Toyota On Path To Break GM's World Sales Record

Toyota is starting to look a lot like GM and I don't mean in sales!

I remember when they tried to do that in the mid 30's and mid 40's.

It was called WWII.

They lost big time ;)

I really hated the d@&% Nazi!

el34 is probably a d@&% Neo-Nazi!

Don't count GM out just yet. GM is making a big comeback with vastly improved product. My only worry is that some GM execs have lost their way again and have fallen into the Japanese trap of saving pennies by not providing seat height adjustment for the front passenger on some otherwise desirable SUV models. Shortchanging customers like that is a road to failure so I ask Bob Lutz to reassign all these guys who want to cheapen the product.

Car companies have to be careful not to put into positions of power executives who want to advance their careers at the expense of customers. These guys look for brownie points by demonstrating their cost-cutting skills and their bad decisions are usually only discovered after substantial declines in customer loyalty manifest themselves.

Why would this be a surprise? They make good quality products at fairly reasonable prices. Good for them.

Toyota has nothing in common with G.M. Its not just about the volume of cars and trucks you produce its about how much money you make.Toyota could buy BMW,mercedes,and nissan with cash.

They could buy all those companies with cash and still be able to run Toyota?

what's your point? GM could do that too. They aren't very profitable these days, but they still possess a very signifigant hoard of cash. It's one of the only things in GM's favor.

Have you looked at their financial statements. They don't have that much cash on hand and would have to borrow big-time to make something like that happen.

Despite the problems Toyota have, it is still doing relitively well. Though I find producing more cars will result the problem GM had. Quality Control might slip up a bit with all these cars rolling off the factory.

Didn't Toyota already outsell GM last year?

Yes, but GM still built more cars. Soon Toyota will be #1 in both production and sales.

I
Agree
With
You.
Lol.

Ring me up when BMW and Benz do this. Stupid German fanboys losers. Toyota could buy your cheap companies and make them better if they wanted to. But Toyota doesn't want to invest billions into cleaning trash like BMW and Benz and making them into quality cars like Lexus.

Well then you better move over ther and apply for a job and help them

The comments in this thread are incredibly stupid.

the press, and toyota themselves, UNDERestimated when they'd edge ahead of gm in annual sales. (occured at year end 2006, not this year or 2008.)

i wouldn't be surprised if this estimate is on the conservative side too.

Yes Toyota will con't to dominate, and yes there were re-calls in the past and possibly in the near future(it's not a perfect world). Part of a growing and yet succcessful, and most profitable auto company on this planet to date. But at the end of the day, Toyota has something that GM or any other company will have and that is "Principle Management" for any problems that come their way. And this is why other auto corporations are forced to spend that much more on R&D(at least $750 million every 2 years) b/c they too know they cannot stand in one spot, and allow Toyota to teach them a thing or 2 at first. So weather you like Toyota or Not, weather they have numberous re-calls or not. Regardless of all your negative comments, Toyota con't to move forward in the most postive way.

now if they would only make interesting cars worth buying.....

damicko:

"If you figure Gm did it 30 years ago when less pepole in the world could afford brand new autos and now 30 years later the world is more developed and incomes higher espcialy out side the us toyota would not have really beaten gm's record."


30, even 20 years ago, GM was cranking out crap it tried to make people believe were real cars.

toyota and honda (and to a lesser extent, the other japanese brands) meanwhile, made and offered RELIABLE, efficient, STATE-OF-THE-ART vehicles. they still do.

over time, more and more people recognized this BASIC DIFFERENCE, and voted with their dollars for the better cars and trucks. while gm has improved recently, it takes time before people forget how crappy their cars used to be.

meanwhile, people see LESS PROBLEMS with older toyotas, and that helps convince them buying new toyotas will save them money by not having to buy cars/trucks AS OFTEN.

toyota was BOUND TO overhaul gm in sales, over time. the question now is, can gm bounce back?

your claim "...toyota would not have really beaten gm's record" MAKES NO SENSE.
they have, and they will beat up on gm EVEN MORE until gm bounces back. IF they ever do.

the income of people has little relevance in which brands dominate in sales. if anything, poorer people would buy MORE gm (used) vehicles, because they are always cheaper. better built toyotas are EVEN MORE superior as USED cars. and used car prices reflect this.

as MORE people prosper, across the planet, they will favor toyotas even more. why settle for less than THE BEST if you can afford a new car?