ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

4.A HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPANY

Toyota Motor Corporation is a limited liability, joint-stock company incorporated under the Commercial Code of Japan and continues to exist under the Companies Act. Toyota commenced operations in 1933 as the automobile division of Toyota Industries Corporation (formerly, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd.). Toyota became a separate company on August 28, 1937. In 1982, the Toyota Motor Company and Toyota Motor Sales merged into one company, the Toyota Motor Corporation of today. As of March 31, 2015, Toyota operated through 541 consolidated subsidiaries (including variable interest entities) and 203 affiliated companies, of which 54 companies were accounted for through the equity method.

See “— Business Overview — Capital Expenditures and Divestitures” for a description of Toyota’s principal capital expenditures and divestitures between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2015 and information concerning Toyota’s principal capital expenditures and divestitures currently in progress.

Toyota’s principal executive offices are located at 1 Toyota-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture 471-8571, Japan. Toyota’s telephone number in Japan is +81-565-28-2121.

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4.B BUSINESS OVERVIEW

Toyota primarily conducts business in the automotive industry. Toyota also conducts business in finance and other industries. Toyota sold 8,972 thousand vehicles in fiscal 2015 on a consolidated basis. Toyota had net revenues of ¥27,234.5 billion and net income attributable to Toyota Motor Corporation of ¥2,173.3 billion in fiscal 2015.

Toyota’s business segments are automotive operations, financial services operations and all other operations. The following table sets forth Toyota’s sales to external customers in each of its business segments for each of the past three fiscal years.

Toyota’s automotive operations include the design, manufacture, assembly and sale of passenger cars, minivans and commercial vehicles such as trucks and related parts and accessories. Toyota’s financial services business consists primarily of providing financing to dealers and their customers for the purchase or lease of Toyota vehicles. Toyota’s financial services also provide retail installment credit and leasing through the purchase of installment and lease contracts originated by Toyota dealers. Related to Toyota’s automotive operations is its development of intelligent transport systems (“ITS”). Toyota’s all other operations business segment includes the design and manufacture of prefabricated housing, information technology related businesses including a web portal for automobile information called GAZOO.com, and sales promotions for KDDI’s communication-related products (predominantly the au brand).

Toyota sells its vehicles in approximately 170 countries and regions. Toyota’s primary markets for its automobiles are Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. The following table sets forth Toyota’s sales to external customers in each of its geographical markets for each of the past three fiscal years.

During fiscal 2015, 24.0% of Toyota’s automobile unit sales on a consolidated basis were in Japan, 30.3% were in North America, 9.6% were in Europe and 16.6% were in Asia. The remaining 19.5% of consolidated unit sales were in other markets.

The Worldwide Automotive Market

Toyota estimates that annual worldwide vehicle sales totaled approximately 89 million units in 2014.

Automobile sales are affected by a number of factors including:

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These factors can cause consumer demand to vary substantially from year to year in different geographic markets and in individual categories of automobiles.

In fiscal 2015, the global economy experienced gradual expansion in developed countries with the United States as a driving force, while growth in emerging markets slowed down due to the relative weakening currencies of emerging markets reflecting in part the end of U.S. monetary quantitative easing contributing to the strength of the U.S. dollar, as well as due to the decline in prices of natural resources in resource-producing countries contributing to the weakness of the local currency of such countries.

The automotive industry was also impacted by this trend. In 2014, with respect to developed countries, markets in the United States expanded and the downturn bottomed out in Europe. In addition, in Japan, due to the consumption tax increase in April 2014, market demand slowed down. In emerging markets, the expansion of the Chinese market continued despite signs of weakness in the economy, but markets in other emerging countries slowed down.

However, in the medium- to long-term, Toyota expects the automotive market to grow driven principally by the growth in emerging markets. Global competition is expected to be severe, as competition in compact and low-price vehicles intensifies, and technological development and development of new products become more frequent with a heightened global awareness of the environment and more stringent fuel economy standards.

In 2014, China, North America, Europe and Asia were the world’s largest automotive markets. The share of each market across the globe, which Toyota estimates based on the available automobile sales data in each country and region information, was 27% for China, 22% for North America (20% excluding Mexico and Puerto Rico), 21% for Europe and 10% for Asia. In China, new vehicle sales increased to approximately 24.0 million units. In North America, new vehicle sales increased to approximately 19.6 million units. In Europe, new vehicle sales increased to approximately 18.4 million units. In Asia (including India but excluding Japan and China), new vehicle unit sales decreased slightly from the previous year to approximately 8.8 million units.

The worldwide automotive industry is affected significantly by government regulations aimed at reducing harmful effects on the environment, enhancing vehicle safety and improving fuel economy. These regulations have added to the cost of manufacturing vehicles. Many governments also mandate local procurement of parts and components and impose tariffs and other trade barriers and price or exchange controls as a means of creating jobs, protecting domestic producers or influencing their balance of payments. Changes in regulatory requirements and other government-imposed restrictions can limit an automaker’s operations. These regulations can also make it difficult to repatriate profits to an automaker’s home country.

The development of the worldwide automotive market includes the continuing globalization of automotive operations. Manufacturers seek to achieve globalization by localizing the design and manufacture of automobiles and their parts and components in the markets in which they are sold. By expanding production capabilities beyond their home markets, automotive manufacturers are able to reduce their exposure to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates as well as to trade restrictions and tariffs.

