So, you drive a Toyota vehicle. But do you know these fun and interesting facts about the Toyota brand? Here are 10 that are especially fascinating!

1. Before producing vehicles, Toyota (then known as Toyoda) started out selling sewing machines. The company transitioned to automobile manufacturing in 1933, and the first vehicles produced premiered in 1935 – the Model A1.

2. Toyota’s name changed from the original “Toyoda” because it took eight brush strokes (a lucky number) to write in Japanese – one fewer than the original!

3. The Land Cruiser has been in production since 1951 and is the brand’s longest running series. It became the best-selling car in the USA in 1965.

4. In 1970, the Toyota Celica premiered and became Toyota’s first mass-produced sports car. Though production ended in 2006, the Celica is still a favorite car among vehicle enthusiasts.

5. The Toyota Prius, the best-selling hybrid car in the world, was released in 1997.

6. In 1999, Toyota produced its 100,000th vehicle.

7. The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling nameplate in the world, with more than 40,000,000 cars produced over 11 generations of the vehicle.

8. Looking for a powerful vehicle? In 2012, a standard configuration Toyota Tundra was used to tow a 60-ton space shuttle!

9. Toyota Motor Corporation is the second largest automotive manufacturer in the world, and is the largest in Japan. More than 5,000,000 cars are produced every year.

10. Toyota’s newest assembly line produces a completed new car every five seconds.