The chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. said he feared the possibility that U.S. policy could turn against Japanese automakers if American icons such as GM and Ford were to collapse, Reuters reported.
"Many people say the car industry wouldn't revisit the kind of trade friction we saw in the past because Japanese automakers are increasing local production in the United States, but I don't think it's that simple," Hiroshi Okuda told a news conference.
"General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are symbols of U.S. industry, and if they were to crumble it could fan nationalistic sentiment. I always have a fear that, in turn, could manifest itself in policy decisions," he said, speaking as the head of the nation's biggest business lobby, the Japan Business Federation, Reuters noted.
Both GM and Ford have lost sales to Asian brands led by Toyota, which now controls 13.4 percent of the U.S. car market, the world's biggest, the story said.
In related news, the Dow Jones/AP newswire reported that Toyota may boost its vehicle prices to make it easier for the American automakers to compete.
Reuters report
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
Quote:
In related news, the Dow Jones/AP newswire reported that Toyota may boost its vehicle prices to make it easier for the American automakers to compete.
Well isn't that nice of them...
..
Rob
Sold 2/2/05
Mr.Goodwrench-G.T. wrote:In related news, the Dow Jones/AP newswire reported that Toyota may boost its vehicle prices to make it easier for the American automakers to compete.
Great.
Either way, they win.
If the situation continues the way they are, they rack up record sales and profits.
If they decide to raise prices, they
still rack up record sales and profits.
Marvelous.
George (geozinger)
'95 Sunfire GT-my second Pontiac from Hell!
'97 Cavy Beater-still running like a champ!
'04 Sunfire - my kid's car, but I get the bills...
'09 Pontiac G6 - Sport Package 1
The only solution is to not buy foreigner cars and only buy GM.... do you think thats going to happen....
(uh sig?)
Emor8t wrote:The only solution is to not buy foreigner cars and only buy GM.... do you think thats going to happen....
take a deep breath and read.
the only solution is for GM to make cars we want, NOT
cars they think we want... than realize they made a fleet
of cars nobody with half a brain wanted in the first place,
cry foul against the foreign competition, lay-off a pile of
hard-working saps, unleash their brigade of business
administrators (who certainly out-number the amount of
engineers GM employees), and clear their useless stock
via heavy, and/ or deceptive discounts.
Let's face it. GM is an old, bitter dog that bites first and
asks questions second...
<A HREF="http://www.j-body.org/members/urbanyan/"><IMG SRC="http://www.j-body.org/registry/urbanyan/thumbnail_personal_pic.jpg" BORDER=0></A>
geozinger wrote:Great.
Either way, they win.
If the situation continues the way they are, they rack up record sales and profits.
If they decide to raise prices, they still rack up record sales and profits.
Marvelous.
well, people buy Toyota for a reason - reliability. GM is still working on that for their vehicles. compound that with "domestics" notoriously having horrid repair records, and sure, people are going to want to buy Toyota. folks like my parents swear by the brand - they'll get toyota no matter the cost.
i just wish Toyota's designers weren't almost as cracked out as GM's...
pirates kick ninja asses, f00
Old school days, yes toyota was more reliable. Fact of the matter is these days when it comes to building a reliable car, GM is right there with the best of them. They DID just get an award for best automatic trans provider or somethin like that. Must be doin somethin right. GM has a LOT of new platforms, so its hard to tell how the reliability really is. I don't see too many people here on jbo with reliability issues on ANYTHING 2k or newer. We're better, but GM lost the trust of the people....combine that with only decent automobiles....makes for slow sales because many americans have wandered to other car companies. And if I remember right there was another testing, where GM beat toyota in quality
We're not out of the woods...we just have a LOT of catch up to do, starting in the sales department. If GM can figure out how to sell a car without dropping 4k off the price, none of this would even be discussed. But I'm not some important exec, so I don't know what to tell them to do.
^^ DTP for CEO!
