1989 toyota crown royal saloon G sale MS135 AT fully loaded 27,000km around 3.0G
Kuroyanagi Shouten Ltd Japan.
#510 Castle May, 3-1422 Ueda-Higashi
Tenpaku, Nagoya Japan 468-0006
ks.nra30133@gmail.com
fax +81 52 803 1870
tel +81 90-1417-1403
http://111kuroyanagi1.wordpress.com/
http://nagoyajapan1.wordpress.com/
http://japancarexport.at.infoseek.co.jp/index.html
http://ukcanada.hp.infoseek.co.jp/GTR.html
http://kuroyanagikazuo.hp.infoseek.co.jp/index.html
On March 21st, 2006 @ 9:50 PM PST Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey, posted his first tweet for all the twitterverse to see. Of course, the twitterverse then did not contain the 50,000,000+ tweets it now contains, but that just goes to show you how huge twitter has become in its 4 short years on Twittearth.
It has even been confirmed that “Twitter” will be inducted into the Collins English Dictionary.
IMO, Twitter is a useful platform for big corporations, celebrities, and other out-of-reach public figures to reach the street. One example: look @Toyota. 10 years ago they would have had a spokesperson addressing Toyota’s recall and accompanying legal drama by releasing statements to the media. Consumers would have no way to directly vent to Toyota. But today, they do.
I can go on with examples of how Twitter benefits consumers, and the public in general. It gives us a voice. The web 2.0 all together gives us an opportunity to be heard. I must admit though, I am not a fan of how Twitter is used between everyday Joes’ like you and me. Is it necessary to post tweets during child birth, like @sara (wife of CEO and co-founder Evan Williams)…? I am not a supporter of broadcasting our every single little life detail. Something about it makes me eerie.
How do you feel about Twitter?
The persist four automobiles I actually suffer from owned tend to be Toyotas – Three Camrys plus the Matrix. About that could be still challenging though to behalf of me to claim, less than I currently now not have religion which Toyota puts quality and caring concerning the customer prior to financial considerations. I used to be willing to chop them a handful of slack once the floor mat and then the gas pedal incidents but the Prius brake problems started me thinking on hand has been a systemic management difficulty and now hearing about Corrollas stalling and the overall Toyota management downplaying the incidents displays me there is the legal system-wide management disease. I am not trying to find a recent automobile, but
if I were, I would be shopping at Subaru, Honda, and Ford.
Here is the jump off for a new Centerville joint… this is the view coming down off the hill toward Centerville beach, right after passing the defunct Naval Base (whuch is getting completely torn out)… i’ve been wanting to do this one for a minute….
Biz Television welcomes The David Magee Show. David Magee hosts a syndicated radio show on business and life. Magee is the author of non-fiction books including How Toyota became #1 and Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan. David has contributed to several media outlets including NPR, CNBC, Fox Business, and The Wall Street Journal. He is the founder of Jefferson Press, and co-owner of Rock Point Books.
Check him out at Live. Loud. Clear.
The disgrace of Tiger and the never-ending freefall of Toyota, while seemingly unconnected, are in fact – from a brand perspective – very similar.
When word broke of Tiger’s infidelities, the world was shocked. Throughout his career, Tiger had painstakingly cultivated his image as a fierce competitor, shrewd business man, generous philanthropist and private family-man (portrayed as a dedicated husband and father.) Tiger really was, well…a tiger.
For Toyota, its name has become synonymous with quality. Toyota grew over the decades through truly innovative manufacturing processes and a unique companywide organizational culture, the likes of which had never been seen before. Yet over the course of just a few months, the Toyota brand name has been battered about, causing the company’s once-impeccable luster to lose much of its shine.
Could Tiger or Toyota have prevented their brand names from morphing into entities that none of us could have imaged? Absolutely. No one but Tiger could have stopped his actions. And no one but Toyota could have seen and fixed its problems. Indeed, both Tiger and Toyota have a long way to go to get their houses in order. Yet both Tiger and Toyota could have kept much of their respective brand names in tact by having a better communications strategy to the public.
While each crisis is unique and has its own set of challenges, if Tiger and Toyota had followed the following fundamental communications rules, I think the public would have been much more forgiving, and the media scrutiny much less intense. In short, the Tiger and Toyota brands would not have been as severely damaged as they are now. Both Tiger and Toyota now face the daunting task of rebuilding their images and regaining the public confidence they had spent years carefully cultivating.
To other Tiger and Toyota brands out there, heed the following in times of crises:
Be Quick – The Tiger imbroglio began on Thanksgiving eve, but Tiger did not make his public statement/apology until Feb.19. During this time, the media and others were doing the talking and the speculating. Tiger lost his opportunity to tell his side of the story at the beginning, thereby missing his chance to tamp down rumors and curry favor with the general public, including his fans, fellow golfers and sponsors. Toyota, meanwhile, has also been extremely slow in getting its highest level executives to discuss this situation. In fact, several long weeks had gone by before Toyota President Akio Toyoda spoke publicly in the U.S.
Be Human – People can have sympathy and empathy, but only when they feel a connection with their fellow human. Tiger’s well-rehearsed public apology, scripted and with note cards, did not convey an apology that was truly from the heart, thereby leaving a lot of people unconvinced or sympathetic. Toyota was dragged in front of Congress, thereby losing any sympathy they could have gained and looking like just another big corporate conglomerate with something to hide.
Show Regret – Did Tiger or Toyota come across as truly apologetic? During Tiger’s speech, he vaguely suggested that his fame and money contributed to, if not justified his actions. Toyota, meanwhile, is dealing with media reports that it may not have been overly concerned about its sticking accelerator pedals when the problem was first discovered. Do these actions show real regret or remorse?
Enact Reform – Both Tiger and Toyota have discussed what they are doing to fix their respective problems. Tiger is in rehab and “focusing on his family,” while Toyota has ordered new parts and trained all of its dealers in order to fix the recalled cars. Yet the public will continue to be skeptical if Tiger’s and Toyota’s reforms fall flat.
Provide Restitution – Toyota is providing restitution to those owners who were involved in accidents caused by their faulty gas pedals. But is it going far enough to appease a skeptical public that sees the organization as slow to react to this crisis? I’m guessing Toyota will probably need to do more in providing restitution as the crisis continues to move on without a clear resolution in place.
Be Honest and Transparent – Does more need to be said about the importance of these two things in a time of crisis? In the early hours after Tiger’s accident at his Florida home, media reports said his wife used a golf club to free him from his crashed SUV. In hindsight, no one now believes this was true. As for Toyota, more reports are coming out about a lack of transparency and honesty regarding their prior knowledge of the faulty gas pedals. As our parents told us, “no one likes a liar.”
So, what do you think? Beyond these thoughts, how else could Tiger or Toyota protected their brand and image in the hours, days and weeks immediately following these respective crises?
For more details on Toyota’s gas pedal issue, click on this link
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100201/CARNEWS/100209999
A new study gives high marks to more than two dozen vehicle brands for improving their quality in 2010 — including troubled Toyota — but said that many of these names suffer from lousy consumer perceptions.
“Producing vehicles with world-class quality is just part of the battle for automakers,” said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates, in a press release. “Convincing consumers to believe in their quality is equally as important.”
He said that it takes “considerable time to positively change consumer perceptions of quality of reliability.”
The study said Toyota — which has come under fire in recent months for problems with sudden acceleration, inspiring a massive recall — “continues to perform well in long-term dependability” and won more segment awards than any other model in 2010.
Toyota owners reported relatively few problems, the study said, with 128 problems per 100 vehicles, compared to the industry average of 155. The results are based on responses from more than 52,000 owners of 2007 vehicles during the time between October and December of 2009.
Read full CNNMoney.com story
Toyota suffered huge losses due to some major defects in their machines and braking systems. The company was completely focused on solving these kinds of issues by dedicating themselves to customer service and satisfaction. In the meantime auto companies like GM and Ford have had excellent sales and enjoyed a 12% and 43% sales increase respectively in the month of February.
“Toyota reacts fiercely to the declines sales percentages and recently announced that they will be offering discounts and incentives including no-interest loans for maximum five years or a low cost lease on certain models of cars. If a Toyota owner purchases a new vehicle then he will enjoy the benefit of free maintenance service for up to two years”.
It is a great opportunity for people who are looking for purchasing a new vehicle. But what about people who already have a car and an auto loan with no discounts? These people are paying higher interest rates and the loan amount is much more than the vehicle’s worth.
The offer announced by Toyota may be valid only for people with high credit score. Every bank/ lender/ auto makers have a fear of bad debt. They do not want to take the risk for people with lower credibility. Hence, it is of no use to people who really needs such kind of an offer. The only option left with them is to go for an auto loan modification which can help reduce payment up to 50% lower than what they are actually paying.
So besides my narrow escape of a car accident I could have gotten seriously injured in, (thank goodness for awesome brakes! Thank you Toyota!) I helped my aunt and her kids put up the trampoline. I’m so excited for spring. It will get warmer, sunnier and the flowers will start to bloom. I can’t wait! Because I want to go on more adventures like the one I did on 3/15.
