Toyota, the largest car manufacturer in the world, appointed Akio Toyoda head of the company on 20 January, 2009. Toyoda's grandfather founded the auto giant in 1937 when the auto industry was considered to be a risky venture.

Background
There are many Japanese car manufacturers. They include Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Suzuki and more. They produce a wide range of cars and trucks.

The most notable performance cars from Japan in recent years include the Subaru WRXs, Mitsubishi Lancer EVOs, Honda Type-Rs, Toyota Supras, Nissan Skylines, and Mazda RX-7s. All of these are either four or six-cylinder cars which rival even the most powerful V-8s of other countries.

Many countries in the world produce cars. Karl Benz, of Germany, is widely credited for having produced the first practical internal combustion, petrol-fueled car. This was in 1885. The United States has Ransom Olds to thank for mass-production of cars on his Oldsmobile assembly line in 1902, although often the credit goes to Henry Ford when he made significant improvements and developments on the assembly line concept in 1914.