The Car Connection said:
Toyota may be slowing down the number of new products it is developing in response to an increased number of recalls, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition Thursday. The report says the slowdown might only equal six months or so in the company's product cycle, but would be a major acknowledgement that even the world's richest car company may be expanding too fast. The paper cites several major, recent recalls including those on Tundra pickups and the Prius hybrid as influencing the discussion at Toyota. Vehicle lines that could be affected include the Sienna minivan, Avalon sedan and Camry Solara coupe. Last year, Toyota recalled 2.38 million vehicles in the U.S., or about 120,000 more than it sold in the year.
Another sign of Toyota's impending downfall. You can not cut new models to the customer, that is the main reason people buy your vehicles, because they change.
Ford is in the predicement it is in now soley because it hasn't brought new models to market in years and decades in some cases. The Town Car, Ranger, Grand Marquis/Crown Vic designs are at least a decade old. The LS and Focus haven't changed since their introduction (there were minor changes).
People don't want to buy an old looking vehicle, they want something new and fresh like the Charger and Magnum.
This decision will prove to be a big mistake for Toyota within the next 5 years.
Posted by Quality Weenie at August 25, 2006 07:17 AM | TrackBackIf they cut back now, they don't make new vehicles while the people are "scared" of the recalls, but when the people forget (in a day or a year), they'll be ready with new crap.
Posted by: Ogre at August 25, 2006 08:54 AM