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Old 01-16-2012, 03:26 PM   #1
AR2
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Default Will Toyota Stay As Number 3 in Sales?

Toyota had a down year in 2011 as production and quality problems hit the company hard. However, Toyota had enough brand equity to retain the number 3 spot behind Ford, thus keeping it a member of the Big 3.

2012 is shaping up to be a promising year as Toyota will have its full production back in order and plenty of new/redesigned vehicles hitting the market under its Toyota, Scion, and Lexus nameplates. With a more aggressive game plan and expanded hybrid range, Toyota should see sales grow this year. Lexus is expected to contend for the luxury sales crown as it gets its production back in line. According to Automotive News, "Lexus is targeting a 21 percent sales increase in 2012, said Mark Templin, Lexus general manager. That would push U.S. sales to around 240,000 units, from 198,552 in 2011. "We will grow more than any other luxury brand this year," Templin said on the sidelines of the show. "Our base plan is 240,000. But we think we can exceed that by a pretty good margin."." http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...EM03/301169939

So, I don't think anybody should count out Toyota just yet. It just hit a speed bump last year.
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Old 01-18-2012, 09:10 AM   #2
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I think Toyota will have a strong 2012 and they'll remain the #3 brand in the U.S. when sales are totaled at the end of the year.

That said, I don't think Toyota will ever retain the vaunted image they had with consumers and the media just a few years ago. In the past legions of consumers bought a Toyota (or Honda for that matter) without even shopping for other brands. I think those days are gone forever and Toyota will have to fight for market share with competitive vehicles and aggressive pricing.
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Old 02-01-2012, 07:55 PM   #3
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I think Toyota will have a strong 2012 and they'll remain the #3 brand in the U.S. when sales are totaled at the end of the year.

That said, I don't think Toyota will ever retain the vaunted image they had with consumers and the media just a few years ago. In the past legions of consumers bought a Toyota (or Honda for that matter) without even shopping for other brands. I think those days are gone forever and Toyota will have to fight for market share with competitive vehicles and aggressive pricing.
I hope you are right about your first point. I'm not a Toyota fan boy by any stretch of the imagination. I also used to hate Toyota during my youth due to the "Buy American" campaigns going on, but I've grown to appreciate and respect Toyota for what it has accomplished. Toyota came to the U.S. during a time when Detroit was king and it fought against incredible odds to become the third largest car company in today's marketplace (it actually was number 2for a couple of years before falling to number 3). It didn't take any bailouts, nor did it have to be managed by another car company to thrive and grow. I don't plan on buying any of their vehicles, but I do have a soft spot for the company now after all these years. In my opinion, Toyota deserves to be part of the new Big 3 - GM, Ford, and Toyota.

I agree on the second part. The last two years really hurt Toyota's reputation for quality, and I'm not sure it will ever come to the level it once was. Still, Toyota scores very high in quality surveys, loyalty ratings, and value, so it hasn't lost everything yet. Plus, its Lexus division still sells some of the best engineered cars on the road. The problem is that the competition (GM, Ford, and Hyundai) is right on Toyota's heels with better looking and better driving vehicles with just the same kind of quality. Toyota is going to have to really work hard to keep its loyal customers from leaving for "greener pastures". I guess we'll see what Toyota is really made out of over the next few years.
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Old 02-08-2012, 10:38 AM   #4
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The problem is that the competition (GM, Ford, and Hyundai) is right on Toyota's heels with better looking and better driving vehicles with just the same kind of quality. Toyota is going to have to really work hard to keep its loyal customers from leaving for "greener pastures". I guess we'll see what Toyota is really made out of over the next few years.
I agree. In the past I think a lot of people bought a Toyotas (and Hondas for that matter) because it was a "safe" choice and they could rationalize their purchase with the testimonials provided by Consumer Reports.

Now both of those brands have lost some of their luster and in my opinion Consumer Reports isn't as relevant in an Internet-driven world.

In some ways I think a person could compare Toyota's current predicament to what Chevrolet faced in the early 70s.
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Old 02-09-2012, 07:39 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by XDCX View Post
I agree. In the past I think a lot of people bought a Toyotas (and Hondas for that matter) because it was a "safe" choice and they could rationalize their purchase with the testimonials provided by Consumer Reports.

Now both of those brands have lost some of their luster and in my opinion Consumer Reports isn't as relevant in an Internet-driven world.

In some ways I think a person could compare Toyota's current predicament to what Chevrolet faced in the early 70s.
I agree with this line of thought, but I have this funny feeling that Toyota is poised for a pretty big comeback. From what I've read on the Internet, Toyota is supposed to launch 19 new (or revised) products over the next 18 months. We'll have to see what comes about, but the Toyota and Lexus fans (and dealers) seem to be pretty upbeat about the future products.

The new Camry is supposedily doing very well as its sales increased 56% in January 2012 compared to January 2011. In fact, the new Camry is attracting younger buyers. This has resulted in lowering the average age of Camry buyers to a segment-low of 45. Apparently, the SE model is the reason for this drop according to Insideline:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...parently-.html

If Toyota gets its quality reputation back to its normal level, introduces better performing vehicles, and brings out nicer looking designs, the industry might be in for a rude awakening. On top of this, Toyota's financials seem to be picking up from earlier last year. Toyota is not going anywhere. Detroit better not get arrogant with all this good news flying around.
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