So here are my pictures, shot in manual and it was a bit harder because of the sunlight. If I had my back to the sun, it would be brighter and if I was facing the front, it was darker. So I adjusted my shutter speed a lot.
picture total: 73
Favorites:
Kennedy vs. Alicia
1. What type of Toyota was involved in the runaway car case that garnered headlines last week?
2. Abba was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night. What hit movie was inspired by that bands music?
3. True or False: Gisele originally wanted to name Tom Brady’s baby Peyton, but he refused, so the settled on Benjamin?
4. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg joined forces to produce the highly anticipated HBO series “The Pacific;” what OSCAR winning war film did they collaborate on in 1998?
5. He was the original host of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”?
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Got tagline? Ok, that’s a pathetic ripoff of Got milk? –the most influential tagline since 1948. But it’s a good question. You know a good tagline when you hear one—when it’s another brand’s. But what’s the secret to developing your own killer tagline?
Before every moment, there’s a moment (Amp Energy), and behind closed doors that’s when people doubt themselves or think too hard and blow it. But don’t get mad, get GLAD, here are 5 tips for creating taglines:
1. Keep it simple. Don’t overthink your message. Nike’s Just do it may just be the best tagline ever. And yet, I imagine there were at least a few people in the room who said, “Do what? This doesn’t make any sense.” Don’t be that person.
2. Keep it real. Don’t promise something in your tagline that you can’t deliver. Notice no airline has the tagline On time every time.
3. Differentiate from competitors. Tastes great, less filling (Miller Lite) does this in four words. Light beer originally was a tough sell because it seemed too watery and didn’t taste like “real” beer. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking (Timex) directly tackles a concern watch wearers had. The few, the proud, the Marines. Two words, “the few,” set the Marines apart and seemingly above other military branches. The trick is you have to know what sets you apart.
4. Connect to your audience. Think about your customers’ needs. What’s important to them? Nationwide is on your side. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. You’re in good hands with Allstate. All three get the concept, but Allstate drives it home. Insurance should make you feel protected. Which one sounds more comforting and protective to you?
Connect to needs or connect to emotions or attitude. Impossible is nothing. Adidas isn’t saying you can do the impossible in their shoes, but they know athletes thrive on that attitude. Know your audience.
5. Make it easy to remember (especially in relation to your product). Welcome to the state of independence. It’s boring. It’s a sentence more than a tagline, and you’d never guess it’s for a car. If Saab was trying to express the feeling of freedom you get behind the wheel, why didn’t they use the word “freedom”? Freedom to just drive. Freedom on four wheels. Freedom is yours. Which one do you think is easier to remember?
All five points are important. If you focus only on keeping it simple, you might end up Moving forward (Toyota) with a bad tagline. Nothing will work if it’s not meaningful.
Test your ideas and trust your creatives. After all, we bring good things to life (GE).
Feel free to add your favorite and least favorite taglines below.
I heard about your recent issues with spontaneous acceleration. Being a number one auto-maker for years upon years doesn’t count for anything anymore. Sure, you guys may have dropped the ball on addressing this issue a little bit sooner. And the answer is yes, you will pay out the crack in lawyers fees and possible judgments against you.
But to borrow a phrase from the tried and sometimes true book of cliches, with every dark cloud there is a silver lining. I never understood that silver lining in a dark cloud thing because silver linings in dark clouds could be called light ing bolts. (justsayin’)
But let’s ride with that lightning bolt metaphor, because I want to be your lightning bolt of good PR. In the words of the great Gerald Maguire, “Help me help you.”. If memory serves me correctly, the Toyota Sienna has proven to be somewhat of a safe haven in that it doesn’t appear to be affected by the recall issues. Let’s play to your strengths and get more people talking about how wonderful the Sienna is. I can do that for you. Just send me a loaded minivan and a video camera and I promise to blog about the awesomeness of the ‘Swaggerwagon’ on a daily basis. To use dated business speak, it’s a classic win-win. Holla at us.
Dig the ad campaign btw:
2010 Toyota Prius
Myth: The start/stop button on the dash will not turn off my Prius while it’s running. Fact: On early to 2010 models with a push-button smart key system, pushing and holding the button on the dash for about three seconds will shut off the ignition system on the vehicle – even if it’s in gear and moving along the roadway. Newer models may have different control logic – you only have to press the button briefly to shut down the vehicle. Check your Owner’s Manual for details on your vehicle’s system. Myth: The brake system on my Toyota Prius is not able to stop the car at speed with a wide-open throttle condition. Fact: The brake system on each Toyota model is capable of overpowering the driveline to stop the vehicle – even with the throttle in a wide-open condition. See Car and Driver’s article at: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/how_to_deal_with_unintended_acceleration-tech_dept for more information. Apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal – use two feet if needed, to bring the vehicle to a halt. Do not pump the brakes in these conditions, as this may overheat the system, causing a reduction in brake performance. Prius is equipped with a combination of hydraulic and electric regenerative brake systems. All Prius vehicles have a brake system program that reduces gasoline engine power if both the throttle and brake pedals are depressed at the same time. This feature helps reduce the chance of damage to the hybrid system transmission in the event of simultaneous brake and throttle pedal application by the driver, and also helps to slow the vehicle under these circumstances. The regenerative braking via the main electric motor will continue to function to help slow the vehicle Myth: In the event you encounter a runaway vehicle, the first thing you should do is to turn off the ignition. Fact: Although turning off the ignition is a possible course of action, the first thing a driver should do is to put the transmission in Neutral. This separates the driveline from the wheels, and gives the driver instant speed control over the vehicle, and allows the driver time to assess what is happening. This also allows continued use of the power steering and brake systems for an easier stopping operation. Pressing the start/stop button to turn off the ignition can be done as a next step. This will shut down power assist to the brakes and steering system – reducing their performance, but the driver can still brake and steer the vehicle manually in this condition. The steering column on Prius will not lock up when the ignition is turned off while the vehicle is moving – allowing the driver steering control. Traditional key type ignitions systems can be turned off while the vehicle is moving without locking the steering column – as long as the key is left in the ignition. Removal of the key may result in a locked steering column, and hamper driver steering control. After placing the transmission in Neutral, and the vehicle is brought to a stop at the side of the road, the final step should be to turn of the ignition. Myth: The parking brake is effective in stopping a vehicle at speed. Fact: The parking brake may be helpful in that it can provide some additional brakeforce. However, the amount of brakeforce the parking brake applies will be negligible in a vehicle that is running at anything over paring lot speeds. Placing the transmission in Neutral and using firm steady pressure on the brake pedal will be the best way to bring the vehicle to a stop. Myth: The transmission would not go into Neutral when an attempt was made to put it in Neutral. Fact: Prius does have an electronic link between the shift lever and the transmission. The driver should place the Prius in Neutral by moving the shift lever to the “N” position – to the left side of the shift gate, and hold it there for a second – this will put the Prius transmission in Neutral. Firm application of the brakes will slow the vehicle down. Pressing and holding the start/stop button can be used as a final action to stop the vehicle if needed. Myth: The harder I pressed on the brake pedal, the more the vehicle accelerated. Fact: In a situation where it appears to the driver that the brake pedal has been depressed, but acceleration results, the driver should stay calm and take immediate action by moving the transmission shift lever to Neutral, use a firm and steady application of the brakes, then get to the side of the road and assess the situation. Neutral allows the driver to gain immediate control, and provides the driver with time to evaluate what is happening to the vehicle. Myth: Prius has an electronically controlled brake system, and I don’t believe it is as reliable as regular hydraulic brakes. Fact: Prius does have an electronically controlled brake system which is as reliable as hydraulic brakes. This system utilizes both electric motor regenerative braking and hydraulic braking to stop the vehicle. The Prius system is able to recognize a fault in the regenerative braking system, and will send the driver’s brake input to the hydraulic brakes to stop the vehicle. Prius can also detect a fault in the hydraulic brake system booster, and allow all of the driver’s brake force to be directly sent to the two front brake calipers for maximum stopping power under a “no-boost” condition. Myth: If I have a throttle stuck in the wide open position, and I put the vehicle in Neutral to help gain control of the vehicle, the engine will over rev, and be damaged. Fact: If you place your vehicle in Neutral with a wide open throttle, you will hear a lot of engine noise, but don’t be overly concerned by this. All Toyota gasoline engines have a rev limiter function as a part of the engine control program that will prevent over revving of the engine by cutting the fuel supply at a predetermined RPM. This RPM limit varies – depending on the engine type. Myth: The Brake Override System will make it difficult to start my vehicle on a hill. Fact: The Brake Override System is designed to stop your vehicle when the brake pedal is firmly pressed in cases where there is acceleration caused by mechanical interference with the throttle pedal. For practical reasons – the Brake Override System will not operate when the brake pedal is depressed first – to allow for uphill starts, while limiting the vehicle’s tendency to roll backwards. When engaged, the Brake Override System will disengage when the brake pedal is released. It will also not function at vehicle speeds of less than 5 mph, as at this point, the vehicle can be stopped safely.Toyota has many recent problems but what ABC did in its reporting was unethical and has damaged its journalistic credibility at the same time “ABC admits tinkering with Toyota report“,
“It all points to problems that are created when visual journalists try to alter reality in order to get a better picture.
“Any time you give the audience any reason to doubt the honesty of the piece, that’s a serious problem,” said Charlotte Grimes, a Syracuse University journalism professor who specializes in ethical issues.”
