Why Toyota’s Afraid of Being Number One

Ask consumers why Toyota may soon be the largest automaker in the world, and they will point to the Camry. Or the Prius. Or the rav4. (It's the cars, stupid.) Ask manufacturing geeks, and they'll tell you it's about just-in-time production and a maniacal focus on constant improvement. (It's the engineering, dummy.)

But there's another drama behind the carmaker's tire-squealing momentum. It's a story that might be called: How Toyota is winning the hearts and minds of America.

With a deft combination of marketing, public relations, and lobbying, Toyota has done a remarkable job over the past 20 years of selling itself as an American company. That drives the Big Three to distraction. Here's Chrysler communications chief Jason Vines: "The thing I resent is Toyota wrapping themselves in the American flag," he says. "We still employ more people and contribute more to the economy."


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flozel1 - 2/26/2007 3:45:33 PM

+6 Boost

I do agree 100% with the statement that after 5 decades of doing EVERYTHING right (i.e. better quality, technology, better manufacturing techniques, better marketing, etc), "Toyota still feels the need to apologize for — or at least justify — its success".

I mean what the f*** else does one have to do. Anyway, the American midwest/south appear to be the last of the holdouts. It will be slow but once TOyota wins them over, it's game over for GM and Ford.

komododave - 2/26/2007 10:55:59 PM

0 Boost

It won't be "game over" as you put it. It just means Toyota will be the biggest now and GM will be second largest. GM isn't going to just disappear because Toyota is #1, though I bet most of you would like them to. Besides, GM doesn't need to focus on being the biggest, they need to focus on being the best. GM has said the same thing in press releases and because of the shift in focus, they're turning around. Ford, however, well....who knows. They need to suck it up and get a good plan.

Biggest does not mean best.

flozel1 - 2/26/2007 4:34:53 PM

-1 Boost

Hey what happened to the chicken and pork comments.

Lexus - 2/26/2007 6:01:47 PM

+2 Boost

If they achieved huge success, they have no one but themselves and their employers/employees to thanks. On the other hand the big three has one to blame themselves.

Big three stop blaming your miserable on Toyota and other Japanese auto industry. Suck it up and try turn you company around.

S4cabriofoxone - 2/26/2007 8:24:15 PM

+1 Boost

Toyota deserves its success. How much have they grown in the last three decades alone? About twentyfold?

trd1 - 2/26/2007 9:07:32 PM

-1 Boost

toyota ain't afraid, they just trying to play this along and then when they become number one. they would say haha u suck.

S4cabriofoxone - 2/26/2007 11:43:56 PM

+2 Boost

It's not like you don't get a quality car from the German luxury marques that lives up to their name. The A8 and 7 Series are fairly reasonably priced for their content and style, and in the S-Class, you get what you pay for. In other size vehicles, prices are much closer, and all three usually give you everything you'd want in a given segment.

mitchatlexusofmarin - 2/28/2007 2:31:42 AM

+1 Boost

S4, why would I "think about" a statement which is wholly subjective and in my opinion untrue?

S4cabriofoxone - 2/27/2007 7:59:12 PM

+1 Boost

Uhh...

I don't know what to make of that.

The A8, tied with the S-Class, is probably the best-built car in the world for under $150,000.

The LS might have better reliability than those two, but the execution and materials chosen can't stack up. Audi and Mercedes really spent a lot of time on their interiors; it's an art. And it shows. In the Lexus, it looks like they took the interior out of a GS, ES or IS and just threw in some extra wood.

Think about that.

mitchatlexusofmarin - 2/28/2007 2:29:57 AM

+1 Boost

Inflammatory title, as expected from this poster.