Toyota President Akio Toyoda will speak in Beijing on Monday about the company’s recent quality woes, Toyota said Sunday, in an effort to reassure consumers in a major growth market.
Toyoda, who testified at a U.S. Congressional hearing last week about the spate of global recalls plaguing Toyota Motor Corp., will speak to reporters at a Beijing hotel, company spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said.
The number of vehicles being recalled in China is small compared with the 8.5 million vehicles recalled worldwide since October for sticky gas pedals, faulty floor mats and glitches in braking software.
The bulk of the recalls are in the United States, where doubts are growing about Toyota’s longtime reputation for top-grade quality.
In China, Toyota announced a recall of 75,552 RAV4 sport-utility vehicles in late January due to the gas pedal problem.
Toyota has said its plans to expand in the Chinese market are unchanged, with its sales in the country expected to rise to 800,000 vehicles this year, up from 709,000 in 2009.
China’s overall vehicle sales soared 45 percent last year to 13.6 million, overtaking the U.S. as the world’s biggest auto market.
Sorry for the hiatus!! Life has been crazy around here! We’ve been frantically searching for a new car and finally found one.
A 2008 Toyota Camry LE with less than 14,000 miles on it. It’s the base model, but considering the age of the cars we have been driving (1990 and 1996) it feels space age.
AND it has a sunroof!
In other news, we had a dog trainer from Canine Homeschool come by on Friday. it took about three hours for us to go through everything Goliath needed to know and he did great! He’s really doing well with come, sit and down and we’ll gradually work on “stay,” “leave it,” and “drop it..” He’s also learning how to not run down the stairs when people some in the door or knock.
We’re learning to be the alpha and keep Goliath in his place by:
Eating before we feed the dogs
Go through doorways first
Don’t let him on the couch or bed (hard!)
Don’t pick him up (SUPER hard!)
I’m going to try my very best to follow these rules.
Now, going back in time even more…
My mid-afternoon snack on Monday was some popcorn and a clementine.
I put some parmesan and garlic season on the popcorn.
After work I ran home to take the dogs to the dog park before they closed.
Unfortunately, I thought they closed at sunset, but they closed at 5:30. We were only there for maybe 5 minutes before it was time to go. Rusty was NOT happy.
I don’t remember what dinner was…I just remember having a 7PM meeting at church that night.
I posted Tuesday morning’s breakfast already and can’t remember what lunch was.. A turkey sandwich on whole wheat with cheese and RF mayo and then Veggie Chips on the side, I think.
Dinner was a vegetarian casserole with brown rice, black beans, broccoli, green beans, peas and cheese.
I was REALLY craving some sweets, and I tried to satisfy it with a piece of whole wheat toast with yogurt spread and jam, but that didn’t do it.
Just as I was ready to go out and find something, I found a box of Jell-O Chocolate Pudding in a drawer.
Granted, it was a little past the expiration date…
…but I didn’t care.
It definitely hit the spot. After all this I went out with Josh and a friend for a little while. I didn’t order anything, but made quite a dent in Josh’s fries.
Wednesday morning breakfast was multigrain Cheerios with skim milk. No picture, though.
Lunch was leftovers in Tomato Basil wraps (x 2).
Dessert was also leftovers…pudding.
Mid-afternoon snack were two clementines.
I can’t remember what I had for dinner and there don’t appear to be any pictures to jog my memory.
Thursday morning breakfast was a container of Fage 0% Plain Greek yogurt with some of my failed granola. (Old picture)
Lunch was a Cedarlane Beans and Rice burrito.
With MORE pudding.
Mid-afternoon snack were some pretzels.
We spent Thursday evening car shopping and ended up having dinner at East Asia, a sushi place we’d never been to. We were a little wary because there was only ONE other car in the parking lot. It was quite nice, though, and well priced. I don’t have any picture because my camera is broken (lens won’t extend…hopefully it can be fixed!) and it was too dim to get a good picture with my phone.
I got a house salad, miso soup, shrimp tempura roll, and another roll I can’t remember the name of. It had cooked white fish on top. Everything was delicious and I’m sure we’ll be visiting this place more often.
Friday I don’t remember really having breakfast before the trainer came and then we spent all day buying a car. In all the excitement I can’t really remember anything I ate yesterday.
This morning I made oatmeal pancakes. It’s a mix from Quaker Oats.
