Long before the foreign automotive brands had become mainstream in the domestic market, Toyota and Honda were both starting out and beginning to offer their humble and gas efficient cars during the fuel crisis of the 1970s.
The Toyota brand that we see today is the product of a great amount of evolution with the brand, in terms of quality and brand development which has made the products more mainstream and popular than ever. The Camry, for instance, is one of the best selling cars in the world, and the popular family sedan has maintained its title for almost thirty years. Toyota has also made great strides in the pickup truck market as well, with the Tacoma being one of the most valuable used pickup trucks in the world.
These are just a few of the most notable brands that make up the Toyota nameplate, and what has made it such a memorable automaker in the last few decades. Becoming a household name took a lot of product development and time, with the automaker really honing in on what the client base was really looking for in a passenger car.
We like how the Toyota brand has evolved over the past few decades from a humble economy car-maker, to one of the most diverse automotive brands in the world with a car to fit just about every taste. This new found direction and focus on quality is what has made Toyota one of the most popular automakers in the world, with a diverse lineup that millions of consumers enjoy.
24 Toyota Supra
Who could forget one of the most legendary sports cars in the world? The Toyota Supra has imprinted itself as not only a legend but also a one of a kind sports car that doesn’t take no for an answer.
With the twin-turbo engine and the one of a kind racing style that consumers know the Supra for, the car has increased dramatically in value over the last few decades and is responsible for putting the Toyota brand on the map in the performance and racing world.
23 Toyota Corolla
There is perhaps not another well known compact car that has made the splash that the Toyota Corolla has on the world. This one of a kind economy car changed the way that the domestic automakers looked at fuel economy and what the buying public wants out of a car.
The Toyota Corolla has changed the pace for the automaker and set the stage for the Camry and other well-known models that have made Toyota a famous force in the automotive world.
22 Toyota Pickup Truck
The Toyota pickup truck or Hilux as its called in the other parts of the world has become one of the most iconic pickup trucks in the automotive industry for its endurance and reliability.
The Toyota pickup truck was featured in the hit movie Back To The Future as Marty's dream car, as well as on the episode of Top Gear where the guys literally sank the truck under water and it still ran. We think that the Toyota Hilux was responsible for making the brand a household name.
21 Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry has become a formidable force in the family car market, and the sedan is unforgettable by most consumers who have either owned one or had a family member who was a Camry owner in the past.
The sedan has made its mark for being an extremely reliable ride, and on top of that, the Camry has cemented itself as a value-oriented force that offers a good deal of options for a great price. That has to lead the automotive marketplace to snatch these family sedans up by the millions, and created a monopoly for Toyota.
20 Toyota Cressida
Long before the Lexus brand came around or the Toyota Camry sedan, there was another Toyota sedan that was being sold which combined luxury with family value. The Toyota Cressida is a one of a kind sedan that made its mark on the automotive community for being a value-oriented sedan that also combined a good deal of luxury appointed options at the time.
Although nowadays many consumers wouldn’t even remember the Cressida, the car did make its mark on the automotive world.
19 Lexus LS400
When the Lexus brand was being developed during the eighties, Toyota set out to develop a foreign luxury brand that was above average in terms of quality and refinement. The Lexus LS400 is the prime example of this work, and the sedan was renowned for its legendary quality which set the brand apart from many other luxury cars that had been released.
The Lexus LS400 proved to be a popular seller for the brand, and the car has remained a part of the Lexus lineup ever since.
18 Toyota Land Cruiser
Known around the world as one of the most well known and legendary off-road vehicles on the market, the Toyota Land Cruiser has become a famous ride all around the world for its one of a kind quality and off-road capability.
The Toyota Land Cruiser managed to evolve more and more with every generation, and the current product is more luxurious than ever. When it comes to a vehicle that really put Toyota on a world map, the Toyota Land Cruiser is without a doubt one of the most influential vehicles on the road.
17 Toyota 4Runner
Toyota managed to perfect the off-road and pickup truck market with legendary vehicles that we have all come to recognize for their off-road capability and extreme durability. The Toyota 4Runner itself is a well rounded and well put together SUV that has come a long way in terms of refinement and new features.
The Toyota 4Runner is something that has put the Toyota brand name on the map all over the world, and the model continues to be one of the longest-running nameplates in the automaker's lineup.
16 Lexus SC400
When Toyota set out to make a new luxury brand and introduce it to the world, the Lexus brand name was developed to be a step above. Even in the oldest original models such as the SC400, there is a sense of quality that many modern automakers still cannot match, and the SC400 was developed to be a different type of luxury automaker that took a more precision outlook.
The Lexus SC400 really put the Lexus brand on the map and in front of a whole new range of luxury shoppers.
