Detroit, 10:00 AM
Thu Nov 12
31 posts in the last 24 hours
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| posts about #2008salesfigures more → |
Toyota Officially World's Largest Automaker |
GM August Sales Down 20.7% From August 2007; Still Best Sales Month In 2008 |
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Jalopnik 
01/21/09
...that is, Opel Corsa, reskinned '90s Corsa B, and Daewoo Kalos.
01/21/09
"There's no denying you're swift, but even you can be beaten!"
The HUGE American Car Maker squealed with laughter.
"Beaten in sales and production? By whom? Not you, surely! I bet there's nobody in the world that can surpass me, I've been on top for 77 years. You're wasting your time, but go ahead and try?"
Annoyed by such bragging, the little Japanese Car Company accepted the challenge. A course of action was planned, but by only one of the two. And the very next day at dawn it seemed almost as if they stood at a starting line. The HUGE American Car Maker yawned sleepily as the meek little Japanese Car Company trudged along slowly. When the HUGE American Car Maker saw how painfully meticulous his rival was, he decided to have a quick nap. "Whatever!" he said. "I'll just slumber along. What, Me Worry? About THEM? HA!"
The HUGE American Car Maker one day woke with a start from a fitful sleep and gazed round, looking for the little Japanese Car Company. But they were only making short gains, having barely sold a third of the cars it would take. Breathing a sigh of relief, the HUGE American Car Maker decided he might as well travel the world looking for cheap labour, and off he went on his private jet to places like Mexico and China. But when HUGE American Car Maker returned, he realized Mexican fit and finish didn't agree with his buyers. Yet, with a careless glance at the little Japanese Car Company, now halfway along in sales, he decided to just carry on as normal, and he fell fast asleep and was soon snoring happily, his build quality continued to sink, below the horizon, and the little Japanese Car Company, who had been plodding towards building better cars, was cutting into the HUGE American Car Maker's sales numbers. At that very point, the HUGE American Car Maker woke with a VOLT. He could see the little Japanese Car Company a speck in the distance and away he dashed. He leapt and bounded at a great rate, his tongue lolling, and gasping for better products. Just a little more quality and caring for customers and he'd be on the top still. But the HUGE American Car Maker's last leap was just too late, for the now not-so-little Japanese Car Company had beaten him to the winning post. Poor GM! Tired and in disgrace, slumped down beside Toyota who was silently smiling at him.
"Slow and meticulous does it every time!" Toyota said.
And GM said, "Whatever, just build me a Fucking Vibe, will ya?"
01/21/09
I heard yesterday that America's back, baby!
01/21/09
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01/21/09
I'd love to disprove the theory by releasing a car of my own. A simple 4 cylinder, RWD 2+2 coupe inspired and styled roughly along the lines of cars like the Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV, BMW 2002, and BMW E30. Gets good gas mileage, decently safe, relatively lightweight, and easy to prep for track days. Then market the car to guys like us and offer competition parts and support grassroots racing efforts. I think that'd work given how expensive old RWD 4 cylinder cars are these days, now to find several million dollars to make this happen...
01/21/09
I have 37 cents you can have towards your goal, but only as long as you promise not to raise the price of entry on me later.
01/21/09
Here's the problem with that, No Non specialized automaker will ever survive catering to enthusiast buyers alone. Not a one. Unless they are up in the realm of Ferrari or Lamborghini. Car's specifically made for people with more money than brains.
You car while a good idea, (He'll I'd buy one, good thing Toyota and Subaru are joint venturing on exactly such a car right now) has already gone the way of the dodo for many automakers, both foreign and domestic.
Look as the Impreza's styling change... all the 'old school' suby fan boys are all up in arms that their 'originality and enthusiast style' has been dumbed down to attract a more 'common' buyer. I have often said "If Subaru could have remained viable catering only to that segment, they'd still be doing it" ... the facts tell a different story.
Holden GTO anyone?
01/21/09
Basically, it's the car Scion should be building right now.
01/21/09
01/21/09
its not exactly something to brag about
01/21/09
01/21/09
BTW it's not like they've got some kind of secret formula for success.
Make good cars that last. Wow, that was hard to figure out.
GM makes junk that people don't want to buy. Wow, that was even harder to figure out.
Please!
01/21/09
They make stuff that no one wants to buy?
So that explains why they were the world's largest automaker in the world for 78 years!
01/21/09
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01/21/09
For a while in the 90's Toyota was trying to sell re-badged Cavaliers, and that never worked out.
01/21/09
01/21/09
Yeah, because in the late 70's and early 80's the U.S. government didn't do everything they could to impose impossible standards and tariffs on foreign automakers.
It's because, in spite of these silly 'regulations' that the Japanese Auto makers excelled. They 'played our game' and beat us handily at it. While the D-3 sat on their arses and made even crappier vehicles.
01/21/09
What tariffs and impossible standards are you talking about? You are correct in the idea that Toyota is simply competing, but at no point in time did the Japanese automakers have the level of restrictions placed on them in the US that the Japanese government imposes on foreign automakers.
And no, they did not beat us by playing our game. They beat us by changing the rules and introducing a whole new game at a time when the first oil crisis spelled the end of the traditional US game.
For the most part, the vehicles produced by the Japanese automakers weren't all that better than their Detroit counterparts. They didn't handle any better or perform any better. Contrary to popular belief, the build quality was not much better, either. In fact, in terms of outright innovation, they were significantly worse. Ironically, this simplicity is what allowed them to exceed in a time when the Big 3 were trying to be excessively innovative and introduce technologies into their cars that were not quite fully mature.
01/21/09
Example: The Smart car (short, narrow, under 660cc) would seem to fit into the favorable Kei category. But no, Daimler made it 10cm too wide and had to reengineer much of the car to fit.
What Toyota and the others have been very good at, is making cars that fit the conditions of the markets in which they sell. We all know that Honda's Accord is three different cars, one for the US, one for Europe, and one for Japan.
If Europe and US were willing to build cars suitable for Japan, then the other market barriers would have to come down.
01/21/09
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01/21/09
My munchkin is bigger than your munchkin.
01/21/09
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01/21/09
Even munchkins are in the market for merkin-compensation toys.
01/21/09
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01/21/09
This really isn't much of an accomplishment, considering the Previaling market conditions.
01/21/09
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01/21/09
What GM really needs to stop worrying about is who is the biggest, and focus instead on who is the most profitable.
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