Recently, there have been many global business alliances and investments entered into between manufacturers in the global automotive industry. There are various reasons behind these transactions including the need to respond to the excessive global capacity in the production of automobiles, the need to reduce costs and improve efficiency by increasing the number of automobiles produced using common vehicle platforms and by sharing research and development expenses for environmental and other technology, the desire to expand a company’s global presence through increased size and the desire to expand into particular segments or geographic markets.

Toyota believes that its research and development initiatives, particularly the development of environmentally friendly new vehicle technologies, vehicle safety and information technology, provide it with a strategic advantage.

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Toyota’s ability to compete in the global automotive industry will depend in part on Toyota’s successful implementation of its business strategy. This is subject to a number of factors, some of which are not in Toyota’s control. These factors are discussed in “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” and elsewhere in this annual report.

Toyota Global Vision

In March 2011, Toyota unveiled its “Toyota Global Vision” corporate outline for the future, which serves not only to give direction to Toyota employees around the world, but also to convey such direction to customers and to the public at large. Toyota will work to achieve sustained growth through the realization of the following ideals which are parts of the Vision:

“The safest and most responsible ways of moving people”

“Enriching lives around the world”

“Lead the way to the future of mobility”

“Our commitment to quality, constant innovation”

“Continued awareness for the Earth and environment”

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“Exceed expectations and be rewarded with a smile”

“There is always a better way”

“Meet challenging goals by engaging the talent and passion of people”

As for Toyota’s future business environment, in the world economy, the U.S. is expected to recover steadily. Also the European economy is picking up gradually chiefly in the eurozone, while the economies of several countries are likely to slow down, such as in Russia which is weighed down by declines in crude oil prices. Emerging countries also show downside risk. The Japanese economy is expected to recover gradually through improvements in employment and income conditions, although attention needs to be paid to such factors as uncertainty in overseas economies, which performance will affect the Japanese economy.

The automotive market is expected to expand gradually, led by the U.S. However, amid adaptation of eco-car promotion policies in various countries and increased efforts toward the development of safety technologies, as well as continuing advances in information and communication technology, fierce competition exists on a global scale.

In this severe business environment, Toyota intends to steadily progress toward the realization of the Toyota Global Vision through sustainable growth based on the following policies:

First, Toyota intends to reinforce its core competitiveness in order to grow as steadily as a tree adding annual growth rings. It plans to work on quality improvement and human resource development in order to manufacture vehicles that bring smiles to customers. In addition, it plans to thoroughly improve productivity in each of its business operations through measures such as effective use of management resources and the strengthening of its IT infrastructure.

Second, Toyota intends to take on bold challenges toward the creation of new value in order to progress into the future. It plans to work toward the future of mobility through pioneering technologies, products and businesses.

In order to implement the above, Toyota intends to improve its management structure to speed up decision-making, enhance the supervision of business execution, strengthen collaboration with Toyota group companies and leverage the value of diversity.

Based on these initiatives, Toyota will contribute to “enriching lives of communities” by providing “ever-better cars.” This is expected to encourage more customers to purchase Toyota cars and thereby lead to the

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establishment of a stable business base. By perpetuating this cycle, it will aim to realize sustainable growth and enhance corporate value. In addition, through full observance of corporate ethics such as compliance with applicable laws and regulations, Toyota will fulfill its social responsibilities.

Automotive Operations

Toyota’s revenues from its automotive operations were ¥25,062.1 billion in fiscal 2015, ¥23,781.4 billion in fiscal 2014 and ¥20,419.1 billion in fiscal 2013.

Toyota produces and sells passenger cars, minivans and commercial vehicles such as trucks. Toyota Motor Corporation’s subsidiary, Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (“Daihatsu”), produces and sells mini-vehicles and compact cars. Hino Motors, Ltd. (“Hino”), also a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, produces and sells commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses. Toyota also manufactures automotive parts, components and accessories for its own use and for sale to others.

On March 4, 2015, Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Motor Sales & Marketing Corporation (“TMSM”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, and Toyota Marketing Japan Corporation (“TMJ”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TMSM, announced that TMSM will merge with and into Toyota Motor Corporation and TMJ’s motor sports business will be transferred to Toyota Motor Corporation.

Vehicle Models

Toyota’s vehicles (produced by Toyota, Daihatsu and Hino) can be classified into three categories: hybrid vehicles, conventional engine vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles, which in December 2014 became available commercially for the first time in the world, in the Japanese market. Toyota’s product line-up includes subcompact and compact cars, mini-vehicles, mid-size, luxury, sports and specialty cars, recreational and sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks, minivans, trucks and buses.

Hybrid Vehicles

The world’s first mass-produced hybrid car was Toyota’s Prius. It runs on an efficient combination of a gasoline engine and motor. This system allows the Prius to travel more efficiently than conventional engine vehicles of comparable size and performance. The hybrid design of the Prius also results in the output of 75% less emission than the maximum amount allowed by Japanese environmental regulations. Toyota views the Prius as the cornerstone of its emphasis on designing and producing eco-friendly automobiles.

In the last three years, Toyota has strengthened its hybrid lineup by introducing the Prius plug-in and the fully remodeled GS450h in January 2012, the Yaris HV in May 2012, the ES300h in July 2012, the Auris HV in November 2012, the Avalon HV and the fully remodeled Crown HV in December 2012, the fully remodeled IS300h in May 2013, the fully remodeled Corolla Axio HV/Corolla Fielder HV in August 2013, the fully remodeled Harrier HV in December 2013, the fully remodeled Voxy HV/Noah HV in January 2014, the NX300h in July 2014, the RC300h and the Esquire HV in September 2014 and the fully remodeled Alphard and Vellfire in January 2015. In the hybrid vehicles area, where strong growth is anticipated, Toyota aims to continue its efforts to offer a diverse line-up of hybrid vehicles, enhance engine power while improving fuel economy and otherwise work towards increasing the sales of hybrid vehicles.

