http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070803/earns...yota.html?.v=9

 

I'm surprised the excuses haven't started flying yet...

 

Excuses or reasons?

 

No excuses needed the reason is they are the top performing car company and to compete with them you have to do buisness like they do. Drop pensions, slash retirement and healtcare costs, kick the UAW to the side and hike up foreign content until all your competitors are forced to raise foreign content to compete and then drop in on US soil and build plants and hybrids so you can call yourself American and green, then take on NASCAR... Oh and don't forget to fill those ships from overseas that brought parts in with enough American cash so that your gov. won't have to alter the Yen anymore.

It's soo easy why didn't anyone else think of it first.

Kudos to Toyota your the best and you've earned it.

 

Yeah the above is all pretty much true, but the original philosophy of continual gradual improvement has really worked out for them regardless of the other crap they do to make cars here in the US for marketing and tax purposes. We will see if they continue to improve their product as they become the world's largest automaker, but early indications seem to be that they might be slipping.

 

"Bitter" party of 1.... now serving "Bitter"...

Or you could spin it as Toyota hasn't mangled their labor relations like the Big Three (and most state governments) have. Toyota and Honda are reaping the rewards of extremely long-term planning and a lot of very bad decisions for decades by domestic auto makers. I hope the Big Three can turn things around and think long-term instead of quarter-by-quarter, but we'll see.

 

Well said.

While I shouldn't be, I am still amazed at how many people think that the Detroit nameplate's troubles are wholy because of the "dirty tricks" of Japaneese competitors and not at all because of any of the decisions Detroit has made in the past 40 years.

Perhaps Washington should have simply banned ALL vehicles not made on U.S. soil (no matter what nameplate was on it) and of course, not allowed any foreign owned company into the U.S. to build plants so that we could all still be driving Pintos, Vegas and Chevettes.

 

i honestly couldn't care about who is number one or two three or four. as long as gm stays in business im good because i like there vehicles i have always had good luck with them.

Just because your number one doesn't make you the best manufacture. Gm was number one back in the 80's and 90's and made some pretty sh*ty cars comparatively. I think its more important for Gm to focus on quality and design then to give a crap about there global ranking.

And i by no means think toyota put Gm dodge and ford where they are today they did it to them selves for the most part.

I would by no means count the American auto makers out yet though.

 

I seem to remember seeing something that showed toyota's quality has dropped in proportion with the number of vehicles they make?

 

Don't call me bitter if I'm not impressed with Toy's big profits and happen to be able to explain how they got them. Also don't think for an instant that you can become the world's number one automaker by playing by the rules look no further than GM and it's history for that.
Call me bitter because the playing field isn't even and Toyko protects their car makers and business and the US doesn't. They have benefitted by cheaper overseas labor and now the American brands must do the same or go out of business. Call me bitter that we havent defended our way of life like other countries have. I know it's the way of the world and there is no stopping it but I still don't have to like it. So I blame Toyota becuase they are the best at this game and who would disagree. Hey that's what happens when your on top. Ask Wal-mart.

The big three put a lot of meals on the tables, cars in the garages, allowed moms to stay home and put children through college and backed it all up with a pension and healthcare for life. That life wasn't for everyone but it was the backbone for a thing called the middle class or whats left of it. So call me bitter that people have to work more and harder for less and the kids are raised in day care. Is it Toyota's fault? No they just found a niche to make money for their people and we do nothing to protect ours.

So I'll take my seat at the bitter table now are we having sushi...

 

If this gentleman has no company for dinner, I'd be honored to join him.

 

Actually, I was going to go back to my emails and do some work, but another thought hit me after I logged-off.

Right at this moment, everyone on earth seems to be mezmorized about this #1 auto manufacturer issue - it was even on MSNBC again this morning that Toyota is poised to take over GM's 76 year spot at the top.

