Kiichiro Toyoda established Toyota Motor Corporation in 1937.
Kiichiro Toyoda developed the automobile division of his family's Toyoda Automatic Loom Works and separated it into Toyota Motor Company in 1937. The company adopted the name Toyota rather than Toyoda partly because the spelling required eight brush strokes in Japanese, a number associated with good fortune.
Toyota's first passenger car, the Model AA, appeared in 1936, before the independent motor company was formed. The company later became known for production methods emphasizing efficiency, quality control, and continuous improvement.
Kiichiro Toyoda was the son of Sakichi Toyoda, who founded the loom business. That family connection can cause confusion when questions ask who founded Toyota itself rather than the earlier textile-machinery company.