Fuel Cell Vehicles

Toyota began limited sales of a fuel cell vehicle in Japan and the United States in December 2002. In June 2005, Toyota’s new fuel cell passenger vehicle became the first in Japan to acquire vehicle type certification under the Road Vehicles Act, as amended, on March 31, 2005, by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Leases for fuel cell vehicles began in July 2005. By 2007, Toyota was able to make

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improvements to start-up and cruising distance at temperatures below freezing, which were technological challenges. Toyota has made advances by solving technological issues such as the above and worked towards the practical use of such solutions, culminating in the general sale of the world’s first mass produced fuel cell vehicle MIRAI in Japan beginning in December 2014.

Conventional Engine Vehicles

Subcompact and Compact

Toyota’s subcompact and compact cars include the four-door Corolla sedan, which is one of Toyota’s bestselling models. The Yaris, marketed as the Vitz in Japan, is a subcompact car designed to perform better and offer greater comfort than other compact cars available in the market with low emissions that are particularly attractive to European consumers. In Europe, Toyota introduced the fully remodeled Aygo in June 2014. In Japan, Toyota introduced the remodeled Corolla Axio/Fielder in May 2012, the remodeled Porte and its variant, the Spade, in July 2012 and the remodeled Auris in August 2012. In India, Asia, China and other markets, Toyota introduced the Etios and Vios. In addition, Toyota introduced the AGYA, which is designed and manufactured by Daihatsu.

Mini-Vehicles

Mini-vehicles are manufactured and sold by Daihatsu. Daihatsu manufactures mini-vehicles, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and auto parts. Mini-vehicles are passenger cars, vans or trucks with engine displacements of 660 cubic centimeters or less. Daihatsu sold approximately 629 thousand mini-vehicles and 197 thousand automobiles on a consolidated basis during fiscal 2015. Daihatsu’s largest market is Japan, which accounted for approximately 80% of Daihatsu’s unit sales during fiscal 2015. From 2011, Toyota began to sell some mini-vehicles manufactured by Daihatsu under the Toyota brand.

Mid-Size

Toyota’s mid-size models include the Camry, which has been the bestselling passenger car in the United States for seventeen of the past eighteen calendar years (from 1997 to present) and also for the last thirteen consecutive years. The Camry was fully remodeled in August 2011. Camry sales in the United States for 2014 were approximately 428 thousand units (including Camry hybrids). In addition, Toyota’s other mid-size models include the REIZ for the Chinese market, the Avensis, which was remodeled in November 2008 for the European market, and the Mark X, which was remodeled in October 2009 for the Japanese market.

Luxury & Large

In North America, Europe, Japan and other regions, Toyota’s luxury lineup consists primarily of vehicles sold under the Lexus brand name. Lexus passenger car models include the LS, the GS, the ES, the IS, the HS, the CT and the RC. Lexus models also include the LX, the GX, the RX and the NX sold as luxury sport-utility vehicles. Toyota commenced sales of its luxury automobiles in Japan under the Lexus brand in August 2005. As of March 31, 2015, the Lexus brand lineup in Japan includes the LS, the GS, the HS, the IS, the CT, the RX, the NX and the RC. The Toyota brand’s full-size luxury car, the Avalon, was remodeled in October 2012, and the Crown was remodeled in December 2012. Toyota also sells the Century limousine in Japan.

Sports and Specialty

In the United States Toyota sells the Scion tC, a sports model targeted at young drivers. In December 2010, Toyota introduced the LFA model under the Lexus brand as the high-performance sports model, and in April 2012, Toyota introduced the 86 (called Scion FR-S in the U.S.), a compact sports car with a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. In October 2014, Toyota introduced the RC coupe that leads the image of Lexus, which engages drivers on a sentimental level.

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Recreational and Sport-Utility Vehicles and Pickup Trucks

Toyota sells a variety of sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Toyota’s sport-utility vehicles available in North America include the Sequoia, the 4Runner, the RAV4, the Highlander, the FJ Cruiser and the Land Cruiser, and pickup trucks available are the Tacoma and Tundra. The Tacoma, the Tundra, the Highlander and the Sequoia are manufactured in the United States. Toyota also offers four types of sport-utility vehicles under the Lexus brand, including the LX, the GX, the RX, and the NX. Toyota also manufactures the RX and RAV4 models in Canada. Toyota’s pickup truck, the Hilux, has been the bestselling model of all Toyota cars sold in Thailand. In North America, the fully remodeled RAV4 was introduced in December 2012 and the fully remodeled Highlander was introduced in December 2013. In July 2014, Toyota introduced the new NX model under the Lexus brand, and in May 2015, Toyota introduced the fully remodeled Hilux in Thailand.

Minivans and Cabwagons

Toyota offers several basic models for the global minivan market. Its largest minivans in Japan, the Alphard and the Vellfire, were remodeled in January 2015. In addition, the Corolla Verso was remodeled in December 2008 in Europe, and the Wish was remodeled in April 2009, the Noah/Voxy was remodeled in January 2014 and the new model Esquire was introduced in October 2014 in Japan. Toyota’s other minivan models include, in Japan, the Estima, the Sienta and the Isis, and, in North America, the Sienna.