In my opinion, they just dont have anything im interested in at GM
My 1995 Geo Prism runs a lot better than my 99 Z does. And i beat the living hell out of it, and it smiles back and keeps going just fine. I want to get a new Colorado, but a new Tc or Tacoma is looking very nice.
GM needs to build more buyer oriented vehicles, than making 50 million SUV's that make a big profit. I do like the cobalt SS, but the most of the vehicles in gms line up, I am just not to sure if I would ever buy one.
I hope Toyota does raise its price, it will help everyone.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
-MD- Z24 wrote:
GM needs to build more buyer oriented vehicles, than making 50 million SUV's that make a big profit. I do like the cobalt SS, but the most of the vehicles in gms line up, I am just not to sure if I would ever buy one.
.
Agreed!! I think the cobalt is a cool car, especially the SS, and i respect the power it makes, but i dont like it enough to buy one. If the SS was 18, i would have got it, not for 22 or whatever it is
-MD- Z24 wrote:My 1995 Geo Prism runs a lot better than my 99 Z does. And i beat the living hell out of it, and it smiles back and keeps going just fine. I want to get a new Colorado, but a new Tc or Tacoma is looking very nice.
GM needs to build more buyer oriented vehicles, than making 50 million SUV's that make a big profit. I do like the cobalt SS, but the most of the vehicles in gms line up, I am just not to sure if I would ever buy one.
I hope Toyota does raise its price, it will help everyone.
MD, how is a price increase in Toyotas going to help everyone, except the Toyota dealers? I bet they're just rubbing their little hands together in anticipation of a price hike. They may not get as many sales, but the suckers that come in, are gonna get it! (Ask me how I know...) I think the Toyota price hike is a bad idea, all of the way around. The same car, more money? Some people will do it no matter what. Toyota has that 'reputation' for quality, I agree. (Check the Consumer's Reports magazines and other sources, tho. Hyundai is going to eat their lunch soon.) Besides, the only way that would work if ALL of the other producers raised their prices. You don't hear Honda or Hyundai or Ford joining in this silliness. I bet they can't wait for Toyota to raise prices, either.
Nautica said it best, if the Cobalt SS were 18K instead of 22K it would be a winner. Actually, I cannot argue against that. I would be over at Berger Chevy right now putting money down on a SS. But, I won't because I don't see the value proposition right now. Part of the reason why the SS is so much $$'s is the level of equipment in the car. Maybe back off the power windows and door locks (but include the LSD) and reasonable pricing, maybe the little guys will fly off the lots. With the employer discount, it might be possible to get the price on an SS way down. Maybe someone can tell us if it's true?
George (geozinger)
'95 Sunfire GT-my second Pontiac from Hell!
'97 Cavy Beater-still running like a champ!
'04 Sunfire - my kid's car, but I get the bills...
'09 Pontiac G6 - Sport Package 1
GM is coming up a in reliability, but like said above the products are not what people want. RWD cars for the masses are not there, engines that are low on power rating compared to competition, then owner have worry about car depreciation. Sure you may buy a car at lower then MSRP, but drive out the lot and you have lost $2-4K instantly.
GM has relibility ball going now if GM were to offer cars that people wanted, there would be no need for deep rebates and GM would then sell on merit not on discounts. Remember GM will have to work extra hard to wash away the minds of consumers about old GM. But you have Cobalt an updated Cavalier, G6 that is underpowered, Impala still pull from the front wheels, Colorado out classed by small-mid size trucks then it hard to lure customers and then GM wonders why they are in bad shape and can't make profit?
Like in a anonymous group,
step 1: Is admitting the problem.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
urban wrote:Jon Stewart said it best when he said while Japanese
manufacturers spent the 90's developing automotive
innovations, the Americans spent the 90's figuring out
how to shove a TV screen into a car's headrest.
