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2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Toyota is on the brink of “capitulation to irrelevance or death”
That was of course Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motor Corp. He also said Toyota is “grasping for salvation” as it struggles to return to profit, and that it has already spiraled through the first three stages of corporate decline: Hubris born of success, undisciplined pursuit of more and denial of risk and peril.
“Toyota has become too big and distant from its customers,” the chief executive said.
Those remarks were made barely a month ago, and clearly there is SOME cause for concern, despite the handful of people here that have had reliable Camrys in the last 10 years (and the one person who sells them) thinking otherwise. If things are turning the corner that's great, as I want the new joint Toyota-Subaru coupe to inspire me to return to the Toyota fold, but for now it is startling how much like GM this company has become since Y2K.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Don't forget the Sequoia. In spite of my complaints it was a very pleasant vehicle to drive around the USA last month. I drove right by the factory where it was built in Princeton Indiana. It is put together very well by US labor without the constraints of the UAW.
It will be some time before I see any maker becoming so monolithic as GM was or as Toyota seemed to be getting. Instead of 30-40% market share the biggies will fight to keep 20% market share. On top of that the big money generators the, SUV and truck segments, are shrinking like new cotton shirts in the dryer. Right now all makers have to be able to make money selling $20000 vehicles.
In addition the financial situation of the banking industry and some nations such as the US may preclude this region from being the big profit center it was over the last 40 years. IOW the easy money that used to flow from America is likely over...look elsewhere and look fast.
SMACK .... KICK .... SHOVE.... now get to it!!
I think our boom bust cycles are coming to an end. I would not look for the next bubble to bail US out. It will be getting back to hard work for smaller paychecks. That means less vehicle sales for all companies. I think VW capitalized on the China market early and has the best for the least in high mileage vehicles. They arguably have the best vehicle lineup for the next 20 years. From the smallest to the fastest to the luxury set. No one competes with them in the US with a midsize diesel car. And it is hard to argue that Porsche is not the pinnacle of the sports car class in the USA.
As far as Toyota. I don't hate them. I would not have laid out the cash for a new Sequoia if I hated them. I am deeply disappointed in Toyota. They have failed to bring their best selling PU Worldwide to the USA. The HiLux diesel IS the best in its class. We get the dregs with the Tacoma and Tundra gas hogs. The Land Cruiser sold in the UK only comes equipped with diesel engines. No gas hogs even offered in that market. Toyota has treated the USA like a step child for too many years. We don't get the highest mileage vehicles they offer to the rest of the World. That makes Toyota part of the problem with our fossil fuel consumption. And the hybrids were injected to protect them from CAFE fines. So why should I jump on your Rah Rah bandwagon. Toyota has not given US any good reason to be fans over the last several years.
As far as boom and bust goes, remember the famous last words, "This time it's different." I don't believe that for a second; we'll continue with booms and busts as always, but there's no question China's star is rising.
In some ways, todays vehicles are the best they have ever been, but when you see things on a $30,000 vehicle like visors that look like they were made out of cardboard covered in peach fuzz, it is a little disturbing. There are also more serious shortcuts such as a post I saw about a defective bolt that could have been resulted in an accident (not a Toyota or Honda).
People are finally getting tired of shoddy products (think cheap stuff from China). Even with bad economic times, we may see consumers actively seeking better quality goods, even if they have to pay more.
If you needed a PU and automaker XYZ says we have this model that gets 16 MPG or this model that gets 35 MPG. Both able to haul the same load. Which would be your choice?
Neither, I'll keep my '98 Frontier 4-cylinder gas engine, with a 5-speed manual. Its overall mpg has been 26.
I thought it was just something they made up.
That is hard to beat. I would not even think about a different PU if my gutless Ranger got close to 26 MPG. It is rare for a tank to be over 15 MPG. Though I only put about 2000 miles per year on the truck. I imagine I lose about 10% to evaporation of the ethanol in our Crap CA gas.
Think of it this way: At least the ethanol that evaporates isn't going through the truck's fuel injection system.
It depends upon how you're going to use the product. For an infrequently used product, even a cheap piece of poorly-made junk may last a long time.
If a person has a bad experience with a vehicle, it can sour them on the brand for life.