Trucks and Buses

Toyota’s product lineup includes trucks (including vans) up to a gross vehicle weight of five tons and micro-buses that are sold in Japan and in overseas markets. Trucks and buses are also manufactured and sold by Hino, a subsidiary of Toyota. Hino’s product lineup includes large trucks with a gross vehicle weight of over eleven tons, medium trucks with a gross vehicle weight of between five and eleven tons and small trucks with a gross vehicle weight of up to five tons. Hino’s bus lineup includes medium to large buses used primarily as tour buses and public buses, small buses and micro-buses.

Product Development

New cars introduced in Japan during fiscal 2015 and thereafter include the RC, the NX, the Esquire and the MIRAI. Remodeled cars in Japan during fiscal 2015 and thereafter include the Alphard, the Vellfire and the PIXIS TRUCK. New vehicles developed during fiscal 2015 and thereafter and introduced outside of Japan include the RC and the NX. Remodeled cars outside of Japan during fiscal 2015 and thereafter include the Aygo, the Alphard, the Vellfire and the Hilux.

In addition, the IMV product lineup based on the IMV project to optimize global manufacturing and supply systems is a lineup of strategic multipurpose vehicles produced from a single platform to meet market demand. The IMV product lineup includes, as of March 31, 2015, the Hilux, Fortuner, and Innova, one or all of which are available in all regions except for Japan.

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Markets, Sales and Competition

Toyota’s primary markets are Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. The following table sets forth Toyota’s consolidated vehicle unit sales by geographic market for the periods shown. The vehicle unit sales below reflect vehicle sales made by Toyota to unconsolidated entities (recognized as sales under Toyota’s revenue recognition policy), including sales to unconsolidated distributors and dealers. Vehicles sold by Daihatsu and Hino are included in the vehicle unit sales figures set forth below.

The following table sets forth Toyota’s vehicle unit sales and market share in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia on a retail basis for the periods shown. Each market’s total sales and Toyota’s sales represent new vehicle registrations in the relevant year (except for the Asia market where vehicle registration does not necessarily apply). All information on Japan excludes mini-vehicles. The sales information contained below excludes unit sales by Daihatsu and Hino, each a consolidated subsidiary of Toyota. Vehicle unit sales in Asia do not include sales in China.

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Japan

Japan is one of the leading countries with respect to technological advancements and improvements and will continue to demonstrate such strength. Toyota strives to earn customer satisfaction by introducing products distinctive of Japan’s manufacturing ability such as value-added products including Lexus models, hybrid vehicles, vehicles with 3-seat rows and mini-vehicles. Toyota’s consolidated vehicle sales in Japan in fiscal 2015 was 2,154 thousand units, a decrease of 211 thousand units in comparison with the previous year. Toyota endeavors to secure and maintain its large share of and position atop the Japanese market. Toyota held a domestic market share (excluding mini-vehicles) on a retail basis of 48.4% in fiscal 2013, 46.7% in fiscal 2014 and 46.0% in fiscal 2015.

Although Toyota’s principle is to conduct production in regions where it enjoys true competitiveness, it considers Japan to be the source of its good manufacturing practices. Toyota supports its operations worldwide through measures such as the development of new technologies and products, low-volume vehicles to complement local production, production of global vehicle models which straddle multiple regions and supporting overseas factories. Toyota will also launch the implementation of the new platform and the new unit for the Toyota New Global Architecture (“TNGA”) globally, with Japan at the core. In Japan, Toyota is implementing flexible production based on market needs, in order to support its large share of domestic sales.

In January 2011, Central Motor Co., Ltd., Toyota’s subsidiary, began production at its Tohoku plant, implementing innovative production technology that realizes cost reductions. The Tohoku plant produces compact vehicles such as the Yaris sedan and the Corolla Axio. In addition, Kanto Auto Works, Ltd. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota in January 2012. In July 2012, Toyota integrated Central Motor Co., Ltd., Kanto Auto Works, Ltd. and Toyota Motor Tohoku Corporation to establish Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc. as a new company. This integration is intended to enable Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc. to design, develop, and produce globally competitive compact cars, manufacture auto parts and support Toyota’s overseas operations. Toyota has established three domestic production bases, each of which are in the Tokai, Kyushu and Tohoku regions.

In January 2012, Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota. Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. is primarily responsible for integrating the planning, development and production of minivans, commercial vehicles, SUVs, etc.

Since Toyota formed an alliance with Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. (“FHI”) in 2005, Toyota and FHI have utilized each other’s resources in development and production. In April 2008, in order to create synergy and to further strengthen competitiveness, Toyota, Daihatsu and FHI agreed on the following three points: (1) Toyota and FHI will jointly develop a compact rear-wheel-drive sports car that will be marketed by both Toyota and FHI, (2) Toyota will provide FHI with a compact car on an original equipment manufacturing basis (“OEM”) and (3) Daihatsu will supply FHI with mini-vehicles and an FHI version of the Daihatsu Coo compact car on an OEM basis. In order to promote a smooth cooperation, FHI transferred 61 million FHI shares owned by FHI to Toyota in July 2008. As a result of this transfer, Toyota owns 16.5% of FHI issued shares. While Toyota vehicles have been manufactured at FHI’s North American production center, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., since 2007, Toyota and FHI have decided to cease such production in the fall of 2016, and the collaboration between Toyota and FHI will shift going forward to collaboration focusing on products and technology.

