Toyota Has Built Its 300 Millionth Car, 88 Years Since The First

88 years ago, a humble manufacturer of hand looms decided to have a go at building vehicles, starting with the Model G1 Truck. Now that company, Toyota, has now built its 300 millionth car.

Long reigning as the best-selling manufacturer of cars in the world, the Japanese giant confirmed its 300 millionth car rolled off the production line at the end of September. It didn’t state which model took the honour - but at the rate it's producing them, we’ll forgive Toyota if it lost track.

More exactly, stopping count at the end of September, Toyota reached 300.12 million cars produced. 180.52 million of those are said to have been produced in Japan, with 119.6 million from factories elsewhere around the globe.

Of all the cars it has built, the Corolla has been Toyota’s biggest seller over the last nine decades, reaching 53.399 million produced. Or about one in every five and a half cars it's ever made.

Akio Toyoda, Toyota chairman and ‘master driver’, said: “I think the number of cars tells the stories of our customers, and the customers who have chosen Toyota cars to be their partners through their own stories are what allow us to continue making cars to this day. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart. I love cars, too, and we will carry on making cars, one by one and with care, along with all our car-loving colleagues."

With demand still strong for its regular cars, Toyota has been committing to more exciting stuff for us enthusiasts. The recently-revealed FT-Se concept suggests a new electric MR2 is coming, while a Supra GRMN has been spotted testing lately - complete with an M3 engine and a manual gearbox.