"Is Toyota losing Its Halo"

Automotive News Europe - Guido Reinking - October 20, 2008 14:59 CET

When senior Volkswagen executives said the Wolfsburg-based automaker intended to overtake Toyota in global sales, profit and quality, more than a few industry watchers thought they had lost touch with reality. I was one of the skeptics.

Overtake Toyota – the industry's gold standard for productivity, quality assurance, efficiency and customer orientation – to say nothing of global profit- and sales leader? Impossible!

But look again: The top dog is losing its aura of invincibility.

In Germany, sales are off 22 percent this year. In the U.S., Toyota has been hit even harder. Its sales there collapsed 32.3 percent in September, worse even than the fall taken by sickly General Motors.
Read Article

AgentOrange - 10/20/2008 2:30:41 PM

+3 Boost

Did it ever have one?

M35MT - 10/21/2008 7:53:05 AM

+3 Boost

"Overtake Toyota – the industry's gold standard for productivity, quality assurance, efficiency and customer orientation – to say nothing of global profit-and sales leader?"

That's not a halo agent orange? Oh wait, my bad, this thread is meant to hate on Toyota...carry on.

w209w114 - 10/20/2008 2:33:01 PM

+4 Boost

It had one a few years back but it was short lived. No Automaker can stay at the top very long, all the others below have made you their target. Ford, GM, now Toyota. Its history and the cycle happening all over again.

BigShow50 - 10/20/2008 3:55:52 PM

+1 Boost

Over ambitious for VW, but then again anything is possible...even though these staggering numbers of "potential loss of sale" based on "year to date". Is still quite alot of cars sold that even other automakers are still trying to achieve till this day. So what's the big bruu-hah?

kpaxx - 10/20/2008 4:22:00 PM

+4 Boost

Isn't VW the largest automaker by market value?

Whelan - 10/20/2008 4:41:18 PM

+2 Boost

As the #1 car people they would experience losses and such.

But compare it to their overall sales with other companies and it wont look so bad.

If I lose $1 of the 5 I had vs. someone losing 1,000 of the 5,000 they had, same difference just larger numbers.

0to60 - 10/21/2008 11:03:39 AM

0 Boost

What about your chevy? Have they always been great!

LexSucks - 10/21/2008 1:08:16 PM

0 Boost

Eventually the car has to have some sort of substance. Which is something that Current Tototas do not have. You cannot rule the Automotive World with lame appliances.

abcd - 10/21/2008 1:13:12 PM

+2 Boost

Of course Toyota isn`t losing its halo . Toyota has been working on its reputation for about 40 years , its quality and reliability halo can`t be lost becouse of one or two recent issues . When you think reliability , you think Toyota , just like when you think safety , you think Volvo . Toyota can only lose in the number of sales but that`s different story .