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Automotive News & Views Toyota in decline in 2009?
3539 messages, Last post on Nov 25, 2009 at 1:45 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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all those who were concerned about Toyota's supposed huge excess inventories coming into 2009 need no longer worry: Toyota on track for U.S. output boost July 2, 2009 - 12:01 am ET DETROIT (Reuters) -- Toyota Motor Corp. is on track to increase production for the U.S. market by about 65,000 vehicles after truck inventories dipped too low and demand showed signs of stabilizing, executives said on Wednesday .....In response to the expectation of steadier demand, Toyota has increased planned production of light trucks such as the Sienna minivan, RAV4 SUV, Tacoma small pickup and Tundra full-size pickup as well as the Camry and Corolla passenger cars, Carter said. Efforts by Toyota to bring down U.S. dealer inventories succeeded in reducing stock to a 40-day supply overall, Carter said. "That's our target," he said. "But we're a little lighter on the light truck side than we'd like to be." As an example of that shortfall, Carter said Toyota had just a 20-day supply of RAV4 SUVs at the end of June. http://www.autonews.com/article/20090702/ANA05/307029950/1078/ANA08 (registration link) Weren't there some saying Toyota would be forced to hold fire sales all through the year, and would still be left with unsold 2008s at year's end?! Not so, it would seem. The 2010s are rolling out as scheduled, and Toyota is adjusting production UP to meet its new estimate of 10 million annual sales for the U.S. market. OTOH, as an example of just one reason why I will never pay for HIDs: Prius headlamp troubles could dim Toyota brand's reputation June 30, 2009 - 1:57 pm ET DETROIT -- Amid the launch of the third-generation Prius hybrid, Toyota Motor Corp. is taking a beating online and in court by owners who charge that some older models of the popular car have faulty headlights that can cost more than $1,000 to replace .......Owners are upset that their warranties don't cover the HID bulbs, which can cost between $300 and $1,800 -- with labor -- to replace all or part of the light system http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090630/ANA08/906309987/1186- &AssignSessionID=273352870341713 YIKES, that's a lot of money! It's unclear from the article whether owners are grousing because their HIDs fail soon after the warranty ha expired, or whether Toyota is refusing to replace them while still under warranty. On the one hand, it is a lightbulb, not usually covered under warranty, while on the other hand it is a heck of a lot of money and a vital component of the car which impacts safety when it burns out. The NHTSA is looking into it. |
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for all the folks who debate whether a Japanese car built here is "American" or not: Toyota's Camry ranks as most ‘American' car July 6, 2009 - 12:01 am ET The most “American'' car is the Toyota Camry, according to a study by Cars.com. The Camry topped the Ford F-150 pickup to place first in the auto information site's annual American-Made Index. The index, in its fourth year, ranks U.S.-assembled vehicles using a formula that includes the percentage, by cost, of their parts made in the United States and Canada as well as their U.S. sales volume. ......Four other vehicles of Japanese origin -- the Honda Odyssey (4th), Toyota Sienna (6th), Toyota Tundra (7th) and Toyota Venza (10th) -- completed the list. The Sienna's 85 percent of parts made in the United States or Canada is the highest of any foreign-brand vehicle. And in case anyone really thought this was an important debate for the majority of consumers: But how much do consumers care about a car's origin? In a recent Cars.com survey, 23 percent of respondents said they wanted to buy only American-made cars, Olsen said, while about 10 percent wanted to buy only foreign-made vehicles. “That means basically two-thirds of the people are saying, ‘I'll buy whatever car is best and most reliable,' ” he said. “It's a big open pool of potential customers.” http://www.autonews.com/article/20090706/ANA05/907049994/1078 (registration link) 
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Replying to: nippononly (Jul 06, 2009 12:08 pm) Good Lord that's a lot of money for a light bulb! Kinda brings me back down to earth though, to where I feel kinda bad paying $14.99 for a low-beam bulb for the Intrepid when the same thing for a 1979 New Yorker is about $6.99!
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jul 06, 2009 12:18 pm) I guess these HIDs are run by computer and sometimes the computer burns out along with the bulb. Ridiculous. There was a time when it was only my respect for the property of others that kept me from just bringing a crowbar along wherever I went and knocking these suckers out. HIDs are a menace, and an extremely expensive one it would seem. Apparently Toyota has agreed in at least one case to pay for the parts ($1350)but not the labor ($450). If that's the case and the car in question was still under warranty, I would be VERY interested to know the rationale for refusing to pay for the labor. |
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Replying to: nippononly (Jul 06, 2009 12:08 pm)
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Replying to: nippononly (Jul 06, 2009 12:13 pm)
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Replying to: nwng (Jul 06, 2009 12:52 pm) I've never experienced the hate caused by HIDs, myself.
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Replying to: fintail (Jul 06, 2009 1:29 pm) They are a menace to oncoming drivers. Some are worse than others. I sometimes wish I had a couple million candlepower spot lights mounted on my car to give those blue lighted devils a taste of their own medicine. When they first came out there were cases of them being stolen out of Lexus and the insurance refusing to cover the cost. I guess it was a simple chore to get them out. |
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Replying to: nippononly (Jul 06, 2009 12:08 pm) It's certainly an issue but I don't think it's very common if one goes by the level of complaints on PC for example. I'd be pizzed though at a $1500 bill for new lights. It would make me look at the body shop for totalled vehicles with the lights still intact. I'd make an offer to the insurance company if I could. |
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Replying to: steve_ (Jul 06, 2009 1:18 pm)
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