....that's just how we roll
jon stewart is the best
falnfenix wrote:-MD- Z24 wrote:My 1995 Geo Prism runs a lot better than my 99 Z does. And i beat the living hell out of it, and it smiles back and keeps going just fine. I want to get a new Colorado, but a new Tc or Tacoma is looking very nice.
YAY FOR COROLLAS!!! 
Its only a corolla motor, brakes, transmission, and every-other mechanical part. It is still a gm body, and gm interior. I don't know if that is good or bad. What i do know is i buy replacement parts from gm because they are cheaper. My alternator was 260$
from Toyota, and 150$ from GM
.
geozinger wrote:MD, how is a price increase in Toyotas going to help everyone, except the Toyota dealers? I bet they're just rubbing their little hands together in anticipation of a price hike. They may not get as many sales, but the suckers that come in, are gonna get it! (Ask me how I know...) I think the Toyota price hike is a bad idea, all of the way around. The same car, more money? Some people will do it no matter what. Toyota has that 'reputation' for quality, I agree. (Check the Consumer's Reports magazines and other sources, tho. Hyundai is going to eat their lunch soon.) Besides, the only way that would work if ALL of the other producers raised their prices. You don't hear Honda or Hyundai or Ford joining in this silliness. I bet they can't wait for Toyota to raise prices, either.
I was just say it would bring more completeness to the market place for the other brands. I may be wrong, I am still not sure.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
all GM would have to do is make cars people want. plain and simple. reliability is hikign up so only thing left is the APPEAL of the cars visually and power wise.
they should have taken note a LONG time ago abotu liftbacks. i have been sayign this for a logn tiem but if GM made a lift back coupe it wouldnt be able to stay on the lot. notice all the other popular cars
eclipse
celica
tC
integra
rsx
all liftbacks.
then they need a actuall ARTISTIC design team to make something that isnt so bland which is all i see from GM.
then they need to stop making new SUV's. they need to get a clue on where these other brands are getting their sales. toyota is most definitely NOT getting their sales from SUV's
they need stylish coupe liftback, stylish sedan (g6 fits that bill but needs more power) and a stylish powerfull good priced RWD power car. (gto was a horribel mistake. i have NO idea who the design team was on that but they should be fired. hwo can they go from the looks of a trans am to a grandpa looking oversized grand am dull GTO??)
but ill state again they NEED a liftback. and frankly i think they cut their own throat on that one by makign the cobalt. the BEST move would ahve been to have the cobalt be a liftback to compete with the exact same market as rsx, eclipse, tC, celica etc...
:::
Creative Draft Image Manipulation Forum:::
^^ you are so right. The only other hatch i ever had was a honda crx, and i only had the for a brief time. Now that i have my tc, i realize what i was missing. For me, its way more convienent to have a hatch, and they look nicer too. Plus my back seats recline
i bet if GM opted to offer a sedan version of the GTO , they would set record sales , more so if they keep the 6spd option
plus the law enforcement would finially have a car they could rely on , that would be a improved version of the caprice
you the police love it when they can run over 145 mph in a caprice with 4 adults all weighing over 200 each , LOL
and give us the UTE version , and even the hill billy red-necks would be happy , LOL
id be all over the UTE version
[quote=97cavie24ls(JDM cav sedan™)]i bet if GM opted to offer a sedan version of the GTO , they would set record sales , more so if they keep the 6spd option
plus the law enforcement would finially have a car they could rely on , that would be a improved version of the caprice
you the police love it when they can run over 145 mph in a caprice with 4 adults all weighing over 200 each , LOL
and give us the UTE version , and even the hill billy red-necks would be happy , LOL
id be all over the UTE version
agree 100%
its simple bring the guys that run holden, opel and vauxhal over to america.. thats where all gms great cars are coming from..
.
member 1244or55
.
http://www22.ocn.ne.jp/~cavalier
as far as reliability is concerned, the auto market is at the point where everyone has to make a comparibly reliable vehicle, otherwise they wouldn't sell whatsoever....gm has been plagued with making bland cars for way too long..