I usually take my car to a car wash on Sundays when the traffic is light. In Panama most people use these services to keep their cars clean. They are efficient, clean, cheap and scattered throughout Panama City.
Many years ago, car wash operators tried to use mechanical washers to do the job, but after a while, they scrapped the equipment and went back to manual car washing. My experience with automated car washing was not good. The car was not completely dried up and was dirty in many parts of the car. I think I only used them twice and never returned. As far as I know, all of these sites have faded into the sunset.
Last Sunday I took my Toyota Corolla for a bath and shot several pictures to share with you how cars are cleaned in this part of the world. Here we go.
Photograph of Guerra's Car Wash located on Avenida 12 de Octubre in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
Photograph of two employees exchanging comments at Guerra's Car Wash las Sunday afternoon. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
This is Ricardo getting ready to wash my white Toyota Corolla. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
Ricardo is busy extracting the dust with a vacum cleaner. He did an excellent job in doing so. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
As you can see, Ricardo likes to have his picture taken. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
Photograph of Alberto sprinkling the car with water. BTW, this is drinking water. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
Car washing in Panama, the old fashion way. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
Now it's time to work on the tires with Armour All. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
Notice the dedication of these young men towards their work. The cars are sparkling clean when they finish. It takes about thirty minutes to wash a car in this place. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
Take notice that these guys don't wear shoes or boots while they work. Also, most of the cars are Japanese branded. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
The cost for a small compact car is $3.00; which is an absolute bargain. I give them a tip of $1.00 for a job well done. Without humble workers like these, we wouldn’t have the newspaper everyday on our porch, or tomatoes, lettuce, or cabbage for our salads. Products that we take for granted in our homes are there because of the dedicated labor of these hard-working people. They are responsible for moving the economy of our countries behind the scenes. They are the nuts and bolts of our production process. I tip my hat for the modest and unskilled workers of this world. They know how to earn their money—the hard way. Good Day.
1984 toyota corolla levin front clip for sale or half cut, The ae86 base is ae86 sprinter trueno, but
actually now looks like AE86 corolla levin which is going to be half cut or front clip note.
Crating easy pallete sytle crating. If shipping firm would not accept easy stuff, complete wooden crating, so depending coutry–indicate your coutry,please in inquire time.
Advise to US importer, 1984 AE86 all can be impotable to USA now, because it is over 25 year old EPA used car import regulation (I mean—running conditioned-AE86-right hand drive) instead of buying front clip, The front clip even 1pc is still expensive from Japan, because
shipping firm require us for complete woeeden crating I guess
===============
Kuroyanagi Shouten Ltd Japan.
#510 Castle May, 3-1422 Ueda-Higashi
Tenpaku, Nagoya Japan 468-0006
ks.nra30133@gmail.com
fax +81 52 803 1870
tel +81 90-1417-1403
http://111kuroyanagi1.wordpress.com/
http://nagoyajapan1.wordpress.com/
http://japancarexport.at.infoseek.co.jp/index.html
http://ukcanada.hp.infoseek.co.jp/GTR.html
http://kuroyanagikazuo.hp.infoseek.co.jp/index.html
———
Do not call me directly. Your call is fine if out business contract is near
After a long day of skills testing and job interviews, by the time I got home, I was cooked. I needed to kick back and chill. A cup of coffee seemed like the perfect antidote.
So I changed into comfortable clothes and walked to my favorite neighborhood bakery, Lety’s. The day was glorious. Sunny and Spring-like.
At Lety’s, I bought myself a coffee and one pignoli cookie (trying to be good, though I really wanted two) and found a table. I plopped down and opened my book.
Three old cronies from the neighbor sat down at the adjacent table. Their conversation was fast and funny. I couldn’t stop listening. I closed my book, took out a pen and started writing it down.
They covered a wide range of topics. Here are some snippets:
Eating
“It’s a steakhouse at Christie and Delancey.”
“It’s not a steakhouse.”
“Whatever. But this is the killer. On each table they have a container of chocolate syrup and a bottle of seltzer.”
“And you gotta get the chopped liver and the schmaltz!”
Doctors
“I went to the doctor today. I picked up two containers of coffee, one for the receptionist…”
“Did you use your coupon?”
“Yeah. I had to wait two hours. The doctor overbooks appointments.”
“Is that the one whose office is across from McDonald’s and the pizza place?”
“Right across!”
“Remember that doctor on Mulberry Street who weighed 270? At the end of each day, he’d go into one of those Italian restaurants and eat like he was going to the electric chair. And he smoked Camels! Do you know he lived to be 90 years old?”
“I know him. He was a two, three dollar doctor. If you were broke, he wouldn’t take money from you.”
“But his wife was the receptionist. She wouldn’t let you out of the office unless you paid.”
“I remember this doctor who used rusty needles. He dipped them in alcohol. If the Health Department ever walk in…? Fuggedaboudit!”
The Old Days
“Ice cream sundaes was fifteen cents. With the real strawberries in there.”
“In the theater, nickel candy was a dime, so you brought your own.”
The Movies
“I went to see that 3-D movie, Avatar.”
“You gotta be sick to see that. Space ships flyin’ all over the place.”
“With the 3-D glasses. If you take them off you can’t see the movie. It’s blurry.”
“What a racket.”
Current Events
“A lot of people are running away from Scientology.”
“John Travolta. Tom Cruise. I seen their place out in L.A.”
“Did you see the rabbi that molested the kid? He got pinched.”
“Did you hear about the rabbi who said that lox is not kosher?”
“That was in the 2nd Avenue deli. They were slicing it on T.V. I was getting hungry just watching it.”
“On Toidy-toid Street, right?”
Health
“My blood pressure is 103 over 68.”
“That’s too low.”
“When I exercise, it goes down to 98.”
“Whoa, that’s too low.”
Females
“She’s a pretty bright woman. You can’t screw around with her.”
“She knows where it’s at.”
“She had her little dog in a carriage with a Santa suit on.”
Toyota
“What about the guy on the San Diego Freeway in a Prius going 90 miles an hour and couldn’t stop it. Toyota told him there was nuthin’ they could do because his model wasn’t recalled.”
“What about that guy whose car crashed into a crowd of people at 90 miles an hour. A Toyota. And he’s been in jail for two years!”
“So far 83 people in the United States got killed by Toyota.”
“Should of used the handbrake.”
“Remember in the handbrake in the old days? Now, I wouldn’t be able to find it.”
“Mine’s on the left, on the floor.”
“Mine’s in the middle. It’s a foreign car.”
I hated to leave all that entertaining conversation behind. But I left Lety’s in a much better mood than when I’d come in. As I turned down my street, more entertainment. Two teenagers were conversing on the sidewalk, a boy and a girl.
Boy: ” I never said she looked like…”
Girl, hands on her hips: “You brother said you did! Why would he lie?”
Boy, throwing up his hands: “He’s an exaggerator!!!”
Toyota fired another volley this week as it continued its fight to regain the confidence of owners shaken by reports of unintended acceleration.
During a webcast with journalists Monday, the Japanese automaker’s hired independent experts went after professor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University, who has emerged as a gadfly engineer. Gilbert appeared on ABC News broadcasts and before Congress, using rewired cars to attack Toyota’s ability to detect faults in its electronic systems.
Toyota contends that Gilbert’s experiments are almost impossible to duplicate in real-world conditions, and besides, cars made by other manufacturers behaved the same way when they were rewired — without adverse consequences.
Gilbert and ABC newsman Brian Ross were temporarily embarrassed when Toyota instrument readings intended to demonstrate runaway acceleration were shown to have been made while the car was actually stopped and a door was open. The tachometer indicated the engine was running at 6,000 rpms but the speedometer said the car was moving at zero miles per hour.
Like gawkers at the scene of an accident, those who enjoy this kind of thrust and parry can expect to see a lot more of it in coming weeks. Tort lawyers and class action suits are beginning to surface, and there will undoubtedly be more unfortunate accounts of accidents that might be attributed to unintended acceleration.
Once again, Toyota finds itself in the same predicament as Tiger Woods: It has apologized extensively for its sloppy and inattentive handling of the recall, but that was the easy part — even for a company as proud as Toyota.
The hard part for both the golfer and the automaker is regaining their reputations and making sure nothing like this ever happens again. There are signs that Toyota is headed, however haltingly, in the right direction. It is taking steps that address fundamental issues at the company and go beyond the appointment of a quality committee or a quality czar.
Read full CNNMoney.com story
PITTSBURGH—Toyota has recently made headlines due to a problem with the accelerator sticking on certain vehicles. Nineteen fatalities have been linked to the issue, and Toyota has recalled 2.3 million cars in the U.S. for repairs, which has caused a sense of panic for recalled car owners and the general public. To put things in perspective, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Paul Fischbeck, a risk expert, calculated the risk of driving a recalled Toyota and found that the accelerator problem increases the driving risk by only 2 percent.
“There hasn’t been a discussion about the actual risk of driving one of Toyota’s recalled vehicles,” said Fischbeck, a professor of social and decision sciences and engineering and public policy. “Even the messages from the Transportation Secretary have been confusing. First, it’s a recommendation not to drive the cars in question at all. Then, that was retracted. I think it’s important for people to realize that when you look at the actual risk of driving one of these cars, it’s actually very low.”