In Japan, there are five major domestic manufacturers, five specialized domestic manufacturers and a growing volume of imports from major United States and European manufacturers. The prolonged economic slump in the Japanese economy and the recent increases in environmental awareness have also shifted consumer preference towards more affordable automobiles such as compact and subcompact vehicles and towards utility vehicles such as mini-vans. For more than 40 years, Toyota has maintained its position as the largest automobile manufacturer in Japan. Every year since fiscal 1999, Toyota, excluding Daihatsu and Hino, has achieved a market share (excluding mini-vehicles) of over 40%, reflecting in part the success of the introduction of new models for subcompact and compact cars, mini-vans and sedans. In August 2005, Toyota launched the Lexus

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brand in Japan and achieved a record top market share of 25.6% in the luxury market in 2011. Toyota aims to further distinguish the Lexus brand by continuing to attract new and affluent customers including customers that typically had purchased imported vehicles.

North America

The North American region is one of Toyota’s most significant markets. While the automotive market struggled in the aftermath of the financial crisis beginning in 2008, Toyota has since reorganized its production structure and made improvements to its product lineup. In addition, Toyota is actively working to promote increased local operations independence in North America, in accordance with the Toyota Global Vision, announced in 2011.

In the North American region, of which the U.S. is the center, Toyota has a wide product lineup (excluding large trucks and buses), and sold 2,715 thousand vehicles on a consolidated basis in fiscal 2015. This represents approximately 30% of Toyota’s total unit sales on a consolidated basis. The U.S., in particular, is the largest market in the North American region, accounting for 89% of the retail sales of Toyota in such region. Sales figures for fiscal 2015 were 107.3% of those in the previous fiscal year.

Toyota commenced sales of the first-generation Prius hybrid model in North America in 2000. The Prius became Toyota’s bestselling model behind the Corolla and Camry, having gained particular support among customers concerned with the environment. Toyota introduced the first hybrid model under the Lexus brand, the RX400h, and the Highlander hybrid in 2005. Further, Toyota continued expanding its hybrid models with the introduction of models such as the HS250h in 2009, the CT200h and the Prius V in 2011, the Prius C, the ESh and the Avalon HV in 2012 and the NXh in 2014.

Since the introduction of the LS and ES models under the premium brand model, Lexus, in the United States in 1989, Toyota has expanded its Lexus sales with models including the GS, IS and RX. In 2012, Toyota introduced the all-new GS and ES models, and unit sales reached 244 thousand units. Toyota is seeking to steadily increase sales every year and achieved sales of 274 thousand units through the introduction of the new IS model in 2013 and 311 thousand units through the introduction of the new NX and RC models in 2014.

Toyota is continuing to revise its vehicle models and North American production capacities in response to changes in market conditions. Starting 2011, Toyota, instead of importing from Japan, began production of the Corolla at its Mississippi plant. In 2013, the production capacity at the Woodstock plant in Canada increased from 150 to 200 thousand units per year, and the production capacity at the Indiana plant also increased. Toyota commenced production of the RX450h hybrid model at its Cambridge plant in Canada in 2014. Through the business alliance with Mazda Motor Corporation, the production of Toyota brand light vehicles for sale mainly in North America is scheduled to begin at Mazda’s plant in Mexico in July 2015. In addition, Toyota has decided to commence production of the Lexus ES350 at its Kentucky plant for sale in the North America market starting in the fall.

In terms of auto parts, Toyota increased production capacity of engine plants in Kentucky and Alabama in 2013 and 2014, respectively, to meet rising demand, and also increased production capacity of auto parts at its automatic transmission plant in West Virginia in 2014.

In order to further strengthen competitiveness in North America, Toyota will continue the realignment of North American manufacturing operations going forward. As part of this effort, a new plant will be built in Mexico in 2019 and production of the Corolla will be shifted from the plant in Canada to the new plant in Mexico. Compact cars will also be produced at the new plant as well as at the plant in Mississippi. Toyota will consider focusing its production of mid-sized vehicles in the plant in Canada, along with the plants in Indiana and Kentucky, by commencing production of mid-sized vehicles instead of the Corolla in Canada starting in 2019.

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As for Toyota’s vehicle development in North America, the Toyota Technical Center spearheads the design, planning, and evaluation of vehicles and parts as to their ability to meet customer needs. Toyota will continue to promote self-reliance towards producing even better cars in the future.

In April 2014, Toyota decided to relocate its North American headquarters for manufacturing, sales and marketing, financial services and other functions to the city of Plano in northern Dallas, Texas. By unifying its North American operations, Toyota plans to promote collaboration and efficiencies across functions, position itself to deliver “ever-better cars” to customers and work towards realizing sustainable growth in the North America market. The relocation is expected to take place following the completion of the construction of the new headquarters in late 2016 or early 2017.

Europe

While competition continues to intensify, Toyota has expanded its lineup of hybrid models to further strengthen its sales operations, and has entered into supply agreements with BMW and PSA for diesel engines and light commercial vehicles, respectively. As a result, Toyota launched the BMW engine-equipped Verso in early 2014 and plans to expand to other models in the future. Toyota also began sales of light commercial vehicles supplied by PSA from mid-2013. In addition, Toyota is actively promoting production and sales measures that meet local demand by strengthening its value chain including used car dealerships, after-sales services and finance and insurance services.

In 2014, while the market recovered steadily in the eurozone, the market in Eastern European countries, mainly in Russia, slowed down due to factors such as the situation in Ukrainian and decline in crude oil prices.