Source
I also had some fruit with it, 1 clementine and some blueberries. I made extras to freeze.
Lunch was a packet of Madras Lentils with two pieces of whole wheat bread.
We then took our new car to get new tires and while we waited Josh went to Subway for lunch. Since I’d already eaten all I had was a drink and a chocolate chip cookie.
We also went to TJ Maxx while we waited. I got Goliath a new bed and some new bowls. I also got myself some treats.
70 cent Larabars and an Honest granola plank!! So excited. I have yet to try either of these Larabar flavors.
Despite the cookie, I was really craving froyo, so after we picked up the car I had Josh take me to Swirls where I got the Low-fat Double Chocolate Fudge with almonds, marshmallows, strawberries and some Snickers pieces.
Now….if you survived this epic post, congratulations!! I’m off to catch up on Lost while Goliath enjoys his new bed.
P.S. My shoulder is still hurting me a good bit, but I plan to get back on track tomorrow!! Wish me luck!
What do all of the above have in common? Their image or reputation was damaged. A reputation or image that has been damaged is very hard to repair and much harder to come back to the original status that may have been enjoyed earlier. Sometimes the damage is so great the company is destroyed or individuals go to jail.
It isn’t easy or quick for a company or individual to build a great reputation. It takes many years.
That reputation can be severely damaged very quickly just like a hurricane or tornado or flood can badly damage a town very quickly. The result is many years of rebuilding. For a company that has lost its good name it will be very hard to get that back.
Part of that reason is trust has been lost and trust is a very strong part of any relationship. People do business with companies that they trust.
Once trust is originally established, it can become so strong that the company or individual is beyond question such as the status Bernie Madoff had with the SEC for many years.
Sometimes Companies Who Have Built a Great Reputation May Become Lax and Do Not Pay Attention to the Details and Factors That Helped Create That Great Reputation
I owned a 4 runner about 20 years ago and I owned two Toyota Camrys and a Toyota Corolla about 15 years ago. I bought those vehicles, in large part, because of Toyota’s great reputation for quality products. Would I buy a Toyota now? No. It will take many years of Toyota proving itself again before I would consider purchasing one of its products.
Short Cuts to Reviving a Reputation?
Unfortunately, many companies take the shortcut and hire a very good public relations person to help create a new image that will help “correct the problem” by changing the public’s perception of the company. Some become involved in charitable causes to win back customers’ good opinions. Some invest in advertising to make them look good. I recently saw a TV ad on Toyota that showed Toyota employees working to correct the recent problems.
True Worth and Valid Reputation Do Not Come From Perception But From Real Values That Are Honored and Supported by the Way a Company Does it’s Business – Always Staying True to its Core Values.
Core Values Emphasizing Quality Products and Services and Excellent Customer Service Can Go a Long Way to Building That Great Reputation and Keeping It
Here are some ways to make that happen:
Employees should be provided the tools to make this happen and then be awarded for their positive efforts to ensure the quality products and services and the excellent customer service.
Employee performance standards should be developed that support quality products and services and excellent customer service.
Managers and Employees who do not ensure the quality products and services and excellent customer service should be held accountable for their shortcomings.
Companies should listen to their customers – especially their complaints. A complaint is frequently like the canary in the mine – it is a warning of impending problems – maybe even disasterous ones.
There must be accountability at every level in the organization and communication that ensures everyone is aware of all important situations.
Frequently, companies have had ample warnings and complaints about problems. Wise companies take these seriously and deal with them quickly and proactively to ensure real problems are addressed and solved in a timely manner. Wise companies that realize the value of that great reputation protect it and do not allow themselves to become lax about core values.
Copyright (c) 2010 Lois Moncrief Globebic LLC All Rights Reserved
For information on employee management, employee performance, and employee motivation, visit my website:
You kind of get the feeling that this guy is going to do something crazy. Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota has dishonored himself, his company, and his family. It’s jacked up that the Toyota organization would dance around the defects with their vehicles. People have died behind their deception. The most reliable vehicle brand killed themselves. Read more from THE TRUE SOURCE.
この流れを読むと、次はホンダが危ないが、米国ホンダのブレーキは「エフテック」という日本企業が、オハイオやトロントで生産しているので、難癖つけることは難しいでしょう。今回の米国議会の公聴会で、問題になっている部品が米国企業の生産にも拘わらず、議員からの「Made in Japanは幻想」との文言に笑ってしまいました。
It is no secret that every person, team, organization or company will face a crisis at some point. How they respond to that crisis is critically important as it sets the stage for how effectively they manage through the process of recovery.