Consumers also may want to reconsider parking their recalled Toyotas until repairs have been made. “Replacing driving by walking really increases the risk of dying,” Fischbeck said. “Walking a mile is 19 times or 1,900 percent more dangerous than driving a mile in a recalled Toyota. Driving while using a cell phone would increase risk much more than the chance of having a stuck accelerator.”
In the U.S., there is a little more than one fatality for every 100 million miles driven. The average U.S. vehicle logs about 13,000 miles each year. Based on these averages, for the 2.3 million Toyotas being recalled, there are about 340 fatalities every year for causes unrelated to the accelerator. The accelerator problem is adding about six deaths every year to this total — meaning that the accelerator problem is increasing the driving risk by about 2 percent.
The relative increase in driving risk depends on the individual driver. For a 35-year old woman (some of the safest drivers on the road), driving risk is very low (less than half the national average), so the additional risk from stuck accelerators would increase their driving risk by 3.5 percent. For a teenage male driver whose risk is 3.5 times greater than the national average, the driving risk only increases 0.5 percent because of the problem.
If every vehicle on the road in the U.S. had this problem, there would be an additional 600 deaths every year. Driving a recalled Toyota for about a half mile less per day would be the same as if you drove in a vehicle without the problem.
Thinking about risks in terms of gambling, the chance of dying in a year because of the accelerator problem is about two in a million. This is the same as flipping 19 coins one time each and getting 19 heads.
Of course, people die from many things other than automobile crashes. The additional risk from the accelerator problem increases an individual’s annual risk of dying by less than 0.5 percent. And because the risk of dying in a given year increases with age, for retirees the additional risk is less than 0.01 percent.
“Bottom line, it is important to keep risks in perspective,” Fischbeck said. “The stuck accelerator problem does make driving riskier and needs to be fixed. But at the same time, the increased risk is very small.”
For more information on the risks of dying, visit www.deathriskrankings.com.
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Pictured above is Paul Fischbeck, a professor of social and decision sciences and engineering and public policy.
With all the troubles facing Toyota after their giant recall, it is hard to imagine their brand recovering the prestige it once held. For that matter, it can be hard to see how brands in general are able to come back from a giant PR disaster.
But hope is not lost. Last week, Domino’s Pizza announced great financial results. This should remind us that it is possible to overcome challenges in the media – if handled properly.
In the spring of 2009, a video made it onto YouTube showing some Domino’s employees doing some pretty nasty things in the kitchen. The video became an instant YouTube sensation. But the company reaction was fast, releasing their response via YouTube almost immediately. The message from Domino’s communicated a few key things that deserve to be called out:
This may seem like common sense, and it should. But Toyota’s response was lacking each of those points. The result is that despite the setback, Domino’s is now thriving while Toyota continues to be attacked from all corners.
What do you think? Is it too late for Toyota to learn from the Domino’s example?
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, President Obama wants to require all new U.S. vehicles be equipped with some mechanism that, essentially, will stop the vehicle if both the gas and brake are activated at the same time. All I can say to that is “Back off, the market’s got it.”
Now, I can understand the push for government intervention when there are public safety concerns as a result of these types of problems and others (we’ve seen it before with airbags, etc.) but let’s take a step back and look what’s going on.
First of all, Toyota stocks have plummeted since the recall. What was once a great stock to have trading at a high of $91 is now down to $76 per share. In addition, Toyota sales are plummeting. In January, there was a 16 percent drop in sales and for February and March, a drop of 30 – 40 percent is projected.
So, what’s the bottom line here? Toyota will have to pay for their mistakes and they are/will via the free market. The market is telling Toyota to build safer cars…until that happens, we’re not buying.
At least 13 more fatalities associated with Toyotas and unintended acceleration have been reported to federal authorities. The reported fatalities occurred after Toyota ceased production and sales of select Toyota models.
To date, the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration has documented 34 fatalities associated with Toyotas and unintended acceleration. The majority of the fatalities occurred between 2003 and 2009.
FULL STORY
Our firm is actively investigating unintended acceleration cases involving Toyota vehicles. If you or a loved one have been involved in an auto accident in or with a Toyota, contact one of our personal injury attorneys for a free legal consultation.
So, I’ve been on holiday for a week, and naturally the first thing I did when I got back was to catch up with all events LWAPD based. I caught up fast, and now I feel like I can venture out in to the world wide web, armed with the latest, freshest and yes, dopest developments in internet based audio-visual entertainment.
But something was conspicuously absent. It was as if someone had simultaneously ripped the heart out of Lemonade, and cured it of a most grievous cancer.
What has happened to the inimitable Drew Steenburg? Where are the rants, the posts that dispense with the politically correct, the images that say boo to common sense’s goose, the things that make you go Hmmmm?
Well, I thought some crass, topical humour might just tempt him back.
Wow! . . . what a month for the Canadian car business in February.
Overall sales were up 24.9%, with passenger cars up 11.3% and Light trucks which include SUVs, CUVs, Minivans, Vans, Pickups etc up an amazing 39.0%.
Recession, what recession?
Mind you, last February was pretty brutal. But still, anytime you can have that kind of a sales increase on a major purchase, it’s a great sign of an economy that is much healthier that it used to be.
A huge congratulations has to go out to the good folks at Ford of Canada.
Ford not only increased its sales by 51.1%, it actually outsold every other car maker in the country.
Other car makers that beat the overall market:
Listed in alphabetical order
Audi up 38.1%*
Honda up 33.2%
Kia up 35.1%
Lexus up 26.2%*
Mercedes-Benz up 33.3%*
Mini up 30.4%*
Subaru up 36.5%
Toyota up 25.2% – Unbelievable considering all of the negative media they’ve had to deal with.
Volkswagen up 63.9% – All the experts say nobody wants diesels. I guess they forgot to tell VW 
* High luxury car sales is a great positive sign of a healthy market.
Despite a strong sales month some car makers failed to match their sales from Feb 2009:
Listed in alphabetical order
Acura down 13.3%
Nissan down 6.6%
Smart down 15.6%
Suzuki down 3.8%
New car sales ‘Market Snapshot’ courtesy of Desrosiers.ca
Image : http://www.flickr.com
Adolescents Greetings Toyota owners! It is your tool of analysis in flames? Accept the acclaimed P0440, p0441 and p0446 stored in the computer? clever, you're lucky! I did a little 'of activities in this botheration Toyota was the way to solve the problem of language, and how to anticipate an accident again.
Did you know that Toyota Technical Service Bulletin issued for this perceived problem? The Technical Service Bulletins is at easeresponse that has high or codes are stored in the computer through a sterile exhaustion bankruptcy brazier switching valve. This TSB from Toyota allows artisans engaged botheration analyze so that technology can be credited for the latest updates. Or not? Some of these diagnostic codes by replacing the failure of the agitation coalfield exhaustion valve switching valve (VSV-valve) in the middle of the air box, anchored on better not.
You see, all these codes proverbis that there is a gap in the exhaust system of evaporation. The increase in the exhaust system prevents evaporation, produces ammunition in the humiliation of ammunition artifice catchbasin into the atmosphere. This humiliation is stored briefly in the tank EVAP. Back to the agent is running, stored ammunition in the humiliation EVAP brazier breeze through the valve solenoid EVAP removal, removal and assimilation in order to anchor the adequacy of agitation alcovestrictly in the process of agitation. This increases the width and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The opening to the evap system could be the annihilation of distance or missing gas cap, the abolition of a country open valve.
It is the land of love appears in the game. successful business is changing from the depletion switching valve in the appropriate TSB. But should not ruin the suffering of the problem. What do Toyota owners do not know well, is that of scaling uptheir catchbasin then the pump is already full Account serious problems in the system evap. is again the gas catchbasin too full, the gas is completely surprised and enter the evap system. Since the exhaust system for evaporation is solely to advise the task with vapors, as anon as a gas into the water enters the evap system, you begin to realize the problems immediately.
Another account is new coal in the brazier, break the distance and polluted l 'System achieves. This may appear with age than in the situation of overcrowding your body shell. A little coal, $ 25 will reach its absolute path from the bottom of the pot is sitting on the area agent, the agent with the abolition of the valve enlarged and pan in exhaustion failure switching valve. computer re-opens and closes the valves, the coal is € .25 to all valves in the arrangement so that they remain accessible flat back that will be explainedoff. And 'the site of the computer is the opening of evaporative emissions and exhaust the provision to allow your band celebrated evap codes.
Correction: Valve VSV. When the coal breaks into the filter, will be replaced free of charge. It would be important to close the valve and also change the abolition of the burner valve orifice, as are attenuated as well. Blowing air through the apple pie aeroembolism curve made no Derby entry, the league of the provision inthe future.
As you can see, this is a huge botheration and Toyota is known. Toyota is the case, take for that to Fix botheration, after the ancestors of the models.
all right folks.. here are the pictures of our car like i’d promised.. we are truly blessed 
it has already travelled many a miles with us…offering immeasurable support along the way…
Lots has been happening with Toyota and we have had trouble keeping up. However there are couple of numbers and graphs that are worth noting. The first is from the Wall Street Journal (Cause of Sudden Acceleration Proves Hard to Pinpoint, Feb 25). Click on the graphic for a better view:
Gady had posted an earlier version of the same data all plastered onto one graph but having it broken out makes the scope of Toyota’s issues a little bit clearer. Ford obviously has had some issues but they have an explanation:
Ford spokesman Said Deep said, “When you analyze NHTSA data and remove the complaints due to the speed control deactivation switch, which we recalled in 2005, Ford’s performance in this category has improved each year and our complaints have been significantly lower than Toyota’s each year since 2005.” Still, Mr. Deep said Ford’s speed deactivation switch—which shuts off the cruise control when the driver hits the brakes firmly—had no connection to sudden acceleration, and that about 14 million vehicles were recalled due to the potential of the switch causing fires while vehicles were parked.
