Tag: quality
Toyota’s reputation takes a pounding
by admin on Oct.15, 2009, under Automotive, Toyota
Massive recall is latest evidence that vaunted quality has slipped
It can take years to build a reputation. Now Toyota has to wonder and worry how quickly an image can be shattered.
This should have been a great year for the Japanese maker, which knocked down king-of-the-hill General Motors in late 2008 to become the world’s best-selling automaker. But Toyota hasn’t had much time to celebrate. The carmaker has been plagued by a variety of setbacks, including slumping sales, under-utilized assembly lines and multibillion-dollar losses.
But perhaps most worrisome of all are signs that the company’s vaunted quality has been slipping. Long hailed as the industry benchmark, some key Toyota products have suffered quality snags in recent years. That includes the new Tundra pickup, which Toyota had hoped would finally give it a foothold in the full-size truck market, the last segment controlled by the Big Three.
