was a Japanese

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. It was a member of the Toyota Group. In July 2012, Kanto Auto Works and two other Toyota subsidiaries were merged to form Toyota Motor East Japan.

History

In April 1946, Kanto Auto Works was established in Yokosuka,

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

, Japan, as an independent company called ''Kanto Electric Motor Works'' which focused on repairing cars, assembling

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes ch ...

s and producing bus bodies. In early 1948, it became a

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

contractor, producing auto bodies. During its early years, the company also assembled some cars for Toyota (

Toyota SB The SA was Toyota's first new passenger car design (as opposed to updating the AA) after World War II. It was the first in a family of vehicles before the introduction of the Crown. A series of light trucks also shared the chassis and major comp ...

, Toyota Master,

Toyota Crown The is an automobile which has been produced by Toyota in Japan since 1955. It is primarily a line of mid-size luxury cars that is marketed as an upmarket offering in the Toyota lineup. Introduced in 1955 as the Toyopet Crown, it has served ...

). The company also diversified into other products such as

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

s and prefabricated homes. In 1950, it adopted the ''Kanto Auto Works'' name. In 1960, the company became a permanent car assembler through a new Yokosuka plant. Later, the company replaced Yokosuka for car assembly with the Higashi-Fuji (established in 1968) and Iwate (established in 1993) plants. Kanto Auto Works was a

public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( ...

until 2011 when, following the

2011 Tohoku earthquake Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''E ...

, Toyota announced it would make it a wholly owned subsidiary. On July 1, 2012, Kanto Auto Works and two other Toyota subsidiaries ( Central Motors and

Toyota Motors Tohoku Toyota Motors Tohoku was an auto parts manufacturing subcontractor under the Toyota Group. The company was created in July 1997 in Taiwa, Miyagi, Japan. On July 1, 2012, three Toyota subcontractors Central Motors Central Motor Co., Ltd. was a ...

) were combined into a single company called Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc.

Facilities

*Head Office, Kanagawa, Yokosuka *Higashi Fuji Research and Development Center, Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture *Higashi Fuji Manufacturing Plant, 1200 Onyado Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture *Iwate Manufacturing Plant, Kanegasaki,

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectu ...

*Fujiko Manufacturing Plant, Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture

References

External links

* Toyota subsidiaries {{japan-company-stub