For those keeping score at home, that 14 million vehicle recall still stands as the biggest in US history.
What these numbers obscure is that all else being equal the number of complaints should go up with the number of vehicles on the road. So Nissan’s low numbers might reflect that there are fewer Maximas out there than Camries. Edmunds thus did a study comparing how many complaints (that is, total complaints not just for acceleration issues) were filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration relative to market share. The short summary amounted to Toyota was one of the best performers. Also, don’t buy a Land Rover. Now Edmunds has released a new bit of research looking specifically at complaints about unintended acceleration (Industry’s Unintended Acceleration Issue Requires Attention, Edmunds.com Comments, Feb 26). Here is the punchline from that:
Manufacturer Complaints Complaints per 100,000 Vehicles Sold Chrysler Group (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep) 156 1.72 Ford Motor Corporation (Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo) 339 3.12 General Motors (Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn) 134 0.81 Honda (Honda, Acura) 89 1.26 Nissan (Infiniti, Nissan) 50 1.07 Toyota Motor Corporation (Lexus, Scion, Toyota) 532 4.81Some details behind these numbers:
Edmunds.com analyzed NHTSA databases for those complaints filed against them before Sept. 30, 2009 and after that date. On Sept. 29, 2009, Toyota announced a consumer safety advisory regarding potential floor mat interference with the accelerator pedal. The analysis, which looked at 2005 to 2010 models, showed after the safety advisory was issued and received intense media attention, 601 unintended acceleration complaints were filed against Toyota Motor Corp. from October 1, 2009 to February 3, 2010. In the nearly five years prior to the advisory, Toyota had 532 such complaints.
Now one might quibble that Edmunds is cherry picking a time in which Toyota was all the news but it does re-emphasize the historical data above: something was up with Toyota. This apparently was also notices by the folks at State Farm Insurance (Inside Toyota’s epic breakdown, Automotive News, Feb 10).
About the same time in Bloomington, Ill., a team of number-crunching accident investigators was seeing a worrying pattern. A team known as CRASH at privately held insurer State Farm had noticed a spike in accidents involving Toyota vehicles including the top-selling Camry. State Farm, the largest U.S. auto insurer, notified U.S. regulators of the pattern. “If we believe a vehicle played a significant part in causing damages, we go back to the manufacturer,” said spokesman Kip Diggs. “We tell them ‘We believe your product is faulty and you need to pay us for the damages.’”
“When you start to see significant claims activity that indicates there may be widespread problems with a product, that’s when you go to NHTSA,” said Diggs. “There had to have been significant activity, a noticeable trend for that to happen.”
That Automotive News story has another interesting number in it. How much does that pesky accelerator peddle that Toyota is blaming everything on actually cost? Answer: $15.
How could Toyota ignore all this data? Well they could just blame driver error. That is the industry — and NHTSA — stock answer. Where does that answer come from? That’s our final number: A report that is 21 years old. This is from the Wall Street Journal article cited above:
The NHTSA’s official view, detailed in a 454-page 1989 report, is that the vast majority of sudden acceleration incidents in which no vehicle malfunction is present are caused by drivers mistaking the gas pedal for the brake. However the NHTSA continues to investigate all potential causes for sudden acceleration, including the electronic throttle control system in Toyota vehicles.
It is worth noting that there were no electronic throttle systems in mass-produced cars when the first Bush was president.
The only real problem I’ve ever had occurred at the dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida. I was in for a routine maintenance check-up, my car was atop a lift and I was reading something while in the waiting mode.
A supervisor drifted my way and, slowly explained there had been an accident and somehow another car on another lift had smashed my right front door.
He waited for the explosion. After all you really don’t expect to have an accident at your dealership.
I laughed. In fact I laughed several times.
He suddenly appeared calmer than he had been. I immediately gathered it wasn’t often, in these troubling times, that he faced a friendly lunatic.
I was still laughing.
I was informed I wouldn’t be charged for the damage, they would provide a rental car and I would receive free oil changes until Hell became heavily involved in Global Cooling.
I kept laughing.
I also waited half an hour for a ride to Enterprise Car Rental and another hour to complete the forms and for them to receive approval from the Psychiatric Department at North Broward Hospital from where, according to their looks, I had escaped.
I was still laughing.
It was only a few months old then and even now the odometer claims less than 19,000 miles. I drive to go to my stable of physicians and shop at Publix. Also to get gas once a year at Chevron.
I’m almost 83 and have the usual run of infirmities plus a disposition that makes me laugh when my car is injured at the dealership.
I guess I have a bad attitude.
I like my Corolla. It stays outside while my wife’s new Honda Accord is afforded the luxury of the garage.
It was damaged again, ever so slightly, as I backed out of a Handicapped Parking spot, by another elderly gent. The cost, covered by insurance, came to $1900. If it came to that amount while I was doing 5 Miles Per Hour I can only guess what it would amount to at a truly high speed of 30 MPH.
But back to Toyota and the runaway cars.
This is a minority opinion but my Guess is there is less here than meets the eye.
Ralph Nader: Do you have any proof to offer that Toyota is blameless?
Langer: None. Maybe even less than none.
Nader: Why are you “protecting” Toyota?
Langer: I agree with everybody that there have been serious problems. Fatal problems. I am neither a Birther, Tea Bagger or Toyota Denier.
Nader: Please drivel on.
Langer: We have owned French cars (Simca), British Cars (Triumph, Austin Healey Sprite), Japanese cars (Honda Accord, Datsun Wagon, Nissan Maxima) and too many American models to mention. I loved several Pontiacs and a 1957 DeSoto that stopped in the middle of a tunnel on the East Side Drive in New York City. It was replaced with a new Simca. $1800.
Nader: Is there a point here?
Langer: For some years now American car manufacturers have produced fairly shoddy products. I’m talking GM, Ford and Chrysler. (And yes they are doing better currently.) I guess I can’t get it through my head that these problems – some even worse – didn’t happen to GM, Ford or Chrysler drivers. Call it a hunch.
Nader: That’s it?
Langer: Yup.
Nader: Langer you’re an idiot.
That may well be (the idiot part) but I have to add another experience dating back to the 1970s and the first energy crunch facing our nation.
We were living in Pennsylvania, had a lot of land, plenty of trees (Hickory, Maple, Oak) and like others of our ilk traded in our gas guzzlers for more responsible vehicles and wood stoves.
I chopped wood and heated our house for a bit over a year before moving back to Florida. It was great fun and our Dalmatian and I would sit and discuss wood preferences. I was for Maple but she voted for Hickory. We compromised on Oak.
Since I am now cane-activated I look back on those days as our Golden Age.
On the other hand we purchased two VW Rabbits, the two worst cars ever produced in this or any other world. One was white, the other was red.
Both had a tendency to stop in the middle of nowhere and wait for AAA to haul us to the dealership. (Pottstown VW in case you’re interested; don’t send my regards.)
The song and dance would begin and end with us providing a check for $250. OK every now and then it was $230.
You may ask why I didn’t yell and scream? I have no response to that question.
I did ask; we invariably returned to the well rehearsed song and dance and I wrote a reasonably valid check.
I called VW Regional Headquarters in King of Prussia, PA.
Song and Dance.
I called the President of the United States. (OK I didn’t do that but it sounds better than simply paying up.)
We moved to Florida and the cars stopped Here and There.
We traded in the cars for advanced Japanese models.
Life was good.
Five years later VW admitted there were electrical problems with their Rabbits and cash was available to current owners.
We were not Current Owners.
Nixon resigned, Carter read Peanuts, Reagan fired the air controllers, Bush the Elder, Clinton the seducer, Bush the Younger, Obama the Dreamer.
Vietnam, Iraq I, Iraq II, Afghanistan I and II.
I’ll be 83 next month and still drive a Toyota Corolla. (2006 model, 19,000 miles.)
PS: In the early 1970s my wife purchased one of the brand new Datsun models – a reddish wagon. She would drive to the dealer for maintenance. No charge. I owned a new Pontiac. I would drive to the dealer for maintenance. Lots of charges. I am an idiot.
Warren Langer
http://warrenlanger.wordpress.com
warren-langer@att.net
They Should’a Had Me There (But They Didn’t)
The Toyota hearings happened in Washington DC where they ’summoned’ Akio Toyoda to front for the company that bears his family name.
In his opening remarks, Toyoda said that “I love cars as much as anyone” and that he is a “trained test driver” able to expertly evaluate cars. He said the company’s mottoes have always been “Safety, quality and quantity” but during the past decade of the company’s rapid growth, “these got confused”. He promised a return to the basics.
In Japan, when there are product safety or quality problems, the head of the company will take full responsibility and apologize (which Toyoda did several times today) and that’s the end of it. The company moves on, consumers make their decisions about the product, but it’s almost unheard of for authorities to dig into the company until some cover-up or mistake or purposeful action which caused the problem is found.
