Toyota: 1 million an HOUR on Safety?

[timmm55]

As usual Toyota is being disingenuous..............they are worse than GM, They get their sound bite and don't give a crap about the truth.

 

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/toyota-safety-the-million-dollar-question/

 

Toyota Safety: The Million-Dollar Question

By DEXTER FORD

After my post giving the details of Toyota’s Star Safety System, one reader, using the handle “metrichead,” requested more information on another Toyota safety-related advertising campaign.

 

“I would like the NYT to fact check their other claim in these ads, that Toyota is spending $1 million per hour on safety! That equates to $8,760,000,000 per year?”

 

Actually, that’s not exactly what the ad said. Here’s the wording in one commercial: “At Toyota, we care about your safety. That’s why we’re investing one million dollars every hour to improve our technology and your safety.”As that is said by the announcer, red type proclaims: “Investing in your safety.”

 

The math is correct, but in the ads and on Toyota’s Web site, the company does not say what percentage of that $1 million is spent on safety and how much on technology.

 

In some television spots, the word “safety” pops up onscreen when this claim is made, but “technology” is mentioned only in a voiceover.

 

I asked Bob Zeinstra, the national manager of advertising and strategic planning for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., to clarify the claim.

 

“The $1,000,000 an hour claim represents all Toyota R&D spending globally, much of that allocated to new quality and safety technologies,” he said in an e-mail message.

 

So Toyota is counting every dollar it spends, worldwide, on research and development, whether the effort has anything to do with safety or not. Sona Iliffe-Moon, a Toyota spokeswoman, declined to estimate the proportion devoted specifically to safety.

 

“The $1 million figure represents Toyota’s R&D spending on new technology and safety, much of it allocated to quality and safety features,” she said. “A specific amount would be nearly impossible to estimate as nearly every component of our vehicles is designed with safety in mind, including steering, brakes, seats, ergonomics, weight, even where the radio is placed.

 

“Passive and active safety components are integrated throughout our vehicles,” she said, “most of which are invisible to the driver.”

[retro-man]

 

“Passive and active safety components are integrated throughout our vehicles,” she said, “most of which are invisible to the driver.”

 

Wait wait, most of Toyota's vehicles are invisible to the driver!!?? That doesn't sound very safe to me.

[nelsonlu]

Actually, that’s not exactly what the ad said. Here’s the wording in one commercial: “At Toyota, we care about your safety. That’s why we’re investing one million dollars every hour to improve our technology and your safety.”As that is said by the announcer, red type proclaims: “Investing in your safety.”

 

Given how much money they'll be paying for all of the recalls, I'm sure that they are actually going to be spending $1 million per hour for "safety upgrades."

[atomcat68]

They would get the same results by pouring the money down the toilet!

[Footballfan]

Just some more lies and manipulation on the part of Toyota. They had a commercial claiming they invested $1 billion and 7,000 jobs in Michigan which is a bold-ass lie. THe numbers are more like $100 million and 1,000 jobs in their lil' engineering center in Ann Arbor. Toyota makes a habit of including everyone that may come in contact with a Toyota (such as a dealer or supplier) in these figures.