No traffic ahead for Toyota

[robertlane]

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/...0206_638946.htm

[RichardJensen]

If you can't find anyone that will tell you about downside risk, you need to get out.

 

Toyota is at the top of the ride right now.

 

The Camry has a better interior and a more powerful high end motor and that's it. Will that be enough to maintain retail marketshare?

 

I don't think so.

 

Will the new Tundra, reportedly bigger than an F150, be cross shopped with trucks much smaller (half tons) or much larger (3/4-one tons)? I doubt that any comparison between the 3/4 ton established players and the light-weight Tundra will favor the Tundra. Any incentive to switch brands that Toyota will offer half-ton consumers must be weighed against the disincentives this truck's size, weight, and fuel economy will be equipped with, out of the box.

 

...

Edited February 8, 2006 by RichardJensen

[tim kakouris]

are we a nation running so scared that purchasing absolute snooze-mobiles such as toyotas makes us feel safe?

 

i have to wonder how else anyone could justify it.

[bec5150]

I still maintain that the domestic auto industry had a hand in getting Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and the rest of 'em where they are by making junk, especially in the 70's. It's not that way now, of course (some of the dealers still suck though) but what I am saying is that unless Toyota and the rest of the car manufacturers from the East make a major mistake in the form of their own Vega, Pinto, Aspen, 3rd Gen Camaro, Granada, etc; I don't see them losing market share.

 

I dunno the age of most of the members here, but I remember all of the Japanese manufacturers in the early 80's making vehicles that would go 150,000 miles without problems. Meanwhile, the clock on your early 80's domestic car would fail before the ink was dry on the purchase order. When odometers read out to only 99,999 miles, the term for sending it back to zero was "turning it over" and it was a rare acomplishment with an American car. Most of the domestic cars simply fell apart. The dashboards and steering wheel woudl crack, springs would break, seats would rip, and the paint woudl fade. Even with this junk, it has taken 20 years for the situation to get to this desperate point it is now.

 

I think the only thing that's going to reduce the trend towards the Japanese manufacturers' growth is themselves.

 

In other words, you can argue how ugly a Camary is, but unless they put a drivetrain or safety system similar to a Pinto or Vega inside, it's not the end of the world. Consequently, the Vega and Pinto, two examples of how we got to where we are, never fail because of lack of customer appeal.

Edited February 8, 2006 by bec5150

[marc-o]

I still maintain that the domestic auto industry had a hand in getting Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and the rest of 'em where they are by making junk, especially in the 70's. It's not that way now, of course (some of the dealers still suck though) but what I am saying is that unless Toyota and the rest of the car manufacturers from the East make a major mistake in the form of their own Vega, Pinto, Aspen, 3rd Gen Camaro, Granada, etc; I don't see them losing market share.

 

I dunno the age of most of the members here, but I remember all of the Japanese manufacturers in the early 80's making vehicles that would go 150,000 miles without problems. Meanwhile, the clock on your early 80's domestic car would fail before the ink was dry on the purchase order. When odometers read out to only 99,999 miles, the term for sending it back to zero was "turning it over" and it was a rare acomplishment with an American car. Most of the domestic cars simply fell apart. The dashboards and steering wheel woudl crack, springs would break, seats would rip, and the paint woudl fade. Even with this junk, it has taken 20 years for the situation to get to this desperate point it is now.

 

I think the only thing that's going to reduce the trend towards the Japanese manufacturers' growth is themselves.

 

In other words, you can argue how ugly a Camary is, but unless they put a drivetrain or safety system similar to a Pinto or Vega inside, it's not the end of the world. Consequently, the Vega and Pinto, two examples of how we got to where we are, never fail because of lack of customer appeal.

 

 

I agree completely... people moved to other brands because of perceived huge differences in quality... that situation is different now, but the difference is no longer huge, it's pretty tiny (even when it comes to the vehicles that do the worst), so the point is moot.