A questioner revealed during the hearing that NY’s Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has brokered a deal where Toyota dealers will go to owners’ homes to pick-up recalled cars and trucks, fix them and deliver them back to the owner, with Toyota reimbursing the owner for any rental or train or taxi costs incurred while the car was out of service. When Inaba and Toyota were asked if this program will be made national, it was obvious either they were avoiding the question or knew absolutely nothing about it (hard to believe).
When one member tried to find out if the new brake override software will be installed in all affected Toyota vehicles in the US, Toyoda just said, “I don’t know”.
When another representative talked about how much she likes her Toyota Camry hybrid but doesn’t trust it now, Inaba jumped with, “You have an American car!”
Inaba was just trying to promote the fact that Toyota employs 200,000 people in the US (which Toyoda mentioned twice in the first minute of his opening statement) but the exchange was terribly confused and became hostile.
Many members did not like the answers they got today, and had no reluctance telling Toyoda and Inaba just that. One member, trying to be friendly, jokingly told Toyoda, “You can brag about this at home. You’ve been questioned by a congressional committee!”, but it was obvious Toyoda didn’t know what to make of that statement.
And so it goes, and so it went.
For one, as a long-time working interpretere between Japan and the Anglo-phone world, I wished I was there to to pinch hit for these poor guys, because being bi-lingual and bi-cultural, I would have had few things to say to these American law makers.
Number 1 on my list would have been that the US government is now a major shareholder of Toyota’s rivals. Whether they like it or not, they are today and as such they are in a conflict of interest if they are trying to present themselves on some higher moral ground. Quite frankly, from an third party, this all looks like an attempt by the US government to scare people out of Toyotas and into GM and Chryslers. Clearly this conflict of interest leads Toyota to believe this is a kangaroo court.
Number 2 on my list is that if they really thought the Toyota handling of the crisis was as lax as they believe, then they should by all means explain what exactly are the laws in America that cover such things. The recall of vehicles by any company actually happens as a voluntary action to fix something. If indeed Toyota had not done any recalls, then there might be a case for insinuating there was something criminal. Seeing that Toyota is recalling vehicles, which part of this act shows Toyota *isn’t* taking responsibility for its products?
Number 3 on the list would be at which point does the US Government require legislation and regulation to do with recalls that *it* would find satisfactory? Without such guidelines – and they do not exist – isn’t it the case that the utter lack of regulation is to blame? And seeing that there isn’t and blame-throwing is the game, isn’t the Senate indulging in a bit of grandstanding at Toyota’s reputation’s expense?
Number 4 on my list would be the fact that Toyota has built factories in the USA and used parts in the USA. If it’s the Senate’s collective wisdom to say that this has been unwelcome, and clearly, the tone of questioning in the room strongly suggests that it is, then perhaps Toyota were gravely mistake in the American system of capitalism. Perhaps the US government has two sets of rules, one for companies they feel are domestic, and another for foreign companies that found factories. Is Toyota to understand that the US Government in practice endorses this double standard, without writing it down? Isn’t this how racism and sexism works in America? How can Toyota not be sure that the US government isn’t targeting Toyota not because our vehicles are unsafe but because it helps you buy votes to demonise the Japanese as you have done in your history so often?
Number 5 on my list would be how much campaign contribution has been paid into their respective Senators’ coffers by GM and Chrysler and Ford? And just how much would it take for the senators to back off and apply the separate domestic rule? Because people at Toyota and in Japan in general believe that this whole Senate hearing is a scapegoating process that can only help Toyota’s rivals in the market place. What assurances can you give Toyota that your individual campaign funding does not include and has never included monies from GM, Chrysler and Ford?
Number 6 would be to lay down the implicit threat of shutting American factories. If Toyota is so unwelcome in the American market place, it is willing to move its factories to Canada or Mexico – countries under the NAFTA agreement – and close those factories and with them the 200,000 direct jobs. Toyota understands that the USA has a 10% unemployment rate, so maybe we won’t find growth in this country any more. Certainly by the un-conciliatory tone of this hearing leads us to believe we should do this as soon as possible.
But no, none of this got mentioned. So I’m writing it here instead and I doubt anybody in Japan’s going to read it, and I sure as hell won’t be asked to be the interpreter for Toyota, so that’s that. All in all, I strongly felt I should’ve been there, even though I had absolutely nothing to do with Toyota, which I don’t.
The whole thing pisses me off endless. It’s a good thing I’m not the Governor of the Bank of Japan, Toshihiko Fukui, because I’d be busily dumping US treasury bonds as fast as I can.
Today, I watched some of the Congressional testimony of Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota, and Yoshimi Inaba, chief operating officer for North America.
First off, as to how to respond to the Toyota recall from a Lean perspective, I’m essentially in agreement with Mark Graban over at Lean Blog, who pithily says what needs to be said. Here’s his post regarding today’s testimony. And obviously, my sympathy goes out to those hurt in vehicle accidents and their families. But I trust our tort system will do a fair job of compensating any victims and punishing any wrongdoers. For purposes of assessing fault, these hearings seemed premature.
Instead, the most fascinating thing for me is the chance to see inside Toyota as an organization. If Toyota failed to get things right — and the executives seem to have admitted as much — we have the opportunity to learn why — really why, and not just hear spin from various factions or carefully crafted press releases.
Just given the incredibly public nature of this inquiry, we are likely to learn a lot. But more importantly, unlike many organizations, Toyota has clearly articulated standards, making deviations from the standard more apparent. With a solid basis for comparison — a theoretical ideal serving as a control — we stand to gain real insight.
D. Mark Jackson
My longtime friend and colleague John Cavanaugh, who is truly one of the sharpest business guys I know, has launched a new blog. It’s called The Tap Tap Tap! (great name, and a great explanation of where it comes from at the site), and the latest post provides some solid insight into what Toyota is up against (from a guy who grew up around the car business).
I’ve added him to the blogroll, and encourage the rest of you to add him to your reading lists.
Good CSR insight – and life-saving tips! – on how to mitigate a Toyota-style disaster by my esteemed associate, Tom Peyton, Managing Director of CSR specialist firm, Enact Consulting.
We seem actively to promote fear in today’s society; everybody is at it and there are few sources of advice or reassurance as to what to do when that emergency strikes. I remember being told by a US Ambassador, in one of those places where bombs used to go off occasionally, not to wash the car because it was then obvious if someone had tampered with it. It was a simple assurance that some of the risks were actually within my control. You may well ask what all this has to do with Toyota, but bear with me…..
I was, until last month, the very contented owner of Toyota Avensis. Fortunately, it’s too old to be suspected of having an accelerator fault but, nevertheless, it makes you think! Toyota has built a fantastic reputation for reliability over the years and it is well deserved. But now it’s in tatters; was there anything they might have been done to prevent this, once the fault had become apparent? If we consider this from a Corporate Responsibility angle, what is the most important thing to do?
Respond appropriately and reassure your customers. The recall is appropriate, but the reassurance is missing. The recall is expensive, while the reassurance is actually the cheap and easy piece. Did Toyota owners need to flood garages with enquiries, lawyers commence class actions and the press go stratospheric? Or are we just being scared irrationally once more? No, they did not and yes, we are – because the actions are quite simple.
With all the recalls, you won’t get your car fixed for a while. So: do you stop driving? It might help climate change, but it won’t solve your transport problem. Would you like some advice, just in case that unlikely occurrence happened to you? I think you might, because it gives you some measure of control over the situation. Clearly you will still need to get the car checked, but life doesn’t have to come to a grinding halt in the meantime.
Having read more of the press coverage than is good for me, I have yet to find any advice as to what to do in an emergency. Neither the press, our over-indulgent nanny state nor our esteemed motoring organisations have announced any guidelines on what to do if it happens to you. Why not? Are they scared to advise in case they get it wrong and then find themselves to blame? Is this being responsible?
Actually, after some searching, I found that Toyota provide the answer as FAQ19 on their website. Perhaps a little more prominence might help. Like headline stuff! It would have saved them money, (not the key consideration, I agree), and helped defuse what became a crisis. Most importantly, it would have immediately addressed their customers concerns; your concerns. This is the CR aspect and it’s really very simple. It’s also just plain good business.
Because it really is very simple:
It worked for me 25 years ago when my accelerator cable jammed on the M6. It was a Chrysler!
“Toyota officials claimed they saved the company $100 million by successfully negotiating with the government on a limited recall of floor mats in some Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to new documents shared with congressional investigators.” …
“The savings are listed under the title, “Wins for Toyota — Safety Group.” The document cites millions of dollars in other savings by delaying safety regulations, avoiding defect investigations and slowing down other industry requirements.”
-AP as reported by MSNBC
The successive bad-news stories at the start of 2010 for Toyota illustrate the effect of cultural factors on leadership and organizational behaviours. An understanding of dynastic history will help assess future prospects for the company
In considering the prospects for Toyota, I found myself reflecting on the nature of dynastic rule. Japan itself is still an example of a dynasty-based culture. The Japanese Dynasty is believed to be the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world, with a bloodline stretching back nearly three millennia (660 BC – present day). The Emperor (天皇) symbolises a unity of the state with the Japanese people, and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family, and also the highest authority of its Shinto religion.
