Toyota on the brink of "capitulation to irrelevance or death”
 

Toyota Head: Toyota is on the brink of "capitulation to irrelevance or death”

Link to article

Hans Greimel - October 2, 2009

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said his money-losing automaker is “grasping for salvation” as it struggles to return to profit.

The world's largest car company was once targeting annual sales of 10 million vehicles but now expects sales of 7.3 million this year, down from 8.97 million in 2008, Toyoda said at a news conference here today.

Toyoda, grandson of the automaker's founder, said Toyota is on the brink of “capitulation to irrelevance or death” as he prepares for a second-straight year of substantial financial and unit-sale decreases.

Citing the five stages of corporate decline outlined by Jim Collins, author of How the Mighty Fall, the Toyota chief warned that his company has slumped to stage four.

“We are grasping for salvation,” Toyoda said, adding that the company has already spiraled through the first three stages: Hubris born of success, undisciplined pursuit of more and denial of risk and peril.

“Toyota has become too big and distant from its customers,” the chief executive said.

In the United States, Toyota's sales fell 13 percent in September from a year earlier as the market suffered a sharp letdown after the government-funded cash-for-clunkers program ran out. Total U.S. sales tumbled 23 percent. Toyota is down 28 percent for the year.

Separately, Toyoda called the current dollar-yen rate "very tough," saying the weak U.S. currency made it difficult to return to profit on an unconsolidated level.

"When you get to this level, it makes it difficult to return to profit on sales growth alone," he said.

Toyoda repeated Toyota's aim to return to profit at the parent level "as soon as possible," even as it expects global sales to fall 18 percent from 2008 to 7.34 million vehicles this year. That would leave about 30 percent of its production capacity unused.

Toyoda took the helm in June as the world's biggest automaker faced one of its biggest crises in history amid a global credit crunch and an industrywide sales slump that forced two U.S. automakers into bankruptcy.

For the financial year to March, Toyota has projected a consolidated operating loss of 750 billion yen ($8.4 billion), assuming a dollar rate of 92 yen. It has forecast a parent-only operating loss of 600 billion yen.

Presenting a further challenge, Toyota said this week it would recall 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus models in the United States -- its largest-ever recall -- because of a risk that a loose floor mat could force down the accelerator. The problem is suspected of causing at least one crash that killed four people.

“We would like to pay our deepest condolences for the loss of four precious lives,” Toyoda said. But because an investigation into the problem is still underway, he said he could offer no further details about plans to address the issue.

“Customers who chose Toyota and Lexus cars because those brands are safe and secure are now beset with anxiety. I regret and apologize for this development,” said Toyoda, who took office in June and is the grandson of the company's founder.

F/U Toyota. With all your damn corollas all over the place like giant cockroaches.

Plus pack up that POS Tundra with all your BS ads you guys made about it.

And thanks for poisoning peoples minds with that retarded Prious. Way to give hippies something new to drive in and give me smug looks while they sit in that little piece of shit.

I think Toyota's biggest problem is that it doesn't sound like they have much of a plan to get back to being profitable. The article mentioned many problems but no solutions coming from Toyota.

The strong are the companys that have been sealing with the miss truths about American cars and the loss of market share because of it for years and still around today...( with a little help from everyone(tax payer) in the USA and Canada). Toyota has been dealing with a slow down for less than a year and is almost ready to die.

The President of Toyota...is Toyoda...:bellyroll:

Wonder what all the mags are going to say now...or the news agencies? Seems a year ago they were saying how great Toyota was and why wasn't the Big 3 like them...hmmm?

I don't think I could have said it much better myself! Toyota can rot in hell as far as I am concerned. Every time I see someone driving a new Turdra "pickup" or some smug ahole in that worthless tin-can POS Prius, I just laugh and think..."there goes another idiot". If toyota does fail, I will be buying rounds in the local tavern!:drinking:

hahahahahahahahahahaha

"Capitulation to irrelevance or death"....

I'd almost like the first choice...so they can suffer trough the rebirth of the American auto Industry! :headbang:

or not....bye-bye, you shall not be missed! :wave:

awww.... poor toyota.

:character0264:

Capitulation to irrelevance or death... that's a little extreme. There's plenty of lemmings out there who still assume Toyota automatically equals a great product. They would have to put out garbage for years and years to alienate that customer base.

Die, Die Die!

Guys, I know that Toyota is our rival and all, but there are still human beings involved here. If Toyota goes under, several thousands of people will be out of a job, and I don't think we should be wishing that on anyone.

I think its all about products...Toyota has nothing really new in the pipeline while both Ford and GM are kicking up some really nice new products. Toyota can't hang everything on the Prius!