Me. I was born not long after Dwight became POTUS. I learned to distrust the media after taking Journalism 101 while Jerry Ford was POTUS.
'It just sounds like 44% of americans are pathetically stupid!!! Sadly it's getting worse......' And what if it was the way the world see American people ? And what if Toyota closed its American factories?
You cannot pay attention to everything that you read here. Danny just posted that Prius sales were up 27% and there is another post that Toyota's sales for March were up 40% compared to March, 2009. So, hopefully Americans are not as stupid as some articles make them out to be.
Not too bad, since the irrational index is somewhere around 30%. You can't trust media polls--they are all over the place and can change quickly. It just reflects bad information--kind of like health care. Toyota hasn't helped themselves, either, in my view.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of other reasons to think we aren't so smart. We pay higher taxes than most Europeans and get less for it (unless you mean accounting for 48% of the world's military spending). And thinking we're so exceptional...
I've nearly always disliked auto-dealers. I wish the car manufacturers would just sell direct from their web. When we purchased our used Prius I like our guy, but only because the price was so low. Of course the reason: we had a Prius mouse. Yes, a mouse had defecated in the cooling/heat fan and ate the air conditioning filter. No wonder the car was so cheap - we bought the car with a strong cleaning odor - once the cleaning solution wore the mouse smell became obvious. Thankfully, $20 (and a cat) the mouse ran from the car to never return. I don't care much for dealers - but thankful one slightly dishonest sales-person gave us a GREAT deal on a FANTASTIC car!
Maybe for a half a year. In that 44% there are many "Heartbeat of America" banner drivers who would not consider Toyota even before the recall/pedal issues.
A few words of hope:Science, Common Sense Beginning to Prevail in Toyota Controversy I'm always amazed at the difference between the opinions of people who know something about cars and those who don't.
dead eh?? well then that leave 56% of the country left. much better penetration than Toyota had last year!
Geez, as a 73 year-old and counting I consider that remark ridiculous! You have to be kidding! With the acquisition of years comes wisdom, and one of the attendant benefits is to be skeptical of ANYTHING you read or hear without corroboration, especially if it's from a source with a vested interest. I had to laugh at the ... "legal profession is about truth and justice" ... remark! Shakespeare had their number 400 years ago, and the American legal profession continues to confirm his opinion.
I'm not doubting your wisdom, and believe you have confirmed yours'. I was trying to find an explanation for: Maybe its because Toyota's seem to use SUA to kill off us older folks. Maybe it is because they still want to buy "American" like the Ford Fusion or Chevy Equinox. I still think its because my peers tend to believe the media more than the GenXers and Millennials. Wisdom comes from age only if you're willing to learn and work at it, at least in my experience.
Concerning the original post and article, all I have to say is Phht.... Yes, the amount and severity of the media feeding frenzy has been amazing BUT Toyota is far from dead. I just hate it when "people" in the wake of a a record setting recall and a several month long media attack take a poll asking people whether they'ed buy a Toyota. Then they are amazed when a significant number respond in the negative?!!! It's near to meaningless to me, and a waste of time. Yes, right now those are about the poll responses I'd expect. But I think the anti-Toyota media frenzy is slowingly burning itself out, and Toyota is still standing. Bottom line, I think Toyota produces good products. Recent events are not what Toyota would want and have had a severely negative impact, but continue to produce good products and I think Toyota will emerge. I could care less that a percentage of people polled today wouldn't buy a Toyota. A percentage NEVER would, and the rest? The rest are reacting to recent but transient events. That "poll" is like asking people standing in a rain storm if they'ed like an umbrella.
As I understand it, Toyota has about 18% of the US market. (GM has about 20%) If 44% of US buyers are dead set against buying a Toyota, 56% are potential buyers. But 18% just bought a Toyota. That means there is potential for 100% sales increase for Toyota. (54% - 18% = 36%) That ain't so bad. (OK, OK. That's April Fool's Day math.) Still there's lots of room for growth of 10% of current sales going to 20% of the US market for Toyota... but then there's the unknown impat of the Nissan
I don't think toyota is dead, very far from it. The way I feel seems to be common among the people I talk to. Toyota is not dead to me, but for my next car I am looking elsewhere. Nissan, Ford, Hyundai, even Chevy offer alternatives. I have never been the type of person to buy the same car in succession. At the time when i originally bought my Prius, it was the only one viable solution. Now (or in the near future) there will be many more options.
On my recent trip to Texas I saw 3 Chrysler PT Cruisers broken down on the side of I-10 (in different places). No Toyotas, though.
Very, very well said! I feel the same way. It seems in this "conspiracy crazed" society that the only thing to be is critical! Of course no product, service, or anything else is going to be to every individuals liking. There's plenty of room for debate, but I don't think this poster, and certainly not myself bought into this car, and company to propogate descention! Especially when my experience is No Problems, and a dealer I feel no need to culture a monetary relationship with. Toyota didn't get to be #1 by constantly tripping over themselves. They've done something right. Maybe that's the problem.....???
They had to include the words "Toyota" and "dead" in the headline in order to get the most internet search hits.
The proof will in toyotas market share for 2010 and 2011. Polls are meaningless. I think it will take Toyota years to recover in any meaningful way, if the story dies. The damage to Toyotas reputation can not be measured in any meaingful way other than in sales figures and market share over the coming decade.
