# Central Motors

Central Motor Co., Ltd. was a Japanese manufacturer of cars within the Toyota Group. It was founded on 4 September 1950 by Ryuichi Tomiya. The company operated five plants, all located in Japan. It was one of the biggest export vehicle manufacturers of the concern. In July 2012 it was merged with two other Toyota subsidiaries operating in Tohoku to form Toyota Motor East Japan.

## History

Central Motors was the operational successor of Toyota's Kamata Plant (トヨタ自動車蒲田工場, Toyota Jidōsha Kamata kōjō) (Kamata, Tokyo). In 1950, employees of the Kamata Plant were made redundant after it was closed down by Toyota. They founded Central Motors that year and began producing light commercial vehicles for Toyota in 1956. In 1959, Toyota acquired the company and moved the production from Kamata to Sagamihara which would later also become the headquarters base. The company opened various facilities for auto parts production. A new assembly plant and headquarters were built in Ohira, Miyagi. The new facility started production in January 2011 and the Sagamihara plant was closed later that year.
On 1 July 2012, three Toyota subcontractors (Central Motors, Toyota Motors Tohoku and Kanto Auto Works) were combined into a single company, with all their manufacturing facilities and assets renamed as Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc.
After the merger of the three former companies, the corporate headquarters was established at the former Central Motors site in Miyagi. There were just over 1,500 employees at the Central Motors location.

## Operations

At closing, Central Motors operated the following facilities:
* Ohira, Miyagi (headquarters)
* Ohira, Miyagi (car assembly plant)
* Wakayanagi, Miyagi (auto parts plant)
Central Motors mainly manufactured vehicles for export to Europe or North America. Special vehicles such as police, fire department vehicles as well as campers were produced by the company. Production also included CKD kits of the Toyota Tundra.

## Model gallery

* Toyopet Toyoace SKB 1956–1959
* Toyopet Masterline 1957–1961
* Toyopet Publica Convertible 1963–1968
* Toyopet Corona Pickup (1964 bis 1968)
* Toyopet Corona Van 1965–1970
* Toyopet Corona Van 1973–1978
* Toyopet Crown Station Wagon 1974–1979
* Toyota Carina 1975–1977
* Toyota Carina 1977–1981
* Toyota Corona Sedan 1978–1981
* Toyota Corona Van (1978–1982)
* Toyota Crown Station Wagon 1979–1983
* Toyota Carina 1981–1987
* Toyota Corona Van 1982–1987
* Toyota MR2 1984–1989
* Toyota MR2 1989–1999
* Toyota Sera 1990–1995
* Toyota Caldina 1993–1997
* Toyota Caldina Van 1993–2002
* Toyota Hiace 1993–1996
* Toyota Hiace 1996–2000
* Toyota Raum 1997–2003
* Toyota MR-S 1999–2007
* WiLL Vi 2000–2001
* WiLL VS 2001–2004
* Toyota Allex 2001–2007
* Toyota Corolla RunX 2001–2007
* WiLL Cypha 2002–2005
* Toyota Raum since 2003
* Toyota bB 2004–2005
* Toyota bB 2005–2007
* Toyota Corolla 2006–2013
* Toyota Corolla Axio 2006–2012
* Toyota Belta 2007–2012
* Toyota Corolla Axio since 2012
Additional models that have no pictures yet:
* Toyota Dyna (1957–1959)
* Toyopet Type FS Ambulance (1961–1968)
* Toyopet Corona Mark II PickUp (1968–1971)
* Toyopet Crown Station Wagon (1973–1974)
* Toyopet Corona Van (1970–1973)
* Toyota Carina Surf (1982–1987)
* Toyota Tundra (CKD kits only)