A Look At Toyota's First Car, The Model 'AA'

It's hard to imagine a time when Toyota wasn't an automotive giant. Of course, we're all familiar with Toyota now, but every company starts somewhere. While we've taken a look at some historic Toyota models and their history in the past, this time, we're going to take it all the way back to the beginning. You might just be surprised by how long ago it was.

The namesake of this legendary automotive powerhouse hasn't always been the same. Older variations of the company's name were "Toyoda" and "Toyopet." The former is the direct namesake of the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation, Kiichiro Toyoda. If you're not all that familiar with the history of Toyota, you might be surprised to know that they've been around for nearly 90 years. Let's take a quick trip back to 1936 to take a look at the very first Toyota vehicle ever made — the stylish and classy 1936 Toyoda Model AA.

The Toyoda Model AA was technically built before the Toyota Motor Company existed. Kichiro Toyoda led the development and construction of the Model AA under the automobile division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Toyoda's company that built industrial machines like automatic looms, as the name would imply. The first Model AA came to fruition in 1936. Then, a year later, Toyoda created the Toyota Motor Company to begin full-scale production of passenger vehicles.

The Model AA took heavy influence from American cars of its time, and the styling makes this quite obvious. The traditional '30s sedan styling found on virtually every American-made vehicle clearly bleeds through into the Model AA design. However, its looks are not the only thing born of American inspiration.

The engine under the hood was a 3.4-liter water-cooled straight-six that Toyoda and his engineers modeled after a Chevrolet engine offering from the time. In addition, the Model AA was largely influenced by the Chrysler DeSoto Airflow beyond its looks, in that Toyoda made a point to balance the load between the front and rear wheels to maximize passenger comfort. With 65 horsepower on tap, the Model AA was more than potent enough for driving in 1936.

Production of the Model AA ran from 1936 until 1942. During that time, Toyoda/Toyota manufactured 1,404 examples. That's quite a humble number in comparison to the Toyota we know and love today. For the 2023 calendar year alone, Toyota reported selling 2,248,477 vehicles. In the above Toyota USA YouTube video, Jay Leno says that Toyota suspects that no original models remain. However, Toyota discovered that one owned by a Siberian farmer since World War II still remains and is on display at a museum in the Netherlands. 

The Model AA was surprisingly large. Most Americans recognize Toyota models for their compact size and impressive fuel economy figures. However, the original Toyota model was nearly 16 feet long and more than 5 feet tall. With a curb weight of over 3,300 pounds, it's surprisingly large in stature. Of course, with the focus on passenger comfort, it makes sense that the Model AA would be a little larger in that it was designed to transport entire families.

Just think, without this humble American-inspired vehicle, we wouldn't have any of the most recognizable Toyota vehicles that we know and love today. Without the Model AA, there is no MK4 Toyota Supra, Celica GT-four, or even the dependable Toyota Corolla.