The Leap Forword

The Birth of the Model G1 Truck

As requested by the government, Kiichiro’s team temporarily halted the development of passenger cars and prioritized truck production. They used a 1934 Ford truck as an example and commenced designing in March 1935. The production period was set at 6 months; therefore, the team used the already developed Model A engine, and relied on parts from Ford and Chevrolet that couldn’t be developed within the set period. The truck was completed in August of that year and was named the "Model G1," Toyoda’s first prototype truck. In September 1935, a general road test of the Model A1 passenger car prototype and the Model G1 truck prototype were conducted. They were full-scale tests where the Model A1 covered 1,433km in five days while the Model G1 did 1,260km in six days. In process, a variety of technical data were collected for future improvements. During the tests, faults occurred one after another; repairs were made as occasion demanded, and the scheduled test runs were eventually completed.