Sublime

The GM model took the vehicle-as-status-symbol, an idea as old as wheeled vehicles themselves, to a new level. “You are what you drive,” the importance of design, annual model updates, buying on credit, and upgrading often—these ideas have all persisted into the modern era. They all began with GM in the 1920s. Ford reinvented how cars were made, bu

Toyota couldn’t afford those luxuries. In fact, during the postwar years, they couldn’t afford much of anything. They had to find ways to turn Toyota into a lean, mean, automaking machine with little margin for error.‡ Kiichirō, Eiji, and Ohno made three important decisions—three concepts that have become staples of successful manufacturing for ove