15 Toyota Prius
During the 2008 economic downturn, the gas prices were becoming quite outrageous, and as such the popular SUV models of yesteryear were rapidly losing their popularity. The Toyota Prius, on the other hand, had started to sell like hot cakes, and the model helped to put the Toyota brand on the map as a serious player in the hybrid market.
The Toyota Prius has since remained a major part of the automotive industry, and the car will remain an integral piece in the Toyota lineup.
14 Toyota Echo (Missed The Mark)
During the early 2000s, there were quite a few odd yet affordable compact cars that were making their way onto the market, and one such vehicle was the egg-shaped Toyota Echo.
This little sedan is a car that many of us will not forget, and that is partly due to the egg-shaped design and lack of features when compared to the other sedans in the Toyota lineup. The Echo will forever go down as a mark against the superior Toyota reputation that the brand has spent decades perfecting.
13 Scion XA (Missed The Mark)
Similar to the Toyota Echo, the Scion XA was another compact car that was released by the automaker during the early 2000s that seriously managed to miss the mark.
The Scion XA is known for being a cheap and long lasting compact car, and one that was the original Scion model alongside the XB. The Scion XA could have been a lot better in a variety of ways, but unfortunately, was discontinued.
12 Scion IQ (Missed The Mark)
Toward the end of the brand's lifespan, Toyota was looking for different ways to innovate the dated Scion lineup, and the Scion IQ was the product of these new advances. This tiny compact really had no place in the car market, and thus the model never really caught on with anyone in time for Toyota to save the brand.
The Scion IQ was available in a few different color combinations, and the tiny car was well suited in larger cities where a gas efficient tiny car is more useful.
11 Lexus ES300 (Missed The Mark)
Released during the nineties as a supplement to the larger LS400, the Lexus ES300 was a step above most other midsize luxury sedans that were on the market. The Lexus ES300 was well designed with a healthy V6 engine and a luxurious interior, which is why the model was a popular seller for the brand.
The Lexus ES300 still managed to miss the mark in a lot of aspects, which is why Toyota eventually grew the model to include a hybrid in the lineup as well and a larger body style.
10 Toyota Paseo (Missed The Mark)
The nineties were an odd time for automakers, as there were quite a few markets that were becoming popular. Toyota had a full lineup of vehicles to choose from, even some of which were not popular by any means.
The Toyota Paseo is a model that had the look of a two-door sports car, and the model actually lacked sufficient performance or features to even make it a viable car. The Toyota Paseo really missed the mark, which will forever go down as the Toyota that no one wanted.
9 Toyota Celica (Missed The Mark)
Unfortunately for Toyota, the Celica never really managed to reach the height that it could have if the brand had put a lot more effort into it. The Toyota Celica is a sports car that many people fondly remember, as being an affordable model that offered a good amount of cheap performance and thrills.
But, the car was later outdone by cheaper alternatives from Mitsubishi and even Hyundai that offered more power and performance for much less money, and that is why the Celica never really managed to hit its potential.
8 Toyota Camry 2-Door (Missed The Mark)
The short-lived Toyota Camry 2-door is a model that many of us fondly remember during the nineties, and the model actually could have had the same amount of potential as the Honda Accord 2-Door.
The Toyota brand never really invested the time in the Toyota Camry 2-Door beyond the first generation car, which is sad considering that many consumers would have enjoyed the sportiness that the current model Camry would offer in a 2-door variation. The Toyota Solara did live on as a variant of the Camry, but it was not the official Camry 2-Door.
7 Toyota Solara (Missed The Mark)
The Toyota Solara was the two-door variation of the Camry after the Camry 2-Door had been discontinued, and Toyota had big plans for the Convertible/2-Door model. The Toyota Solara was a stylish car in many aspects, that combined a good amount of standard luxury features which made the car an appealing choice.
The convertible has always been the most popular model being sold for quite a few decades, yet Toyota has sadly missed the mark with this car in many aspects.
6 Toyota Previa (Missed The Mark)
The minivan revolution caught many automakers by surprise when Chrysler hit a home run with their one of a kind Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. The Toyota Previa was a rushed minivan that missed the mark in various aspects, the first of which is the awkward design and lack of features.
The Toyota Previa will always go down as the forgotten minivan, which was lackluster in comparison to the Chrysler vans of the same time period. Although, we have to admit that the Previa was better than the GM Dust Buster trio.
5 Toyota Sienna (Missed The Mark)
After the Toyota Previa hit the scene, the minivan market had hit its stride during the nineties thanks to the Chrysler minivan trio, and the Toyota offering was experiencing lackluster sales.
The Toyota Sienna was the next generation and while Toyota did do a good job of redesigning the vehicle, the Chrysler minivan trio was still much more popular in terms of sales and overall design. The current Toyota Sienna is a much better minivan in every way, but the model has still never fully taken over the Chrysler Trio.