Sales in 2014 in Europe exceeded the previous year’s figures due to increased sales in major markets resulting from the introduction of new models and increased sales of hybrid models. Going forward, Toyota will strive to maintain sales with the expansion of its product lineup while being responsive to market risks. Toyota’s consolidated vehicle sales in Europe in fiscal 2015 was 859 thousand units, an increase of 1.8% from fiscal 2014.

Toyota has in the past increased European production in response to sales growth, establishing Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. (“TMUK”) in 1992, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey Inc. (“TMMT”) in 1994 and Toyota Motor Manufacturing France S.A.S. (“TMMF”) in 2001. Further, in 2005, Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile Czech was formed as a result of a joint venture with PSA Peugeot Citroën as vehicle supply factories to Europe. At the time of the economic crisis in Europe, Toyota promptly reduced personnel and made adjustments to its plant operations. In addition, in 2010, TMUK limited its production to one production line at its Burnaston plant. At the same time, Toyota conducted measures such as changing from a two-shift to a one-shift production operation at TMMT and change from a three-shift to a two-shift production operation at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland SP.zo.o. To increase the utilization rate of these factories, Toyota began to transfer the production of the Corolla from South Africa to TMMT and commenced exporting the TMMF Yaris to North America in 2013.

Toyota opened the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Russia (TMMR) plant in 2007 as a base for its manufacturing operations in the Russian market, where future growth is expected. A two-shift production operation started in September 2012 and production capacity was increased from 20,000 units to 50,000 units per year. In addition, Toyota decided in September 2013 to manufacture a second model, namely the RAV4. Moreover, OOO “Toyota Motor” (sales) and TMMR were merged into one company at the end of 2013 to strengthen the business base and promote coordination of manufacturing and sales operations. In addition, Toyota commenced contract assembly of SUVs by Sollers Bussan in Vladivostok in February 2013. Toyota commenced complete knock down, or CKD, production of SUVs in Kazakhstan beginning in the spring of 2014.

Toyota’s principal European markets are Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Russia. Toyota’s principal competitors in Europe are Volkswagen, Renault, Ford, Opel and Peugeot, as well as Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia.

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Asia

Toyota’s consolidated vehicle sales in Asia (including China) in fiscal 2015 was 1,489 thousand units, a decrease of 7.4% from fiscal 2014.

In light of the importance of the Asian market that is further expected to grow in the long term, Toyota aims to build an operational framework that is efficient and self-reliant as well as a predominant position in the automotive market in Asia. Toyota has responded to increasing competition in Asia by making strategic investments in the market and developing relationships with local suppliers. Toyota believes that its existing local presence in the market provides it with an advantage over new entrants to the market and expects to be able to promptly respond to demand for vehicles in the region.

In this region, Toyota has been further strengthening its business foundations by improving its product line-up, expanding local procurement and increasing production capacities.

As an example of enhancing the product line-up, Toyota began producing IMVs (the Hilux, Fortuner and Innova) in Thailand, Indonesia, India, the Philippines and Malaysia in 2005 and in Vietnam in 2006. Furthermore, with increased production capacity, the Thailand plant now produces IMVs for export outside of Asia, including to Australia and to the Middle East, contributing greatly to the expansion of Toyota’s automotive business.

As part of Toyota’s efforts to expand business, Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. commenced production of the Camry hybrid in 2009 and Prius in 2011. Toyota also started operation of its second Gateway plant in 2013, expanding production capacity by 80 thousand units in Thailand to 810 thousand units. In April 2015, Toyota implemented a full model change for IMV models manufactured at its plant in Thailand.

In India, Toyota constructed a second plant with an annual production capacity of 70 thousand units and commenced production and sales of the Etios compact model designed specifically for the Indian market in 2010. Furthermore, Toyota increased production capacity in India during 2012 and 2013 to 210 thousand units. Moreover, Toyota began exporting the gasoline-fueled model of the Etios to South Africa from India in 2012.

In Indonesia, Toyota introduced the Etios and commenced operation of a second plant in Karawang in 2013 in order to meet the diverse customer needs and the expanding market. In 2014, Toyota increased the initial production capacity of 70 thousand units per year to 120 thousand units per year with the introduction of the Vios and the Yaris, and also began exporting the Vios to the Middle East. Toyota also began construction of a passenger vehicle engine plant to commence production at the beginning of 2016. In Malaysia, Toyota began production of the Camry hybrid in March 2015. In addition, in 2012 Toyota began production and sales of the Camry hybrid in Taiwan to accommodate the spread of environmentally-friendly vehicles. Moreover, in light of the free trade agreement between the U.S. and Korea, Toyota began sales of the U.S.-produced Camry in Korea in January 2012.

Toyota’s principal Asian markets are Thailand, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Taiwan.

China

Toyota has been conducting its operations in China through joint ventures, and its success in producing products that meet local demands and in establishing its sales and service network has significantly contributed to Toyota’s profits. Based on the firm business foundation that it has established, Toyota is conducting its operations with the aim of promoting further growth and increasing profitability through further development of its sales and service network and expansion of its product lineup.

In China, Toyota has been conducting joint ventures with two major partners. First, with respect to the joint venture with China FAW Group Corporation since Toyota first launched the Vios through the joint venture in

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2002, Toyota has been producing and selling the Land Cruiser Prado, the Land Cruiser, the Corolla, the Crown, the REIZ, the Coaster, the RAV4 and the Prius in China. With regard to production capacity, in 2007, Toyota commenced production at the new Tianjin Teda plant, which has an annual production capacity of 200 thousand units, and in 2012, commenced production at a new factory in Changchun, China, which has an annual production capacity of 100 thousand units. Toyota also increased annual production capacity of the plant in Sichuan from 30 thousand units to 50 thousand units in the spring of 2015 to increase production of the Prado.

GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Toyota and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd., commenced sales of the Camry in 2006, followed by production and sales of the Yaris, the Highlander, the E’z and the Levin. In 2006, it commenced production at the first plant on a single shift basis with an annual production capacity of 100 thousand units and expanded its annual production capacity to 200 thousand units on a double shift basis. In addition, a second plant commenced production in 2009 and Toyota plans to complete construction of a third plant in 2017. In terms of auto parts, in 2014, Toyota opened a plant in Changshu in Jiangsu, China for the production of the CVT as the first CVT plant outside of Japan. Toyota also plans to open a plant to produce hybrid vehicle batteries in October 2015.

Total vehicle sales in the Chinese market increased 8% from 22.19 million in 2013 to 24.00 million in 2014. In this market, Toyota’s sales in 2014 were 1.03 million vehicles, up 13% from the previous year. In the passenger vehicle market (17.80 million units), Toyota had a market share of 6%. In 2014, favorable conditions in the less-than-1.6 liter market continued, and the SUV market expanded as a result of customers’ value diversification. As for Toyota’s distribution network, Toyota has been expanding the distribution network for locally produced vehicles in cooperation with Chinese joint venture partners under Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. and Guanqi Toyota Motor Co., Ltd., and for imported vehicles, Toyota has also been expanding primarily the Lexus brand sales network. Toyota plans to further increase sales by expanding the number of dealers and the product lineup for both locally produced and imported vehicles, particularly inland. In addition, as the market in China develops, Toyota plans to promote the so-called “Value Chain” businesses such as used cars, services, financing and insurance.

South and Central America, Oceania, Africa and the Middle East

Toyota’s consolidated vehicle sales in South and Central America, Oceania, Africa and the Middle East (collectively, the “Four Regions”) in fiscal 2015 remained around the same at 1,755 thousand units, a decrease of 0.8% from fiscal 2014. The core models in this region are global models such as the Corolla, IMV (the Hilux) and Camry. In order to increase production of IMVs, Toyota expanded the annual production capacity of its Argentina factory from 70 thousand units to 90 thousand units in 2011. Toyota is seeking to further increase its annual production capacity to 140 thousand units per year during 2015 and 2016. In order to expand business in Brazil, Toyota constructed a new factory in Sorocaba with an annual production capacity of 70 thousand units, and in 2012, began production and sales of the compact vehicles. Starting from 2016, Toyota plans to increase production capacity to 110 thousand units per year. Further, Toyota began local production of the Fortuner in Egypt in 2012. Moreover, in terms of auto parts, Toyota plans to commence production at a plant in Brazil for passenger vehicle engines in 2016.

Toyota decided to end production of vehicles and engines at Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Ltd. by the end of 2017.

In these regions, which are expected to become increasingly important to Toyota’s business strategy, Toyota aims to develop new products which meet the specific demands of each region, increase production and further promote sales.

Toyota’s principal markets in the Four Regions are Brazil in South and Central America, Australia in Oceania, South Africa in Africa and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.

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Production

Toyota and its affiliated companies produce automobiles and related parts and components through more than 50 overseas manufacturing companies in 28 countries and regions besides Japan. Toyota’s major manufacturing facilities include plants in Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Thailand, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, Argentina and Brazil. Daihatsu brand vehicles are produced at 4 factories in Japan and 4 manufacturing companies in 3 other countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia. Hino brand vehicles are produced at 2 factories in Japan and 10 manufacturing companies in 10 countries, including Indonesia and Thailand. For a listing of Toyota’s principal production facilities, see “Information on the Company — Property, Plants and Equipment”.

In promoting a sustainable growth strategy, establishing a system capable of providing optimal supply of products in the global market is integral to Toyota’s strategy.

In line with its basic policy of manufacturing where there is demand and where Toyota is truly competitive, Toyota will make efficient use of and maximize capacity utilization at its existing plants to respond to the expanding market and will continue to focus on making efficient capital investments as necessary. Furthermore, Toyota will continue to place top priority on safety and quality in strengthening true competitiveness with the aim of achieving sustainable growth.

In 2014, 76.5% of Toyota vehicles sold in overseas markets were manufactured in overseas plants by Toyota and its unconsolidated affiliated companies. In 2014, approximately 74.4% of Toyota vehicles sold in North America were produced in North America. Of the vehicles sold in Europe in 2014, approximately 73.7% were produced in Europe. In fiscal 2015, Toyota produced on a consolidated basis 4,125 thousand vehicles in Japan and 4,805 thousand vehicles overseas compared to 4,345 thousand vehicles in Japan and 4,687 thousand vehicles overseas in fiscal 2014.

The following table shows the worldwide vehicle unit production by Toyota for the periods shown. These production figures do not include vehicles produced by Toyota’s unconsolidated affiliated companies. The sales unit information elsewhere in this annual report includes sales of vehicles produced by these affiliated companies. Vehicles produced by Daihatsu and Hino are included in the vehicle production figures set forth below.

Toyota closely monitors its actual units of sale, market share and units of production data and uses this information to allocate resources to existing manufacturing facilities and to plan for future expansions.