It has more recently become accepted to use the term dynasty to refer to family-owned businesses, where we also find transmission of authority and control handed down from generation to generation. Metaphors can be useful for imaginative purposes, but can also be misleading. Nevertheless, it is perhaps worth reflecting on dynastic leadership, and its implications for Toyota.
The Dynastic Principle
Western thought about dynastic power has been greatly influenced by the German social theorist Max Weber. One of his many significant contributions was his work on the nature of ancient and modern social structures. He proposed that traditional societies maintained stability by the society’s acceptance of the legitimacy of their ruler, and the power this permitted in the interests of the State.
Weber went on to suggest that overthrow of a society’s structure and traditions came about through charismatic opposition to them. For Weber, newer religious forms (aligned to state power) often were accompanied by charismatic leaders. He further argued that new form of control suited to modern industrial societies functioned through the power backed up by the legal authority expressed through rules and regulations. His terminology of bureaucratic control is still in common use. That’s how business students used to be taught about Weber’s theories.
Dynasties ancient and modern
The connections between the foundation of sociological thought, and today’s structuring of global organizations, are also being studied by researchers into institutional forms. A promising new area of work is into varieties of capitalism (VoC). The potential significance of this research can hardly be over-emphasized. It offers insights regarding the competitiveness of industrial firms globally, as much as insights into the diverse attempts to ‘civilize capitalism’ (as one researcher puts it).
Toyota, Ford, and other modern dynasties
Toyota may be seen as a modern institutional form, retaining dynastic power internally. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father’s company Toyota Industries, and today’s President is Akio Toyoda.
It would be a great over-simplification to assume that such a family-based structure inhibits change and adjustment. Nevertheless, its response to its recent manufacturing and strategy problems appears consistent with a tendency to avoid radical actions which appear as threats to core cultural values.
Generalisations can be dangerous. In America, the history of the mighty Ford motor empire also shows the dynastic principle at work. From the days of Henry Ford until recently, power resided with the founding family, with current Executive chairman William C Ford the fifth generation (by my counting) of the family on board. Interestingly, Ford also came near to ruin with a safety crisis associated with the Ford Pinto in the 1970s. Ford survived that crisis, but has arguably been relatively slow to deal with competitive pressures. In the UK, its acquisition of the much-loved (but eventually cash-strapped) Jaguar mark was reversed by its sale to Tata, another globalising dynasty.
Born or Made Leaders?
Associated with dynastic structure of institutions or cultures, is the question raised of the fitness to lead. Are descendents of a founding entrepreneur especially equipped to lead into the future ? The evidence is less than clear-cut. At very least, the all-powerful leader acting ‘to the manner born’ is vulnerable to events that threaten the continuity of any organisation. Hereditary rulers of States and leaders of organizations exercise power mediated through advisors. At times the advisors contribute to forces which bring about the demise of the figurehead, in the wider interests of the Institution.
Toyota into the future
Jim Taggart, who writes on leadership issues, points to the manufacturing issues facing Toyota. He also cites a press story criticising Toyota’s risk-management approach . To understand Toyota’s present crisis, wider factors also need to be taken into account. Toyota-bashing in the US, as pointed out, is taking place with regard for socio-economic and political vested interests. Students of leadership will find much to consider in this, and in the ‘born or made’ dilemma of leadership.
I am still debating on whether to weigh in on the Toyota debacle, but I do want to stress to drivers to be safe. As much as I love cars I often forget that for all their beauty, if not built or handled properly, they can be dangerous. That said, new reports have surfaced of drivers having issues with a model of Toyotas (2005 Camry) that is not on the recall list. Today I read stories that ended in the deaths of two passengers as the cars accelerated beyond the driver’s control or would not decelerate no matter what the driver did. (Those were not the only stories about 2005 Camry models having this issue, but the only ones that mentioned the death of people in the vehicles.)
So enjoy your cars, but if your vehicle is on the Toyota recall list please get the necessary repairs made, and if your car is not on the list, be careful driving.
I happened to witness a really bad car accident today, so whatever you drive be safe, watch your speed, and keep your car in good running condition. While I am a blogger and car enthusiast, the mom in me wants us all to get where we’re going safely too.
Safe driving-qova
Tim Rutten writes a nice analysis of the brand challenges faced by Toyota and Tiger Woods in today’s Los Angeles Times. While I am not a brand expert, I have quite a bit of experience in a variety of communications. Both Toyota and Tiger Woods have mishandled almost every step in their public relations efforts. Tiger Woods’s press conference yesterday showed, yet again, that he has retained poor advisors. Jason Sobel of ESPN has a good review of his remarks.
Impressive collection of photography now on at the National Portrait Gallery – www.npg.org.uk – courtesy of an exhibition of Jane Bown and the finals of the annual Taylor Wessing photographic award. The gallery, in St Martin’s Place, London, is free and currently houses a set of images that range from the bizarre to the beautiful. Captioning is also remarkably up-to-date with the portrait of Rio Ferdinand containing reference to his appointment as England captain (this month) following the John Terry debacle.
Elsewhere, a week of classic topical PR case studies – crisis PR through the Toyota car recall and the snow-less winter Olympics, and guerilla PR with the phantom baker of Fowey – see the Western Morning News or as the BBC puts it, someone operating on a knead-to-know basis.
THIS FUCKING IDIOT, TOYODA, THE CEO OF TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS CALLED INTO SESSION REGARDING TOYOTA’S DEATH MACHINES!!!! NO SURPRISE THAT THE CEO DOESN’T WANT TO BE QUESTIONED AS THIS ASSHOLE THINK HE’S ABOVE THE LAW. INSTEAD, HE WILL LET THE TOYOTA U.S EXECUTIVES SPEAK TO THE CONGRESS. TOYODA IS STICKING HIS TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEGS AND RUNNING THE OTHER WAY. A REAL FUCKING LIVE ASSHOLE!!!
I GOT AN IDEA FOR THIS PUSSY TOYODA……………WHY DON’T YOU STAY IN JAPAN AND MAKE SUSHI, AND GET OUT OF THE AUTOMOBILE BUSINESS!!!!!
Following multiple recalls, Toyota must now prepare itself for the onslaught of litigation. Attorneys across the nation have already begun filing lawsuits against Toyota on behalf of clients injured by the accelerator issues. Though a recall has already been undertaken by the auto giant, House investigators worry that the current recall will not solve all of the issues.
As the class action lawsuit grows in numbers (estimated 44 have been filed), those affected by their vehicle are urged to consult with an attorney to protect their rights.
Toyota Tundra is inspected during the final stages of assembly
Toyota said Tuesday it plans to idle production temporarily at assembly plants in Texas and Kentucky while it grapples with massive recalls in the United States.
Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said a plant in San Antonio, Texas, has scheduled production breaks for the weeks of March 15 and April 12. A plant in Georgetown, Ky., has scheduled a non-production day on Feb. 26 and may not produce vehicles on three more days in March and April, Goss said.
Toyota Motor Corp. has recalled 8.5 million vehicles globally during the past four months because of problems with gas pedals, floor mats and brakes, threatening to undermine the safety and quality reputation of the world’s No. 1 automaker.
Goss confirmed the decision was connected to the recalls. He said workers at the plants will be retained and paid during the production suspensions and will receive additional training.
The Kentucky plant builds the Camry, Avalon and Venza for Toyota. The Texas plant manufactures the Tundra pickup truck.
Toyota temporarily suspended sales of vehicles like Camry and Corolla in late January after it issued a recall of millions of vehicles over problems with potentially sticky gas pedals. The stop sale was meant to give the automaker time to come up with a fix.
Dealers began selling affected vehicles again after about five days when Toyota announced a repair that it said would solve the problem. But the lost sales days meant many were left with higher numbers of unsold cars.
Goss said the automaker wants to ensure dealers don’t build up excessive inventories as they try to clear to through the cars still on their lots.
Jakarta, 16 Februari 2010 - Nasib baik memang tidak kemana. Lantaran ikut dalam survey kepuasan pelanggan yang digelar PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM), Rudi Yanto dari Depok berhasil mendapat hadiah satu unit Toyota Avanza tipe G manual. Penghargaan diserahkan langsung secara simbolis oleh Customer Relation Manager Lina Agustina di dealer Toyota Setiajaya Mobilindo Depok akhir pekan kemarin.
Survey kepuasan pelanggan yang dilakukan periode November 2008 – Oktober 2009 lalu bertujuan untuk meningkatan kualitas pelayanan di Dealer/Bengkel resmi Toyota berdasarkan masukan dan saran yang diberikan pelanggan Toyota. Tercatat kurang lebih 45.000 pelanggan yang secara acak yang dikutkan dalam survey ini.
Pada penarikan undian, Rudi Yanto, pelanggan Setiajaya Mobilindo Depok meraih hadiah utama berupa Toyota Avanza tipe G manual. Sebanyak 25 pemenang lain mendapatkan hadiah berupa koin emas 15 gram serta 300 peserta menerima voucher sebesar Rp 250.000.
“Kami ucapkan banyak terima kasih kepada para pelanggan yang dengan sangat baik dan setia membantu kami dalam survey ini, diharapkan hasil dari survey ini dapat kami gunakan sebagai bahan untuk dapat terus meningkatkan pelayan kami pada pelanggan baik dari segi penjualan maupun perawatan kendaraan,” ujar Lina Agustina.