THere are many reasons I wouldn't buy most GM cars, but the fact they had to borrow money from their rich uncle in order to restructure sin't one of them.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Usually these were people who bought GM or Chrysler products before and liked them. They had good experiences with them too but now refuse to buy them because they had to get a bailout to keep the whole mid-west from falling into another great depression. That of course would have made most of the suppliers go out of business and probably Ford to. Maybe even some of the transplant automakers would have collapsed if they couldn't source parts from US suppliers anymore.
Sorry that is stupid.
Buy what you like and what makes you happy. As long as the company isn't using slave or child labor or grossly polluting the environment don't worry about the rest.
Two words... 25% Chicken Tax...
Actually I think that Toyota followed the lead of the Detroit 3 when it decided to get bigger into the truck market. You're right there's no reason why a diesel 4Runner or Tacoma couldn't be built here exactly in the same way it's being built today in Thailand.
The bailout was just another nail in the coffin for me. They got themselves into the problem with years of trying to rip people off by selling them pos autos and caving in to the unions. They should have gracefully committed hari kari. I would not miss them.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
This new AE86 Coupe Toyota and Subaru are working on together looks downright hot to me. I'll come back later and post a concept picture of the Toyota version of the collaboration.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
What I find Ironic is the fact that the Democrats pushed that tax to protect the US automakers from VW. Now Ford is pulling a big switch to circumvent the law that was a protectionist tariff for their benefit. Why is that stupid law still in place?
To Outfox the Chicken Tax, Ford Strips Its Own Vans
Logic Takes a Back Seat -- and Windows, as Auto Maker Plays Tariff Games
BALTIMORE -- Several times a month, Transit Connect vans from a Ford Motor Co. factory in Turkey roll off a ship here shiny and new, rear side windows gleaming, back seats firmly bolted to the floor.
Their first stop in America is a low-slung, brick warehouse where those same windows, never squeegeed at a gas station, and seats, never touched by human backsides, are promptly ripped out.
The fabric is shredded, the steel parts are broken down, and everything is sent off along with the glass to be recycled.
Why all the fuss and feathers? Blame the "chicken tax."
The seats and windows are but dressing to help Ford navigate the wreckage of a 46-year-old trade spat. In the early 1960s, Europe put high tariffs on imported chicken, taking aim at rising U.S. sales to West Germany. President Johnson retaliated in 1963, in part by targeting German-made Volkswagens with a tax on imports of foreign-made trucks and commercial vans.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125357990638429655.html
I can see many reasons not to choose GM - and I myself am not really wooed by any present-day GM offerings...but simply because it was bailed out is kind of silly. I'm not a boomer, and I think the products can have a lack of appeal all their own without a penny of federal aid :shades:
It's also amusing how people would write off GM for receiving aid, but still support parasitic middle eastern "allies" who have been nursing at the federal teet for generations with zero benefit produced...and the same people also have no problem buying household items simply because they are cheap, no matter that they are made in arguably the greatest social and environmental criminal nation in the world and no matter the future problems it poses for the western world, one the "me generation" would gladly aid and abet to save $50 on an appliance.
I had never owned GM before but I purchased 3 new GM cars in the recent 5 years. They are changing for better and they have some very good new models.
The diesel version would have net you 36 mpg.
What gagrice really needs to do is find a nice manual Nissan '90s pickup, buy a Navara or Terrano diesel front clip from jarco or somebody, then locate a good import shop to swap in the TD engine and associated parts.
I have had offers to install a Cummins 4BT with GM auntomatic in my 99 Ford Ranger. I really like that size PU and it is in perfect condition. The V6 engine with auto transmission is very weak. I can barely pull my utility trailer with a yard of topsoil.
It would be so much easier if one of the automakers would get off the dime and offer US a decent midsized PU with a 4 banger diesel. We have plenty of fire breathing diesels for the racer set. I just want a decent work vehicle that gets better than 20 MPG.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
And the red on this new AE86 Coupe looks more cinnamon-ish than my Lancer GTS' does. I have truly come to love the Rally Red on my Lancer GTS. A true metallic red that looks...racy. :shades:
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
"The IIHS announced its winners Wednesday and noted that Toyota didn't have a single model in the list: "Toyota and its Lexus and Scion subsidiaries had a strong showing in 2009 with 11 winners but were shut out for 2010," the institute said.
Firing back, Toyota issued a statement the same day, reacting to IIHS' news release and its comments on Toyota that the institute put under the subheading "Missing the mark."
"IIHS' statement that Toyota was shut out for 2010 is extreme and misleading, considering there are 38 Toyota, Lexus and Scion models, and only three were tested for roof strength by IIHS: Camry, RAV4 and Yaris," the automaker said.