See “— Capital Expenditures and Divestitures” for a description of Toyota’s recent investments in completed plant constructions and for a description of Toyota’s current investments in ongoing plant constructions.

The Toyota Production System

Toyota pioneered the internationally recognized production system known as the “Toyota Production System”. The Toyota Production System is based on Toyota’s own concepts of efficient production of only necessary and quality products and efficient cost reduction, and has the following two principal elements:

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Just-in-Time is an approach in which necessary parts and components are manufactured and delivered in just the right quantity in a timely manner just as they are needed. This allows Toyota to maintain low levels of inventory while maintaining operating efficiency.

Jidoka is a production concept which involves immediate stop of work when problems arise in the production line in order to stop the production of defective items from being passed on to subsequent stages of the process, and therefore making quality assurance an inherent part of the production process. To achieve this, Toyota’s equipment is designed to detect and highlight abnormalities and to stop whenever abnormalities occur. Toyota also authorizes its machine operators and other members of its production team to stop production whenever they note anything suspicious. This helps Toyota to build quality into the production process by avoiding defects and preventing the waste that would result from producing a series of defective items.

Toyota believes that the Toyota Production System allows it to achieve mass-production efficiencies even in high-mix, low-volume production. This belief gives Toyota the flexibility to respond to changing consumer demand without significantly increasing production costs. While the Toyota Production System remains the basis of Toyota’s automobile production, the system has been expanded for use in Toyota’s parts production, logistics and customer service activities as well.

Through the Toyota Production System, issues are identified and analyzed at the actual site, the entire production process is made visible and production efficiency as well as product quality are improved through the application of measures to address the sources of problems. As one method to implement these measures, Toyota utilizes sophisticated information technologies to improve each step of its vehicle development process, from product planning to commencement of mass-production. These technologies are intended to enhance flexibility, simplification, quality, cost competitiveness and speed. Specifically, detailed virtual assembly and other simulations of manufacturing processes are conducted on computers for a new vehicle or new production equipment/systems before a prototype is made. An actual prototype is made only after defects and related issues have been identified and resolved by computer simulation, thereby minimizing the time required for rebuilding prototypes and significantly shortening the time required before starting mass production. Moreover, this system is used to prepare virtual factories and other visual aids in order to facilitate training and communication at overseas plants and enable the efficient transfer of necessary technology and skills.

In order to strengthen manufacturing and promote localization of overseas production, Toyota established the Global Production Center (“GPC”) in July 2003 as a development and training center for global human resources. The GPC is intended to introduce local managers to the Toyota methodology, allowing them to train their subordinates while managing locally. GPC develops simple, easy-to-understand and efficient training systems for the development of explicit knowledge. One characteristic of the GPC is that managers and supervisors, new hires and experienced workers can all receive common skill-training. GPC’s training system involves a pre-training phase where trainees learn basic skills and discover the skills that they must acquire through image training. This is followed by various steps, from basic skill training and elemental task training to standard task training, which ensures a step-by-step training. The fruits of this training method are reduced training time, higher levels of achievement and the efficiency of training. Since January 2006, Toyota has opened regional GPCs in North America, Europe and Asia. In each region, Toyota commenced courses where trainees from each department are trained by local trainers to become trainers themselves.

In April 2015, the GPC was reorganized into TPS Promotion Center in order to promote TPS (Toyota Production System) and activities centering on improving production engineering and manufacturing methods at each manufacturing process by sharing global best standards in cooperation across different plants in order to foster highly skilled workers and improve logistics in order to comprehensively improve manufacturing abilities. Through these activities, Toyota has been making efforts to resolve issues relating to the entire supply chain.

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Toyota is working company-wide towards the production of “ever-better cars.” The production engineering and manufacturing divisions are developing Toyota’s own innovative production systems, equipment and processing technologies and deploying them in production lines in order to produce vehicles that create excitement, joy and fun for customers through truly competitive manufacturing methods.

Distribution

Toyota’s automotive sales distribution network is the largest in Japan. As of March 31, 2015, this network consisted of 280 dealers employing approximately 33 thousand sales personnel and operating approximately 4.7 thousand sales and service outlets. Toyota owns 15 of these dealers and the remainder is independent.

Toyota believes that this extensive sales network has been an important factor in its success in the Japanese market. A large number of the cars sold in Japan are purchased from salespersons who visit customers in their homes or offices. In recent years, however, the traditional method of sales through home visits is being replaced by showroom sales and the percentage of automobile purchases through showrooms has been gradually increasing. Toyota expects this trend to continue, and accordingly, is working to improve its sales activities such as customer reception and meticulous service at showrooms to increase customer satisfaction.

Sales of Toyota vehicles in Japan are conducted through four sales channels — “Toyota,” “Toyopet,” “Corolla” and “Netz.” In addition, Toyota introduced the Lexus brand to the Japanese market in August 2005, and currently distributes the Lexus brand vehicles through a network of 166 sales outlets in order to enhance its competitiveness in the domestic luxury automobile market. The following table provides information for each channel as of March 31, 2015.

Outside Japan, Toyota vehicles are sold through approximately 170 distributors in approximately 190 countries and regions. Through these distributors, Toyota maintains networks of dealers. The chart below shows the number of Toyota distributors as of March 31, 2015 by country and region:

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Improving Efficiency

Toyota is working on the following to create a corporate structure allowing for efficient development, production and sales that can respond flexibly to changes in the external environment:

Toyota also plans to improve profitability and enhance operating efficiency by continuing to pursue aggressive cost reduction programs, including: