Toyota sales off more than GM or Ford

[Builder]

December '08 sales figures just released:

GM down 31%
Ford down 32%
Toyota down 37%

I thought Toyota was so superior to GM & Ford?

 

[Diamondpilot]

I saw this also on the evening news. Chrysler's sales were of 57%. They may not be around much longer if this keeps up.

I think you will see that Toyota's and all foreign manufactures sales will be down for a while. People feel like they need to help out and give the Big 3 another chance. There is a feeling like we are all in this together.

Chris

 

[Gator6x4]

December '08 sales figures just released:

GM down 31%
Ford down 32%
Toyota down 37%

I thought Toyota was so superior to GM & Ford?

In sales or quality?

 

[Builder]

In sales or quality?

My point is we're lead to believe that Toyota is not suffering lower sales in our daily, no hourly pounding from the press about how poor GM & Ford's sales are.

Rarely a mention of Toyota or Nissan.

Oh, BTW last I heard Nissan was down 42%.

 

[QRTRHRS]

A few automakers are doing somewhat better. Per an online article I was reading, Suburu was off 7.7% and VW 13.5%.

 

[Builder]

Toyota shuts down in Japan!

Finance - Toyota to suspend production for 11 days in Japan

 

[tlbuser]

no hourly pounding from the press about how poor GM & Ford's sales are.

IMO, it's just another lame attempt by the media to make something newsworthy. Just like when they interview celebs. for election opinions...or bring out some expert authority to tell us how wrong something is.......or how the gov't should pay for something else the taxpayers can't afford anymore!

Remember Chandra Levy? For weeks, that's all that was on the news, then poof it's gone.
The news doesn't even do a very good job reporting on the events of Iraq and Afghanistan anymore.

 

[Builder]

IMO, it's just another lame attempt by the media to make something newsworthy............The news doesn't even do a very good job reporting on the events of Iraq and Afghanistan anymore.

That's because so many less people are dying, less explosions, etc.

I really believe the news media has some kind of vested interest in making the Big 3 look as bad as they possibly can and making foreign auto makers look like flippin' geniuses.

I did not notice that the article about Toyota idling their factories ever made any kind of TV headline news. Yet when Detroit decided to idle factories before Christmas, it was all over the TV news.

 

[SnowRidge]

I did not notice that the article about Toyota idling their factories ever made any kind of TV headline news. Yet when Detroit decided to idle factories before Christmas, it was all over the TV news.

That's because there is still a mentality that the big three build American cars, while Toyota, et al, build foreign cars. In reality, they are all multi-nationals. We have three vehicles. One is a Japanese brand. One is domestic rebrand of a Japanese brand, and one is a straight American brand. Only the straight American brand was built outside the US. It was built in Mexico.

 

[Diamondpilot]

The Toyota Shut Down made the front page of our local paper today. I am sure that has to do with there being a large truck plant near by. You guys are right about the Big 3 and the media. The seem to go together like oil and water.

Chris

 

[SEMI-RETIRED]

The american people have been brainwashed for years regarding
the foreign makes being better, and back in the 60's and 70's this
was probably true, but today it is not..

The american makes are just as good or better in a lot of instances,
but it is hard to get people to change back when they have been
happy with the foreign brands, the domestic auto makers need to
do a better job of advertising their products, compare them to the
toyota, nissan, etc instead of ford against chev i/e..

Down here toyota shut their truck plant down and i don't ever
think it make the national news, but if it had been a gmc truck plant
it would have been splattered all over the front pages nationwide..

But the news media really doesn't report the news just their
opinions and bias'es....just MHO......

Bob..

 

[RonMar]

Or the opinions and biases of their owners...

 

[2manyrocks]

I suppose you could count the advertising dollars spent and that might affect their reporting of the news. Plus, they've probably got some mindsets about the big 3 that are different from how they view the foreign automakers.

I'm not so sure of their "news reporting." A TVA retaining pond filled with coal ash broke in East Tennessee and nothing much was reported for several days.

If the "surge" is working in Iraq, you can be sure they aren't going out on a limb to say so.

 

[Builder]

The common theme I see in almost all foreign car owners is that they got burned on a domestic car from the 70's or 80's and in some cases the 90's, and they go out of their way to make their stories heard and won't go back to an American car.

I've had bad American and foreign cars.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I think you are right Builder. I had a bad experience with two American Manufactures, GM and Chrysler, one GM in the 1990's and the other in the 2000's. The Chrysler was also in the 2000's. I gave GM a second try and they did step up to the plate and fix the problems on the second vehicle but I was truly disappointed in a $45,000 truck that was in the shop 1 month out of the 9 months I owned it. The first time around with GM it took 2 lawyers and 3 months to get it fixed with a great loss financially and time wise on my part. My experience with Chrysler was much more pleasant, they fixed the problems no questions asked, but I felt I should not have been there in the first place with a vehicle under 35,000 miles.

I am smart enough to know that you can have problems with any vehicle no matter if its from Ford, GM, Chrysler, Kia, BMW, Honda, ect. It all comes down to how the dealer and the corporation deal with the situation. I feel in the 80's through upto just a few years ago the Big 3 felt they were untouchable and did not give a shhitt. All the time the imports were watching this going on and making sure to make the customer happy at all cost. It was the best advertising they could do. They could not buy that type of word of mouth sales with 24 hour a day adds like the Big 3 ran. The imports were gaining ground and the Big 3 were loosing it and they are now asking us to help them out.

I have only owned 2 foreign vehicles, a Toyota and Honda. Both were great. Drove the Toyota for 160,000 miles with zero problems and the original clutch but it did rust. The Honda was keep for 80,000 miles with zero issues. I have also had many Fords that have given me zero issues along with my first Saturn. I have a Saturn now that is for the most part good but does nickel and dime me on little items like switches, window motors, ect.

Chris

 

[Builder]

I think you are right Builder. I had a bad experience with two American Manufactures, GM and Chrysler, one GM in the 1990's and the other in the 2000's. The Chrysler was also in the 2000's. I gave GM a second try and they did step up to the plate and fix the problems on the second vehicle but I was truly disappointed in a $45,000 truck that was in the shop 1 month out of the 9 months I owned it. The first time around with GM it took 2 lawyers and 3 months to get it fixed with a great loss financially and time wise on my part. My experience with Chrysler was much more pleasant, they fixed the problems no questions asked, but I felt I should not have been there in the first place with a vehicle under 35,000 miles.
Chris

My friend, that's not as much of a problem with the company that manufactured your vehicle, but a problem with your dealer.

A good dealer would have fixed your vehicle promptly, under warranty at no cost to you.

GM may have sold you a truck with issues, but any 1/2 decent dealer that sold you the vehicle would not have let this happen to a customer.

But that's another topic.

 

[Diamondpilot]

My friend, that's not as much of a problem with the company that manufactured your vehicle, but a problem with your dealer.

A good dealer would have fixed your vehicle promptly, under warranty at no cost to you.

GM may have sold you a truck with issues, but any 1/2 decent dealer that sold you the vehicle would not have let this happen to a customer.

But that's another topic.

That's exactly what I am trying to say. It was the attitude they took towards the customer that caused them to lose market share. All the while the imports were sitting back watching what not to do. They learned from our mistakes and look where we are now.

Chris

 

[Builder]

That's exactly what I am trying to say. It was the attitude they took towards the customer that caused them to lose market share. All the while the imports were sitting back watching what not to do. They learned from our mistakes and look where we are now.

Chris

Yeah, but I've had Big 3 brand dealers bend over backwards to help me with service & parts problems.....even after the warranty period expired.

In your case, it 's not really US auto manufacturing that's lacking, it's your particular dealer that's lacking and soured your image of all US auto manufacturing.

It would have been better if your truck never broke, of course, but if they do break, your dealer should make the experience relatively painless.

My 3500's getting ready to hit 30,000 miles and I haven't had an issue other than a steering shaft that was noisy. Dealer fixed it during a transmission oil change no charge.

Foreign car dealers can be pigs, too.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I admit that I still hold a grudge against Ford over an 83' T-bird that I bought new. The dealer was indeed at least as big of a slug as the car but other dealers would not work on the car either. It had ongoing electrical problems.

Eventually, I traded it in at a Ford dealer that also sold VW's on a VW. I did not buy another Ford product until 1996 when I picked up a 92' Ford van with about 45k on it. I ran it up over 100k then when the transmission started acting up, I traded it on my 97' Dodge Ram. Overall, the van was okay. I did pull hard with it.

Wanting a diesel, GM at the time was not in the picture. I still thought more of Ford trucks over Dodge but along with my distrust of Ford in general, I felt the Cummins a better engine.

I have had a few Toyota's: 77 pickup (rust bucket), 78 diesel pickup (transmission problems), 80 "3/4 ton" pickup, 88 4x4 pickup and a 92 Camry. Mostly, I just do not have the leg room that I need with them nor are the trucks heavy enough for my needs.

We picked up an 04' Cadillac CTS for my wife last April with about 60k on it. It turned out that I really like this car. The doors close like gloves, it's quiet, has plenty of power, rides and handles well. Heck, if my number came in, I would buy one of those new ones with what 620HP just for fun!

Having said all of this, the 92' Camry was my last new vehicle. All the others have been used as most likely my future vehicles will be. So, I am not much use to the dealers anyway. Unless of course, my number comes in, ha!

 

[PapaPerk]

The difference is Toyota has their own bank for hiccups in the economy and to pay their workers. Ford and GM run to congress for help... while their employees draw unemployment that we pay!