now - a really nice house! Petrol costs R11/l, R11 every 10km, the average salary is R2000 p/m and it costs R600 to fill the average small car. In Zimbabwe, Mocambique, Kenya, Zambia etc, etc the situation is far worse
The supra was known as the "Celica Supra" in America, and plausibly other places, in Japan and some other markets, it was known as the "Celica XX" The Supra was based on Celica, being longer and wider, and looking slightly different. On the MKII Celica Supra, the front end was different, along with L6 engine. I believe the Supra often had better standards such as leather and power electronics. In mid 1986 (there was an overstock on MKII's) Toyota released the new, 3rd generation, Supra with it no longer being based on the Celica. Supras only came in lift back 3 door styles, well the Celica came in 3 door lift back, coupe, and convertible. Supras had a P-type and an L-type. P stood for performance, and the L stood for luxury. Both had different standards and options that changed throughout the Supra's run. The first Supra was based on the second generation Celica. I do not know much about them though, as I favor the MK3 Supra more. 1984 Celica (1982-85) 1982-1986.5 Celica Supra (1984-1986.5 facelift P-type in this photo) Celica Supra rear 1982 L-type. Both Celicas and Supras had simular rear ends. Supras were the only ones to back black rears and that only lasted a few years. Celica rear Celica and Supra emblem up to 1986.5 Cressida emblem MR2 emblem Corona emblem Early emblem on an actual car Toyota "T" found on 77 Toyota Pickup (I think the "T" stands for truck, more than it does Toyota, not sure)
Nice write-up So how come there's no Supra section on any of the "Celica" sites? No wonder the poor confused souls keep hijacking my threads I'd rush out and buy one if it didn't look like an elephant sat on a VW Golf :|
Thanks, yours was awesome, full of stuff I've never heard of and probably never would have. My guess is people are used to the Supra being it's own car, so they don't include it with the Celica anymore. LOL