No Toyotas offered
IIHS Senior Vice President Anne Fleming said Thursday that she wasn't surprised by the response. "This is the way automakers often react," she said, and called Toyota's statement disingenuous.
"We told every automaker, including Toyota, there would be this new criterion for roof strength and to flag the vehicles that they would like us to test," Fleming said. "Toyota did not come forth with any requests. Usually the reason automakers don't flag vehicles is they know the vehicles wouldn't pass."b>
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
But she "couldn't say" which other mfgs. did not flag vehicles.
Others not making the list included BMW, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Saab.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
GM had only 2 vehicles that were rated Good in the roof crush testing, and Ford had only 2 if you exclude Volvo. The Chevy Aveo was Marginal, same as the Ford Escape without the hybrid engine.
Toyota did have the Camry, which rated Good in the new roof test, but fell short on head restraints; the other 2 Toyotas tested (RAV4 and Yaris) scored an Acceptable on the roof test. In fact, the Camry had the strongest roof in numerical terms among the 18 midsize moderately priced sedans tested thus far.
Moreover, the only vehicles to score a Poor thus far on the new test were the Kia Sportage (and twin Hyundai Tucson) as well as the Ford Escape Hybrid and its clones.
Toyota will be back with more models to test, as will GM and Ford. This isn't over by a long shot.
I will agree that it was not in good judgment for the Toyota spokesman to trot out the tired old line that "our cars meet or exceed all federal safety standards." Of course, otherwise your cars wouldn't be allowed to be sold in the US!
Sometimes it's nice to live in an area with no emission testing/vehicle inspection... I've sometimes thought about retrofitting a used Jetta or Passat with one of the high-powered diesels that's not offered here, but I think the different fuel standards might cause a problem, plus if it ever breaks, you have a one-of-a-kind vehicle to figure out how to fix.
The Camry as you noted is fine. It gets a GOOD rating on the new test and Toyota was never going to add the AHRs before the Gen 7 comes out anyway. Net effect nothing. With regards to this new test the Camry remains in higher standing than it's main rivals the Accord and Altima as well the recently redone Fusion. Nothing to see here move on.
But the Corolla and the Prius were not submitted while the Civic was, getting GOOD marks. If one looks at the segment rankings all they imply is incomplete testing. Note: [ not tested ]. This appears to put the onus on the IIHS but says nothing about the vehicles.
IIHS small car segment
The IIHS is somewhat left in a lurch in recommending some vehicles but admitting that the others are fine but they just haven't tested them. Their backhand at Toyota was IMO a jab to get more vehicles to be tested. Without vehicles to be tested the IIHS's results are interesting but very incomplete.
November 23, 2009 - 12:01 am ET
Toyota Motor Corp. is taking the blame for rust problems on 2000 and 2001 Toyota Tundra pickups. But in a highly unusual move, the automaker identified Dana Holding Corp. as the supplier of the trucks' frames.
Dana also built the frames for 750,000 1995-2004 Tacoma pickups that faced similar rust problems and were the subject of voluntary recalls and buybacks last year.
Toyota was to submit information to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week in response to complaints about rusted frames on the pickups.
Dana spokesman Chuck Hartlage said, "We are assisting Toyota with this investigation" on the Tundras.
...."It is too early to speculate what we will do for Tundra," Lyons said. "They're only looking at one specific portion of the frame -- the cross member that supports the spare tire -- not the entire frame."
NHTSA is investigating 20 reports that relate to spare tire separation and brake system failures as a result of frame corrosion on the vehicles.
NHTSA has received 238 complaints about the 2000 models and 48 about the 2001 models. The complaints range from brake-line corrosion to corrosion of the entire frame. More than 70 complaints had been posted since NHTSA launched its preliminary evaluation of the problem on Oct. 6.
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091123/OEM/311239951/1128
So are they blaming Dana or are they not? Why point a finger at Dana if they "don't blame them"? And are they going to go on having rust problems with the frames of all their trucks?
Maybe automakers depend too heavily on their outside suppliers these days....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I guess if you squint your eyes a bit, it might pass off as that generation of Celica that ran from around 1978-81...it has a similar, slicked-back look. The Corolla back then, at least from 1979-83, had more of a forward thrust to the front-end. I always thought those little hardtops they offered were neat. They offered one that was a notchback coupe, and the other was a 2-door, sort of splitting the difference between wagon and hatchback.