REPORT: Toyota plans to trim trucks, focus on hybrids, improve quality
Stick with what you know. That seems to be Toyota's new mantra going forward, as the Japanese automaker has reportedly diverted its attention away from large trucks like the largely unsuccessful and slow-selling Tundra pickup and back to hybrid vehicles – possibly all wearing the Prius badge, including a minivan and something smaller than the current Prius – and returning to its previous levels of unquestionable quality.
Atsushi Niimi, executive vice president for North America and global manufacturing, tells Automotive News that Toyota will try to build more longevity into its current lineup, addressing issues such as excessive rust and corrosion and introducing new "fail-safe functions" designed to minimize the possibility of "tragic accidents." We suspect that means push-button ignitions that can more easily shut down the car and floor mats that can't bunch up under the accelerator pedal.
In addition, Toyota will focus on the North American market, giving U.S. engineers a larger say when it comes to new vehicle design and the choices of which models make the overseas trek. To speed up the new model renaissance, Toyota will hold back on midcycle refreshes, instead working to get more substantial updates ready in less time.
On the manufacturing side, Toyota believes that it expanded too rapidly over the last decade and will attempt to slow down and restore the trust that customers had in the brand. Apparently, that slowdown will indeed affect the recently-built and still-idle plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi.
[Source: Automotive News (products, manufacturing) (quality) - Sub. Req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rob 8:13PM (11/02/2009)
Somebody PLEASE make the comment spam stop! It's time to start banning entire subnets, not just IP addresses.
Reply
jake 8:17PM (11/02/2009)
It's not just ABG. There's this spam over at Joystiq too.
I haven't seen it at Engadget yet though.
blog.whitesites.com 9:15PM (11/02/2009)
Stopping spam is easy. Just block all non USA Class A IPs. On my blog every time spam is posted it has been from Asian based or European based IPs. I have seen the same crap on MSN. Until google changes their page rank system where its based on actual traffic and not backlinks, SEO spammers will continue to be an annoyance.
Also I highly recommend whoever runs this site, to integrate it with StopForumSpam.com.
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Dave B 9:29PM (11/02/2009)
Toyota finally wakes up!!!
The large truck market is no place for Toyota. No need to fall down the same sink hole as the American auto companies.
I'm glad to see them focus on what they do best.
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Boyprodigy1 9:56PM (11/02/2009)
I can haz hybrid truck?
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Matt 3:16PM (11/03/2009)
Hybrid Tacoma 4x4, please.
Mark Kiernan 6:04AM (11/03/2009)
I think Toyota, who pioneered the hybrid will be left behind when BEVs and Range Extender EVs come onto the market. Unless they plan to sell a Prius PHEV they are doing to die pretty quickly.
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Nick From Montreal 7:57AM (11/03/2009)
Totally agree. People seeking to be as green as possible will choose the closest thing to a pure EV. Hopefully, the Volt, Leaf & iMiev can make an impact.
Toyota won't die. Along with many others, I believe that Toyota already has a working plug-in Prius with 100 miles+ range, but they won't release it until the Prius sales are in trouble. They make much more money by milking the current design than going EV too soon. Pure evil...
LaughingMan 1:55PM (11/03/2009)
People who want to be as green as possible will likely switch to a BEV of some kind, but i think you are wrong if you think that the Prius will simply stop selling overnight.
Did the Corolla, the Camry, or the Yaris stop selling overnight when Toyota released the Prius?
After being on the road in the US for 9 years, not just green-as-you-can-be early adopters are buying the Prius and other HSD vehicles. They are becoming mainstream, and hybrid sales are coming from normal car buyers more than the cutting edge green buyers.
Put it this way... the Prius will be priced at $21K, which is far more palatable to mainstream drivers than the initial wave of BEVs and plugins like the Volt.