Every week we see people and organizations struggle or shine in the wake of crisis and scandal. For those that shine, the issues tend to subside more quickly, in large part because they have handled the adversity in the best manner possible. That usually involves a sound and strategic communications strategy. For those that struggle, the negative effects of their actions hang over them like a very smoggy California day, nothing is clear.
If you’ve been following “The Sports Commentary” you are aware that managing our clients through crisis is just one of several of our firm’s core capabilities and one we take very seriously. And you don’t have to be a sports enthusiast to understand or relate to the topics we cover. Our objective is not to pass judgment on an individual’s or organization’s actions, but to provide insight as to how they can recover from catastrophe, rebuild their reputation, regain public trust, and achieve balanced media coverage in the process.
This week, Toyota and Sea World have found themselves under intense media and public (and in Toyota’s case, congressional) scrutiny, quickly going from the object of their consumers desire to the object of their ire.
Both Toyota and Sea World are in turmoil for different reasons, and both have a few common issues confronting them. The loss of life due to product failure in Toyota’s case and in Sea World’s, the very public death of an employee killed while on the job by one of the company’s killer whales. They have very different roads ahead of them in their quest to rebuild confidence in the hearts and minds of their constituents. What will be interesting to see is how they approach and handle the challenges ahead.
By now, we’re all familiar with Toyota’s situation. Their top execs flew in from Japan and were on Capitol Hill this week, their public relations campaign implemented to regain consumer confidence is underway, and their efforts across the board to restore faith in their brand are running full steam ahead. They are in the process of doing what’s necessary to rebuild.
But Sea World’s dilemma is quite different. Their story is dominating the news cycle right now and their response to the death of their top animal trainer, Dawn Brancheau, has quite frankly been vague and in words of CNN’s Rick Sanchez (when describing today’s press conference) “rather opaque.” Dawn was killed by one of Sea World’s killer whales, the largest and apparently most aggressive one, Tilikum, one that has allegedly killed two other trainers. This incident marks the third death.
In the hours immediately following Broncheau’s death, the story took on a life of its own. Media outlets covering the story began airing eye witness accounts, showing footage of the killer whales in action at Sea World, and booking guest panelists, including everyone from the world famous Jack Hanna (Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo), Bob Barker (yeah, that Bob Barker, WHO KNEW?!?), and Ingrid Newkirk (President of PETA) to everyday people off the street to comment and analyze the situation. Facebook and Twitter and other social media networks were abuzz with the story and everyone who had an opinion was weighing in.
Everyone was commenting, except for the key spokespersons from Sea World. Until today.
Initially, Sea World’s Curator, Chuck Tompkins was out there talking about it and to his credit he has done a decent job.
But his initial response seemed somewhat defensive and he wasn’t in a position where he could really answer specific questions regarding what Sea World was going to do, leaving plenty of room for speculation about what went wrong.
At their press conference today, Sea World’s PR person did a good job opening the press conference and framing the discussion and the rules of engagement. He then turned it over to Jim Atchison, President of Sea World Parks and Entertainment, who began to address the subject (well at least most of it) and deal with several hostile questions. After he expressed the company’s sincere grief and sadness over the loss of Brancheau, Atchison proceeded to outline what Sea World is doing to move through this and move forward.
Atchison opened and moved through the impact the loss of Brancheau has had on the Sea World family, the creation of the Dawn Brancheau Memorial Foundation, the family statement, their ongoing investigation of the situation, how they are reviewing the safety protocols in place, and that all direct trainer interactions with the killer whales have been suspended.
Atchison remained composed and poised, answered questions directly, didn’t duck and dodge, appeared honest, straightforward, prepared, and addressed the issues head on. He referred to the Sea World trainers and staff as “family” and said the trainers are dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Then the presser took a turn towards “the show must go on,” “business as usual” tone. Interestingly enough, the responses seemed non-emotional (if you will), very corporate, very “business as usual,” and somewhat combative when confronted with hostile questions, all in front of a backdrop of the park’s killer whales. Note: Not sure having the whales in the backdrop provided a show of support and Sea World unity, but not sure it was the best idea today given the situation.
