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NHTSA and NASA conclude a 10 month investigation in Feb 2011, saying that "pedal misapplication" not faulty electronics were the likely cause of unintended acceleration of Toyota vehicles.

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Capcity utlization rates are dropping at Toyota's truck plants in Texas and Indiana. According to market research firm CSM the San Antonio plant will be at 72% capacity utilization this year and the Princeton, Indiana plant at 45%.

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Tesla at $24 per hour faces a challenge when Toyota which increased wages by 9% for non unionized labor pays $34 per hour for assembly line workers. Toyota did this after the new settlement with the UAW for 146,000 workers at Ford, GM and Stellantis. What it means is that instead of setting the wage standard Tesla will be a less attractive option for workers as other foreign automakers Nissan, VW and BMW increase their wages. The UAW union does not have to organize at Tesla for fair wages as Tesla's 20,000 workers would become the lowest paid, and least attractive option for workers. And Tesla would become an exception to fair wages in a cost of living crisis.

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Talks about the 3 Scion models now in their third year, with 150,000 Scions sold. The xA delivers gas mileage of 32 city and 37 highway and has sales growing at 20% over the previous year 1st quarter( 2006 over 2005). Prices are in $17,000 range for tC sporty 160 hp Scion and $15,000 range for the xA. Two new marketing approaches to create the Scion experience. First, Pure Price, meaning price posted on the website is what you get no hidden stuff. Second, after market accesssories to customize the scion can be purchased inhouse from Toyota. Note the marketing is for a carefully planned rollout the west coast with details to create the buzz and excitement for a young crowd. See the link to Honda's Hit marketing plans which have been meticulously laid out, (Marty Bernstein, April 27, 2006).

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Evern though the Detroit carmakers initial quality as measured by J.D. Powers Initial Quality Survey is slightly higher than Japanese carmakers in pickup trucks, the Japanese carmakers still have a lead in the more popular cars and in crossovers. The Prius is made in a factory in Japan which ranks as one of the highest in quality. Quality is higher at plants in Japan for Toyota cars, and a bit lower here in the states for Toyota plants. Its on a par with Ford for the Toyota cars made in the USA. As the quality gaps shrinks to near zero between the quality of American and Japanese cars made in the USA, Toyota continues to maintain its edge in quality for its plants in Japan over both the Americans and the Germans. And the one carmaker that intends to surprise is Hyundai which surpasses Toyota, Honda, Ford and Chevy in quality and does this with a lower price. Consumers are noticing and making the switch, as Hyundai's market share is increasing. See Hyundai link. Here are some of the results. First the plants that produce the best quality, as measured by the J.D. Powers Initial Quality Survey. A survey of 80,900 cars between November 2008 and February 2009, for the first 90 days thses cars were driven, using the number of problems per 100 vehicles. All numbers refer to problems per 100 vehicles. Toyota plants in Japn that scored highest- Higashi-Fuji at 29 making Lexus SC and Toyota Corolla, Fuijimatsu at 30 making the Prius, Kyushu at 34 making the Lexus ES and Highlander. At the next level German plants, Bremen at 40 making the Mercedes Benz Classes- C, CLK, SL, and SLK. Daimler in E. London, S. Africa at 38, and BMW at 40 in Dinggolfing, Germany. And a cluster of Japanese and American plants in the USA that produce cars of comparable quality. Honda in E. Liberty Ohio at 41, making the Honda Civic, CRV and Element. GM at Oshawa, Ontario, at 42 making the Buick LaCrosse and Chevy Impala at 42. GM at Bowling Green, Kentucky at 43, and Toyota, Georgetwon, Kentucky making the Avalon and Camry at 43. What is notable from the last survey in this highly competitive market is the following. 1. Hyundai at 91 problems per 100 vehicles surpasses Honda at 95. Better quality at a lower price, so its no wonder Hyundai is gaining market share and is the new carmaker gaining a presence in the USA. 2. Toyota is at 101, Ford at 102, Chevy at 103, so the difference now in carmakers quality is perception, perception, perception. Its about lifestyle, what you like to be associated with and what you want your friends and neighbors to think about you in your choice of car, younger buyers who are the next generation that makes or breaks your business, the new trendy things among younger people, and design that appeals to them. 3. VW is at 112. So even though there is aggressive marketing and VW is picking up some market share with the Jetta, it still lags slightly in quality. 4. The American car makers still lack consistent quality. You have the Buick at 117, GMC at 116. Ford with Lincoln at 129. The Koreans with Kia at 112. 5. Chrysler is at the bottom of the list. Dodge at 134, Chevy at 136, Jeep at 137. THe lack of resources, changes in management and ownership, and the distractions of bankruptcy and dealership closings, and most of all dire lack of resources including the layoff of large parts of its engineering talent, all hurt. 6. GM sold Saab, Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar. The neglect of Saab shows with Saab at 138, and Ford's distraction during the last 3 years shows with Jaguar at 134 and Land Rover at 150. also. 7. In summary Ford has done well overall, Toyota is coming up short in the USA and resting on its laurels, GM has a perception gap with younger buyers, Hyundai looks like a winner with both price and quality, and VW has work to do. ...

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See the related article in WSJ May 26, 2006 by Norihiko Shirouzu- In Chinese Market Toyota's Strategy is Made in USA. That article described the efforts of Northwestern Kellogg School graduate Yoshimi Inaba's efforts since June 2005 to effect a turnaround for Toyota in China. Toyota lags badly behind GM in China. Here Bremner puts together research findings of a collaborative effort between Business Week China and JD Power to develop a picture of what drives the Chinese buyer in the fastest growing auto market in the world. McGraw Hill owns JD Power and Business Week.

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Marketing campaigns in 2011 for the Toyota Siena, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford C-Max. Sales are up 42% for Honda Odyssey since October 2010, when 2011 models and campaign was introduced. The campaign has helped increase sales by 18.5% through November 2010, for Toyota's Siena. This is double the industry average for minivans and is a bright spot for Toyota, whose overall sales have been flat since the recalls. Toyota's Siena campaign shows rapping parents with kids in the back, making it cool to be seen in a minivan. Toyota's national marketing manager says the stories they heard were that people just did'nt want to be seen in a minivan, the soccer-mom joke or feeling playing a part in this. These ads hope to dispel that notion.

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The 2012 Camry, is very much like the 2011 Camry, other than the Entune multimedia system in the dashboard. The big difference is in the price. Toyota has dropped the price on the 2012 Camry- the 4 cylider XLE starts at 25,535, about $2000 lower than the 2011 price, the LE Hybrid with 41 mpg fuel economy, starts at $26,750, and the V6 XLE is about $30,000. It offers quieter ride and dependable quality, but it lacks the new technological advances such as turbocharged motors, direct fuel injection, stop-start systems, and lithium battteries on new hybrids, features on the new Ford Fusion models. Ford, GM, Hyundai and VW are all competing with newly designed models. With the fierce competition it is difficult not to see Toyota struggling with the same problems Ford faced when it failed to innovate with the old Ford Taurus model two decades earlier.