Well, let's wax nostalgic for just a second, then we'll go into the future...
First - it's pretty obvious that Toyota is aggressively gunning for this title. It's an "honor" thing for them, which again goes back to my comment about their customs and behavioral differences as opposed to the American ones. They will fight, lose money, even back-stab - all in the name of honor. Glory is in WINNING, not in honorable defeat. So the Americans, with our philosophy "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" will obviously be honorable losers and be tickled to death that we lost the economic war, but hey - we got great little cars at a great price.

Now gleen into the future... the only ones that may be worse than the Japanese for aggressive competition and victory are the southern Asians and Chinese (Chinese questionable). The irony that plays in my mind is that while the Japs are so preoccupied with grabbing titles from US carmakers, they are being stalked by yet another unexpected hunter - the Koreans. What more joy could the Koreans have than to displace the Japs as the world's best carmakers and make it to the top as #1 manufacturer. Likewise, the Chinese still hold resentment for the way the Japanese tortured and raped their people in the early days of WWII. To this day, they still feel compelled to compete and try to disgrace the Japanese in any way - look no further than Ice Skating and Gymnastics in the Olympics for examples of their competitive spirit. So likewise, the Japanese better be looking over their shoulder at the Chinese manufacturing muscle because they might just have a new target to aim for as well. And don't think for a second that China won't put restrictions on Japanese carmakers and their products - they already have. You see very few Toyotas and Nissans in China today... you see FAR more European and American brands like GM, Ford, Audi, Volkswagen, etc. How will Japan react to being locked-out of the biggest emerging market on the globe? Hmmm.

My lesson here is that even the Japanese carmakers better study their history lessons because history tends to repeat itself. And they d@mn-sure better not come looking at the US for any sort of bailout or assistance when they start getting idled plants because Kia and Hyundai are crushing them like they are doing to GM and Ford today.

How does that strike you for some paradigm-changing philosophical thinking?

 

Its sorta funny Proudponey because i have basically said this about Hyundai and kia before. If you look what the Korean car manufactures have done in the last 10 years with quality and sales its just astonishing. If toyota does take the number 1 spot i dont think its a tittle they will have for long.


I also dont get how toyota is doing so well although i see a lot of older toyotas on the road i dont see many new ones comparatively with other brands in upstate NY or in western Virgina.I see alot more new hyundais and chevys.


Also at work we were discussing the issue of what would happen if GM, Ford and Chrysler went out of business. The one question i asked is what stops them from charging us what ever they want for a car? And the answer i got was well this is free market and its competitive. But to me that only seems to work in theory free market needs a little bit of government control to work once all car manufacturing leaves this country what control do we have over it at that point. What stops KIA, Toyota and Nissan getting to gather and price fixing? Isnt that what OPEC does? Also would we still see cars that we wanted or would we have to put up with cars designed to compete in other parts of the world?

 

What goes up..... must come down.................

 

Well Proud Pony I ordered a hamburger instead of sushi, glad you could join me.

You make an interesting point but none the less scary and bad for us here in the US. It's one think to take on Japan but bring Korea and China into the fold and the big three have a long fall to just American brands selling some cars and trucks at a few dealers in the midwest and south. Guess GM will need to have a few more brands in China than Buick!

I'm not so concerned with Toyota being number 1 other than patriotism and favoritism for the home teams but I know GM can survive at #2 or below as there is profit to be made on lower units sold if the costs can be controlled. With healthcare and other legacy costs that will remain to be seen.

Interesting points you make on nationalism and how that factors in. I have always believed that Japan never forgot WWII and made a vow to get back to glory by economic means and I think we all know who they are aiming for.


GRN, I agree that some gov. intervention was needed. I think the time for that has passed. But like many things in this country those whom make the rules are usually unaffected by them. IF the big three go down it's more than just lost jobs for thousands of Americans it's placing many of them and those supported by those companies in the governments hands by way of Medicare and welfare. This country would certainly go into a depression and face a real risk of having foregin powers buy more into the US than they already do to further control things like the dollar -China.
Thankfully I don't think all three will go under and certainly not at the same time.