2010 Chicago Auto Show
What a better way to celebrate Presidents’ Day than going to the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. I still can’t get used to the new McCormick Place, but it sure is nice and big. My sons loved looking at all the sports cars and so did I, but I no longer fantasized about owning one. When I was a teenager, I couldn’t decide which expensive sports car to drive. Now, I’m happy with my 2005 Pontiac Vibe, but I am concerned that GM decided to close the Pontiac division. I know that other GM dealer will service my car and that parts will be available through them, but what about showing a little loyalty to the customers who were loyal to Pontiac? I’ve driven Pontiacs most of my driving career. Oh, well. I should have seen that one coming since my Pontiac Vibe is, in reality, a Toyota Matrix anyway.
Anyway, my sons enjoyed the bright colors and bright lights of all the displays. They also enjoyed the Chicago Blackhawks shoot-out. And they got plenty of Blackhawks posters. They also got an autographed picture of Ben Eager. There cutout figures of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane that look lifelike when you take their picture. In the picture, it’s very difficult to tell that they’re made of cardboard. Now that I look at the pictures again, my sons look like they’re made of cardboard and Kane and Toews look more lifelike than my sons!
In a Feb. 4 post on Nanotech: the circuits blog Brooke Crothers explored some of the history behind Toyota’s recall and brought up some very interesting points.
The recall woes Toyota has been experiencing have been portrayed as mechanical in nature. But, there are underlying software issues that may prove to be a lurking danger. In 2002 Toyota and Lexus began equipping its vehicles with electronic throttle control, which replaced mechanical components like throttle cables and linkages with computers and servomotors. This drive-by-wire system was intended to provide drivers with smoother acceleration, better gas mileage and a safer all around driving experience.
The old mechanical technology was not perfect by any means. Engineer and electrical engineering consultant, Antony Anderson explains that mechanical throttles could jam, but “An uncommanded wide open throttle was almost an impossibility.” Increasingly, technology has been replacing the traditional mechanical components found in cars. The result is a modern vehicle that has nearly every aspect of its operation controlled by computers and other electronic systems. “What happens today is that the driver is made the fail safe for the electronics,” says Anderson.
The recent spate of recalls and accidents are not the first time that accelerator issues have surfaced with Toyotas. In 2005 a man was backing out of his driveway in a 2002 Toyota Camry when it suddenly accelerated into a utility box; he maintains he never touched the accelerator. In fact, the large-scale implementation of drive-by-wire coincided with a jump in reports of cars accelerating on their own. Toyota has publicly said that its investigation has found no evidence of an electronic cause for the acceleration, but will continue to look for any glitches.
The rub lies in how computer-controlled cars deal with these glitches, faults and other problems. What happens if your computer has an electric brain fart; starts to think that it’s Michael Shumaker; and tells the engine that it would be a good idea to go to wide open throttle? You’d think that some part the system would detect the problem and fix it or at least make a note of it, but you’d be wrong. As soon as a vehicle is turned off, or disabled in a crash the record of that error is erased from the computers memory; if it was recorded in the first place.
Many of these incidents can also be explained by inexperienced drivers dealing with throttle hesitation. If the drive-by-wire throttle hesitates, i.e. you press the pedal and nothing happens, some drivers may depress the pedal further. Eventually, when the computer catches up to all this the vehicle could experience a burst of acceleration because you’ve stepped on the gas. Cars have become much more than just a collection of cogs, gears and wheels. The sophistication of the modern car has distanced the driver from the machine. Many people do not understand how their cars work, or only understand parts of its operation. It’s vitally important that people understand that the feeling of control they have behind the wheel is an illusion. Power steering, anti-lock brakes and drive by wire throttle all replace simple mechanical systems with more complex and expensive alternatives; alternatives that are not infallible.
Today’s driver is reduced to little more than a button-pushing monkey, the car and its computer brain dispensing treats when the right button is pushed. This ads further distance between car and driver by giving the computer final say on the majority of the decisions. It’s entirely plausible that self-driving cars could be on the road within our lifetime; advanced radar cruise control; cars that park themselves; and other innovations may make the driver an endangered species. This also means the days of the backyard mechanic are numbered.
Modern cars require specialized tools and computers for maintenance, so you won’t get far with a floor jack and a torque wrench. This is the high price we pay for the modern conveniences crammed under our hoods. Simple vehicle maintenance that could be done in an afternoon has become rocket science. Case in point, someone could change the spark plugs in a 1986 Oldsmobile with minimal experience and limited tools, but performing the same task on a 1996 Oldsmobile would require a vehicle hoist and a trained technician.
All of this new technology and not just the bits intended to make driving safer need to be more closely scrutinized and regulated. There has to be a concerted effort to prevent incidents like the recent problems at Toyota. Unfortunately, no system is infallible. Accidents happen; that’s why they’re called accidents. But, consumers need to demand more accountability from manufactures, especially when products are causing injury and death. Having the president of the company say that he’s sorry just doesn’t cut it.
The biggest question in this whole mess is why there has not been more recalls from other manufactures that supposedly use the same faulty accelerator components. Have people forgotten that this accelerator problem was originally blamed on a floor mat? The chance that a brand wide problem can have two causes could be plausible, but it becomes increasingly improbable when new causes begin to crop up for the same problem.
Other car manufactures and the media are getting far too caught up in Toyota-bashing or Japan-bashing when we need to concentrate on industry wide manufacturing standards and corporate accountability. Consumers deserve to be able to buy products without fear of catastrophic failure plain and simple, why is that so hard for manufacturers and corporations to comprehend?
Scosche Industries, a leader of aftermarket accessories, offers an instructional users guide for its AXIPTA radio replacement interface in a 2007 Toyota Tundra. The AXIPTA will work with all 2005-up Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. Offering an auxiliary interface, the unit creates an auxiliary input on a factory stereo for an ipod player and integrates full ipod controls at the factory radio. These step-by-step instructions demonstrate functionality and product use. Visit www.scosche.com for more information on Scosche and its innovative products.
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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! If there is such proof of divine intervention–this is it. It is as if God himself has reached his cheeks down from heaven, parted them, and blown a smelly dollup of retribution into the smug faces of Prius drivers everywhere. Waft! Right there! Catching them mid-boast. A mixing of hot air amongst the parted lips of a once unbearable group of people.
Thank you Toyota. Thank you, thank you for working against decades of standing belief in the supreme capability of Japanese car firms. I know it’s hurt you. I know the pride is stinging and the fiscal impact will be great, but in your recall of your flagship hybrid, 99% of the world’s population have overnight been unburdened from encountering those conceited few who mutter those heinous words.
“I drive a Prius.”
Prius owners, the Piers Morgans’s of the automobile world. Horrible, horrible, pasty people.
You see, my hatred for them goes far deeper than for the standard reasoning of smugness alone. The hypocrisy even of Hollywood stars parking one on the drive purely so they can scream green issue credentials on the east coast talkshows–no doubt chartering a private jet to get there. I can even stomach the guilt Prius drivers are forever lumping on to us serfs, for our irresponsible pursuit of mobility in battered second-hander rather than the celestial qualities “Sure it starts at 20k, but you can’t put a price on the world! Are you selfish enough to deny that for your children?” I can, save for the same point forever popping into my head–
It’s a redundant piece of technology.
Don’t get me wrong, fuel economy in my mind has long been overlooked for the much more sexier attributes of say accelleration…or horse power. Yeah! Show me your horses! What’s that? Your Fiat 500 does fifty to the gallon? Why you nerdy, nerdy poof. And you’re a cheap-skate. Come look at my thump-a-watt stereo system. Feel my cock throb.
The long and short of it is that fossil fuels are an illogical source of velocity. Not only are our resources of them finite, but they expel a waste harmful to our planet’s natural balance. One may attack the Prius, and other such hybrids for trivialising the mileage one may get (sometimes as good as, or indeed less than a straight petrol or diesel), or the fact that illustrate the pointlessness for the switch once it’s production’s carbon imprint is taken into account, in my mind all this serves to distract from the issue that it is still a redundant piece of technology.
Consider this point. Everyone in the world overnight switches Hybrid. Overnight the world’s stockpile of fossil fuels has extended, the pressing need for research into new fuel systems is decreased. In effect, each Prius driver is serving only to keep dependence longer.
So where am I? Biofuels? Never…Bought a loaf of bread recently? Kingsmill White has doubled in price in 5 years thanks to wheat shortages. Farmers once greatly being subsidised by the EU to grow biofuels are now being subsidised for the reverse. Electric? Hydrogen? Ha–fusion?!
The long and short is I don’t care, but it is needed, and one day, it will come. Too many financial awards awaits those who find it for it not to. All I feel we can do in the meantime is short-term incentives. Increasing competition on the rails by abolishing the ridiculous franchise system. Heavy investment of renewable energy sources funded by continuation of tax increases for fuel year-on year. And for fear of fuel protests like in 2002, and with gas-guzzling vehicles naturally paying more to the coffers anyway, why do we even still have a car tax? It seems a pointless excess.
Whatever happens–and in my short experience it tends to be not a lot, bar heated words upon sectarian tribalism, the one thing I will take into the future will be next time I meet Prius driver, I get to be the smug one.
