Harrison NY Police Chief: Prius crash looks like human error

Toyota, and no other corporation, would ever pull out of the U.S. market. Hell, we ARE the world's market! "This too shall pass" is the mantra running through Toyota exec's heads right now. They will work to disprove any bogus claims and fix any proven problems. And hopefully the media will report it when they do. Maybe Toyota has learned the hard way that emulating the American corporate model is not always the best practice, and go back to putting quality and the customer above pure profit!

 

I appreciate your point of view Erikon. I would not be pleased if Toyota left.

On the other hand, the Toyota Corporation is for making a profit first and cars second just like all other car companies. In that context, they have done and still do a pretty good job at customer care. I don't expect that to change much. They are taking a HUGE financial hit and they can't print money. That money must come from somewhere. All they can do is cut service, cut quality and raise prices. Oh, you say, they could cut profits. Their investors (stockholders) are not about to permit that. They come first. In a capitalist world, you can't punish a company into lowering prices and INCREASING quality. It just doesn't work that way. If you lower prices, you lower quality. If you increase cost of manufacture, you increase price and or you lower quality.

Yes, it will blow over, but there will be consequences. My point was that they will be so great that Toyota might be better off by pulling out. America is on a crazy binge of blaming Toyota for stuff it didn't cause. There just is no end or cure for that. Toyota can spend billions of more dollars trying to get back in good graces and America will just continue to swear at them. Trust is earned and distrust lingers. But this distrust was not earned in my humble observation. It was manufactured. America just has to get over the idea that they can trash anyone and they will still beg to sell their wares here because as you say "America is THE market". America is a spoiled brat which expects royal deference but doesn't even proof read its news. It says "don't you hint of insulting us" while it slaps its suppliers in the face with false and even fraudulent claims: How Toyota Can Hurt the Media | Ed Wallace | Dallas-Fort Worth Automobiles and Cars | Star-Te...

If Toyota HAD done something wrong, they could be publicly working on it. This will drag out forever just because there is no "smoking gun". There will be conspiracy after conspiracy because people will not take responsibility where responsibility lies. Toyota is just a "Great Big Meanie for demonstrating that a little old lady made a mistake. It can't win. Also see this which DeadPhish posted:
Commentary: No Easy Answer for the Toyota Problem - Auto Observer

 

Good post.

I agree wholeheartedly.


Sincerely,

ZC1

 

Re: It's official-- NY Prius crash due to driver error

And a quote from a slightly longer AP article today NY police agree driver error caused Prius crash (AP) , indicating that the police agree with justlurkin's conclusion that it was an honest mistake:

QUOTEThe vehicle accelerator in this case was depressed 100 percent at the time of collision, and there was absolutely no indication of any brake application," Marraccini said.
"She believes she depressed the brake, but that just simply isn't the case here," he said. There was no intent to deceive, Marraccini said, and Rosel won't be charged.ENDQUOTE

 

Re: HarrOuson NY Police Chief: Prius crash looks like human error

There are a lot of auto makers that have pulled out over the years, and more than a couple that have chosen not to come here. Peugeot, Renault, Tata, Alfa Romeo (darnit), Yugo, Hyundai (they came back), Fiat... China has well over 1 billion people and India has about a billion. The EU is a larger economy by some measures. Our per capita GDP is no longer numer one and slipping. When you factor in the amount of that GDP in the hands of the top 10%, the other 90% are are way down the list.

There are a lot of other reasons that companies don't come to the US- but the cost of health insurance and our litigious society are high on the list. I talked with some Germans in the wind turbine industry a couple of months ago- and those are the reasons they aren't coming to the US.

Will Toyota leave? Perhaps not and I hope not. Maybe they can buy GM and spin it off. That should help reduce the xenophobia.

PS: I'm no Toyota loyalist. I didn't buy my first Toyota until I was 52 years old.

 

Re: HarrOuson NY Police Chief: Prius crash looks like human error

why would Toyota leave USA? Thats just crazy thinking.

p.s. official report was out today, and police confirmed that driver pressed gas instead of brake pedals.

 

Re: HarrOuson NY Police Chief: Prius crash looks like human error

I didn't say they would leave, but the bleeding from the lawsuits and recalls could cost tens of billions of dollars. And if the American people do to Toyota what they did to Audi in the 80s (sales dropped and didn't recover for 15 years) , they aren't going to sell enough cars to make it very profitable to stay here.

 

Re: HarrOuson NY Police Chief: Prius crash looks like human error

toyota is largest automobile corporation in the world, and usa is its largest market. it is not going anywhere.

look at toyota stock price now, look at toyota sales even after everything that has happened... it clearly says that americans do not trust their media ;-).

unless you think drop of 8% is "dropping like stone" as fox news put it ;-).

 

Re: HarrOuson NY Police Chief: Prius crash looks like human error

According to Wikipedia, Toyota sold about 30,000 more vehicles in the US than it did in Japan in 2008. And it sold almost the same number of vehicles in the rest of the world as it did in the US and Japan. They aren't going anywhere quickly (too much investment in US plants) but I wouldn't be surprised to see them working to reduce their 25% reliance on the US market. I would be working on China and India as well as Europe.

 

UPDATE 1-NY police cite driver error in Toyota Prius case | Reuters

back to the story in question...

 

Re: HarrOuson NY Police Chief: Prius crash looks like human error

spwolf - It is NOT crazy thinking. They would leave because they have more to loose by staying than leaving considering the lawsuits and pending claims. You don't cause a capitalist to do better at anything by starving him of capital. All capitalists will try, but most can be broken. At some point you sell off assets to pay claims/judgements and then you leave.

Hopefully it will not come to that, but some are working hard for just that outcome. Some of those post right here on PC.