Toyota Sitting On $30 Billion In Reserves After $6.9 Billion Dollar Loss

Like a Hollywood starlet caught drunk behind the wheel, Toyota's first operating loss looks somehow worse than if it came from a regular car-maker.

For the Japanese producer, the global recession and sharply rising yen ended a record of 70 consecutive years of profitable operations. And with more of a crash than a skid. The company burned through $6.9 billion in the fourth quarter of the year to leave a $4.5 billion full-year loss. Toyota sees worse in store: a 20% slide in revenues in 2010 leading to an $8.5 billion loss.