Ladies and Gentlemen, the long awaited Toyota meltdown may have begun !

[plane]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

Down with Toyota!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As long as 1993 Camry keeps on running, all is well.

Ah, truly, truly the epitome of meager dreams and stunted ambitions.

[vcs2600]

Put GM on that graph and it wouldn't look pretty

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

lol, and the "unfounded speculation" is probably true!

LOL...

Other vehicle makers would love to be in this chaotic situation.

[fp115]

Originally Posted by I-Love-Pontiac

America is more in love with Toyota now than they ever have been. Their slowing sales trend is just a result of a weakening economy.

And yet when GM goes to say something like this they say its pulling out excuses...

[fp115]

Looks like the PR guys in all automotive companies are busy these days.

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by mjd1001

I partially agree, but I also think a large part of it is the price of a Toyota. 10-20 years ago, my impression of Toyota is similar to what I think of Hyundai now...great value in a car...mostly due to their price. Now, however, I am almost shocked at how expensive Toyota's are. A Matrix that is virtually the same mechanically as a Vibe, but costs more (when comparably equipped). A Camry, that is very hard to find at dealer lots for under $26000? (at least most I see on the lots are fairly well equiped and costing close to $30,000).

My opinion is, over the last 10-15 years..Toyotas have gone from a good value to actualy being rather expensive for what you get. Up until the last 2-4 years..the economy was strong enough that it didn't matter to most people. But now, that is a different story. It is not a general weakening of the economy only..it is the weak economy with the fact that the weak economy is causing people to really look at how expensive some Toyotas have become.

That's because what a retailer wants you to see and wants you to consider buying are always upfront. Notice that the milk and butter and eggs and bread are always in the back corner of a supermarket. You have to walk through the high-margin junk to get to the staples that you need every day.

Walk into a department store and the first whiff that you get is ladies perfume. Bargain-priced everyday clothes are hidden on a rack in the back.

The basic staple LE Camry I4 which has an MSRP of just over $22000 but has special lease/finance rates are hidden away where the buyer has to look for them. Potentially they will bump into a $26000 XLE which they like more and get that one iso of the 'bread and butter' LE I4.

GM stores do the same. Upfront are the high margin trucks and SUVs. The row upon row of gleaming chrome-plated beauties grab the attention of the guys driving by. 'Cobalt? Oh they're over behind the building'. The local store has normally had 40-60 trucks and 20-30 SUVs up front along with 2-3 Aveo's, 2-3 HHR's, a couple of Cobalts, whatever Malibu's were unsold, 5-10 Impala's.

[dederer]

I think Americans are in love with buying good cars. Any company that looses site of this simple item will be in trouble. GM builds the high quality Malibu and Americans buy it. Toyota starts peddling junk and Americans stop buying their products.

[skylark68]

Originally Posted by PhishPhood

That's because what a retailer wants you to see and wants you to consider buying are always upfront. Notice that the milk and butter and eggs and bread are always in the back corner of a supermarket. You have to walk through the high-margin junk to get to the staples that you need every day.

Walk into a department store and the first whiff that you get is ladies perfume. Bargain-priced everyday clothes are hidden on a rack in the back.

The basic staple LE Camry I4 which has an MSRP of just over $22000 but has special lease/finance rates are hidden away where the buyer has to look for them. Potentially they will bump into a $26000 XLE which they like more and get that one iso of the 'bread and butter' LE I4.

GM stores do the same. Upfront are the high margin trucks and SUVs. The row upon row of gleaming chrome-plated beauties grab the attention of the guys driving by. 'Cobalt? Oh they're over behind the building'. The local store has normally had 40-60 trucks and 20-30 SUVs up front along with 2-3 Aveo's, 2-3 HHR's, a couple of Cobalts, whatever Malibu's were unsold, 5-10 Impala's.

Those are some good points. I never thought about the high profit margin perfume being up front while discounted clothes are in the back. Likewise with the eggs and milk. That was a good analogy for the high profit SUV's and trucks being up front in a typical GM store.

[jaywestfall]

Hey skylark, out here in Katy Westside Chevrolet has all of the shiny, new Corvettes they ordered out front

[Smoke]

Another factor is Toyota can't keep enough small cars on the lot. Mostly what is left if SUVs and trucks.

[Geotpf]

GM would kill to have Toyota's problems right now.

[ZeroDrag]

Originally Posted by Geotpf

GM would kill to have Toyota's problems right now.

Well said. Laughing at Toyota for slow sales of their trucks/ suvs while GM closes plants/cuts jobs/sells assets is like a homeless guy laughing at someone who lost his wallet.

If this is "Toyota Meltdown", what would actually describe GM's current situation? "GM Bankruptcy Slumber Party"?

[mikmak]

Originally Posted by ZeroDrag

Well said. Laughing at Toyota for slow sales of their trucks/ suvs while GM closes plants/cuts jobs/sells assets is like a homeless guy laughing at someone who lost his wallet.

If this is "Toyota Meltdown", what would actually describe GM's current situation? "GM Bankruptcy Slumber Party"?

Post of the month.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by plane

I love
my oil-sludged engine.
I love
my deactivated air bag because you were too cheap for a recall
I love
sliding on snow, going nowhere in my Prius
I love
Truck suspensions that self-destruct on the freeway
I love
Surging acceleration that must be my fault because you say so
I love
Cheap silver and black 70's interiors in a big ugly truck
I love
Truck frames that rot to dust
I love
Lowering workers' wages because there's no union to fight back

Ain't that the truth - and there is more.

I'm running out of time - notice how slow Toyota Motor Europe is to report June 2008 and YTD.


So..... GM has either already (JUNE) or will 'next' month (JULY) - gain back the 159,000 it needs to regain the WORLDWIDE title.

One other thing.

Toyota tends to be a first half team, and GM a second half.

Our worst is mostly over, and theirs is mostly about to begin. ( In a relative sense )

Toyota is definitely going to have a bad OCT, NOV, and DEC. - all the rest of the year is also up for grabs.

We are going to win, here , there and everywhere - eventually.

They are running out of cars and have no flexibility to make it up - if they want to hang on to some unspecified amount of profit.

[Stéphane Dumas]

Originally Posted by AMERICA 123

Ain't that the truth - and there is more.

I'm running out of time - notice how slow Toyota Motor Europe is to report June 2008 and YTD.


So..... GM has either already (JUNE) or will 'next' month (JULY) gain back the 159,000 it needs to regain the WORLDWIDE title.

Also, notice the stock value of Toyota's stocks



If it still continue to drops, I wonder.....