When the tough questions came, Atchison started to become a bit agitated and unraveled slightly when asked about three of the most important questions every media person in the room needed to know:
The number of deaths associated with Tilikum.
Why he would not address the rules of trainer engagement with the killer whales.
Whether or not Brancheau made a fatal mistake when dealing with Tilikum.
Even his word choice was too corporate given this tragedy (e.g., “this altercation,” “this event,” “the outcome of this event,” “terrible incident,” etc).
But to his credit, he regained his composure after a somewhat heated exchange, but at this point the environment was quite contentious.
I am not making light of the situation and I have nothing but the utmost respect for Dawn Brancheau. But there are inherent risks with careers that could ultimately cost you your life. Whether you are a police officer, fire fighter, NASCAR driver, professional bull rider, stuntman, animal trainer, or extreme sport athlete like the Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died two weeks ago on the eve of this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver; you know the risks involved. But that is not an excuse for an organization, entity or public to “blame the victim.” Yes, there is without question the need to address the issues surrounding it (in this case, is it right or wrong to keep “killer” whales and other wild animals in captivity…).
Overall, the Sea World team did the right thing in addressing the tragedy today and facing the cameras and questions. Yes, the show must go on and business is business, but the big miss here was not taking a bigger step back and showing a bit more empathy towards the loss of life using a more sensitive approach.
In the days and weeks to come there will be a lot of pressure on Sea World to “do the right thing” in the wake of yet another tragic loss. But what is “the right thing” in this instance?
I understand fully that there are pros and cons to the argument of whether or not should animals be held in captivity for research, human enjoyment and let’s be honest, running profitable businesses. But ultimately, it’s a moot point. Why? Because every time these issues of animals in zoo-type environments (think Tiger escaping grotto at SF Zoo, Siegfried and Roy and the Tiger attack) or people keeping wild animals as pets surfaces (remember the Connecticut chimp that mauled its owner’s friend?), we’re going to have these philosophical conversations all over again.
Until then, the debate will continue. Your thoughts?
Regular readers of Zeitgeist will know that we’ve been following the erstwhile fortunes of GM and the attempts to resurrect The General to something approaching former glories.
We might be forgiven for thinking that GM might recently have been enjoying some of the issues Toyota have been experiencing – particularly as prior to the spectacular demise of GM, Toyota had dislodged the US manufacturer from top spot in the auto manufacturing global stakes.
Unfortunately GM couldn’t stay out of the headlines altogether and today we get confirmation of the end of another GM brand – Hummer.
Hummer’s demise is a result of GM’s inability to complete a deal with the Chinese company Tengzhong and a minority shareholding with Suolong Duoji. GM have not given details other than to confirm their plans for working with dealers, customers and suppliers on an effective exit from production of the brand.
There were probably a few cheers over at ‘Friends of the Earth’ as the Hummer has been roundly criticized since its launch as one of the worst displays of excess and having a destructive carbon footprint of a size that SMART cars only dream about. With some models weighing in at five tonnes and struggling to get fuel consumption into double digits, perhaps it is easy to understand some of this criticism. Nevertheless, the vehicle range and brand has become quite iconic and perhaps the end of the brand yet again brings into focus the impact that this recession has had on the global economy and the changes that have been made in consumer decision making.
They also know when to stop flogging the proverbial dead horse and other companies can learn valuable lessons here. Companies need to understand their options, recognize that there are trade-offs and strategic choices to be made, they need to not prolong unviable options and make the tough calls appropriately. By nature choice is an either/or scenario – from our experience too many companies take too long to makes those choices and often to the point that the choice is eventually made for them.
Ultimately if you come to a fork in the road you have to choose to turn left or you turn right. Trying to turn left and right at the same time will only leave you in a spin…
Today I was groovin’ along, doing my thing and actually feeling pretty darn confident! My moleskin was covering my deflated blister, my cushioned socks felt oh so good and I even managed to take a drink from my water bottle, then it happened…
As I have told you my worst fear is being spit off the back of the treadmill (do to lack of coordination on my part) and being sucked in like the escalators you hear about eating people… and this treadmill seems to have one heck of an appetite.
I managed to drink from my water bottle while flying along at 3 miles an hour, wind in my hair (utilized the fan), glowing in the glory of coordination. Then I looked up. I glanced up at the TV on the wall, mistake number one. It is perplexing to me how just moving your eyeballs up and to the left can make you lose your balance, your pace and your panther like stride. I tipped to the right, fumbled a few steps, avoided looking in the huge wall mirror in front of me (it would show me just how close I really was to the back of the hungry machine) and with as much dignity as possible regained composure. After about 10 minutes I thought if I just peeked up at it (I hate it when I “can’t” do something) I would be OK… NOT!
