www.forbes.com/newswire/2004/05/11/rtr1366766.html
"... stock value of $120 billion exceeds the combined worth of the U.S. "Big Three" -- General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler AG"
What are the others doing wrong???
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Not making what most customers want.
Not doing what they do as efficiently as they might.
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And making LOADS of money on parts - at least in the U.K. !!!
(goes into moan about £1200 gearbox rebuild .....)
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IIRC, Toyota specifies some of the strictest MTBF specifications on it's component suppliers.
When cars are discussed generally, reliability doesn't feature highly - it's all about performance, looks, economy and safety.
However, once you own the car and the novelty has worn off - you want a vehicle that gets you from A-B everytime, no worries.
You only have to look at this site to realise that reliability (or lack of it) is one of the biggest aftersales issues.
I've just ordered my first Japanese car, purely because my expectations are that it will be more reliable than it's European predecessor.
There's cheap and there's good value and some manufacturers are losing the ability to tell the difference.
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Toyota build product that people want to buy,particularly in the USA were compared to the US companies they do not have to give large parts of their margin away to catch a customer.Also Toyota do not have big hits on their warranty worldwide or do they have regular recalls.
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Toyota is probably the only car maker that runs a proper car business.
1/ It has built and maintains a reputation for reliability, value for money, and customer service. Never hear too many moans about Toyota dealers, someone is managing the customer facing side well.
2/ It has ALL the market segments covered.
From the Yaris (high volume small profit margin)through to Lexus
(lower volumes but huge profit margins)
3/ It can offer that market segment coverage globaly (from your taliban special, through landcruisers in Dubai and Australia, to the Lexus crusin sunset boulevard.
They know how to build, sell, market, and support cars globally.
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Toyota don't have over capacity like most of the other big players, they also have a policy of building a factory in each key market that must help with sales.
Toyota?s other brands Daihatsu, Lexus, Hino & Scion allow them to have entry into lots of different markets while still keeping there core brand image.
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I have a Corolla Verso, and while there's nothing wrong with it (apart from excessive tyre wear) I haven't fallen in love with it like I did with my Mondeo. I can't pinpoint why.
P.S. I didn't know Toyota owned Daihatsu.
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only ever had one Japanese car, Lexus, which I sold recently - to buy something exciting cos it was wonderfully reliable and well built....but had no character and became boring.
oh dear, did I write this?
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>>to buy something exciting cos it was wonderfully reliable and well built....but had no character and became boring.>>
Just out of interest El H. what did you replace your wonderfully reliable Lexus with ????
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great little wagon: A3 1.9 tdi quattro (5 door) - I'd also got bored with auto box, had enuf of rear wheel drive and wanted to go back to hatchback format..
if I'm still alive at 75, might reconsider auto
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Am mistified by your anti-RWD comments.
FWD is great in the snow and takes up less interior space. But... I can't imagine not preferring uncorrupted, understeer-free RWD steering: it's WONDERFUL!
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Agree re RWD, but personally I tend not to emphasise the absence of understeer, since learning of the joys of oversteer.
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Don't find the "corruption" of the steering a problem, and any negative (but controllable) effect of fwd is more than offset by the extra grip/handling in wet or even worse weather conditions. I have quite steep driveway and rwd can be tricky at all but dry times. Summing up: for me, a car with fwd (or, of course, 4wd) just feels safer at ALL times.
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