Toyota to become #1 "Fueled by robust demand everywhere, the maker of the Prius hybrid sedan said last month it planned to sell 8.5 million vehicles in 2006, bringing it neck-and-neck with the world's top seller, General Motors Corp. (Research)" I just want to grab the GM top brass by the collar and scream in their faces--DO YOU SEE THIS!!! One can't help but think that either in the next few months (if the BOD has any sense) or in '06 when Toyota actually passes them by that there will be a major shake-up at the CEO spot at GM. And hind-sight is going to reflect their snubbing of hybrid technology as the key to their downfall. The smug "we know what's best" attitude is just tragic. My only concern is whether Toyota will become as smug and lose thier 'edge' once they become #1. I doubt it, I just don't think the Japanese business attitude will allow it.
Amazing story! The time frame for Toyota's rise to #1 has been moving for the last 5 years. It started out that they might overtake GM by 2010 and now it is 2006. GM has been preparing their own people for this for some time by telling them they have to be prepared for the day when GM is no longer #1. Just read an article yesterday that GM's new small car, the Cobalt, is not being delivered to dealers in a timely fashion due to quality and production problems. They made such a big deal last year at Detroit auto show about how this will be a 'world class' car. The GM nose must be getting pretty sore with all the times they have fallen on their faces lately. The reference to Toyota looking for a site for another plant in the US is encouraging. At least they are willing to put Americans to work building good products.
I laugh. Oh do I laugh. Remember when portable audio meant a walkman? Or a sony boombox? Sony, at least the last time I checked, was a very Japanese company. And they got very stuck in their ways. And they've been kicked upside the head in the audio devices market recently. I mean, holy crap, the iPod is it. It has been it, and will be it. And it's it because Apple moved into market and Sony was too smug and had lost their 'edge'. And let's talk about poor Mitsubishi and Isuzu. Also Japanese companies which had made major headway in their market segments and became complacent and fell upon hard times recently.
As long as Toyota remains committed to their philosophy of 'Kaizen' - continous improvement - they will prosper. I agree that many Japanese companies have failed, just as anywhere else in the world. Human nature being what it is the tendancy is to rest on one's laurels after achieving a level of success.
In a way I'm a little suprised Toyota hasn't over taken them sooner. As for myself I had a GM car some 20 years ago and it's been Toyotas for me ever since that car.
With GM's standard engineering flaws, it might fall behind. The bad managment just aids a little. Remember the whole hummer recall with the steering snapping? well.. it turns out that that has happened with several SUV's from GM.. Speaking of the future of toyota, has anyone checked out the concepts for lexus? http://www.lexus.com/about/concept/index.html and i would look up the info on the new GS for 2006. It looks nice.