In the end I was victorious over the beast. I am in one piece and he is still hungry.
On my way out of the gym I happened to be chatting with one of the senior Ken’s from 2 days ago. He was telling me how this machine of death almost ate his workout buddy this morning! Seriously! He said he went off the back end but was agile enough (agile, what a word… some day it will be in my vocabulary again) to catch himself when his feet hit the floor. I KNEW IT! IT IS A VENGEFUL, PEOPLE EATING MACHINE!
But wait, there is hope! Senior Ken politely walked me over and showed me a clever feature, an emergency brake. GLORY! There is a little clip you can attach to your shirt so if you are spit out the back it turns the machine off! BRILLIANT! I am now safer (not safe as I am still a completely uncoordinated person) on the machine of death.
My question for today is, if they can put in an emergency brake on a treadmill that works with a simple clip on your shirt why can’t Toyota, with all their resources and engineers, put a brake in a car that will work when the gas pedal goes crazy?
WASHINGTON – Under blistering criticism, Toyota President Akio Toyoda personally and repeatedly apologized to Congress and millions of anxious American car-owners Wednesday for deadly defects in popular models produced by his Japanese company. But angry lawmakers forcefully declared it was hardly enough.
“Where is the remorse?” scolded Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. And Republican John Mica of Florida held aloft what he called an “absolutely appalling” Toyota report bragging of defusing a safety investigation.
Who the hell do the pompous, self righteous dumb ass politicians think they are to criticize an apology when their own repugnant, partisan political incompetence can not find solutions to the problems they were elected to solve and have failed miserably. And do they apologize to the citizens for their failures and short coming? No. This is just another tactic to shift their own lack of creditability towards some one else so maybe the citizens will forget how Barnyard DC operates… Maybe these elected idiots should take a course in “How not to shift blame and take responsibility for their own obtuseness.” Come on, let’s get back to the real issues……
Toyota is grovelling to Congress, and other car manufacturers are missing out on a big opportunity.
Google and Google News searches for Toyota predictably bring up plenty of ads. On my screen, I see ads for Toyota itself, plus a few places where I can buy a Toyota, like CarMax. The only other auto maker with an ad is Mazda.
Toyota has been in the news for weeks, which has led to a spike in search traffic. Among these searchers are, likely, consumers curious about buying a new car, parents worried about their current, and other groups ripe to hear why they should look to trade in their Toyota for a Honda, Chevy, or Ford. The nature of search ads would allow these competitors to send internet users directly to a page about safety, or to a Turn-in-your-Toyota program page.
As a part owner of GM by way of my American citizenship, I’d like someone to look into why we aren’t trying to sell more cars this way.
Being a love of anything with an FR chassis layout i can’t help but be really bloody excited at the prospect of this car being even half decent. For those who have been living inside a “lost-esq” type hatch for the last few months, the Toyota FT86 is the spiritual successor to the venerable AE86 Hachiroku and the concept car seen below has been developed jointly by the new Subaru/Toyota partnership.
The rumoured plans were for Subaru and Toyota to develop their own versions of this car based around the same collaborated floor pan. Rumblings from Subaru suggest they are producing a basic model powered by a version of the EJ20 engine (probably from current JDM Impreza) which should produce around 150hp. This will be linked up to a six-speed Aisin gearbox and a rear axle currently used in the Lexus IS250. The good news is that there have been reports of a 200hp + STI version in the works that’ll be EJ25 powered and have a number of rear suspension upgrades, including a wider rear track. We can also speculate that there will be typical prodrive styling cues (wider arch package etc) I have heard on the grapevine from our lads here, that this may very well be a 4WD setup – but it’s completely unsubstantiated at this time.
Expect to have a full reveal at TAS 2011.
Subaru Coupe Concept Rendering
To date, Toyota have been much more forthcoming with their plans for the car. The concept FT86 has been knocking around for a while and confirmed reports from Toyota state that it’ll have the Subaru EJ series engines and the six-speed Aisin transmission. The suspension setup will be conventional with a multilink rear and front wishbone arrangement in addition to a “proper” LSD (however i wouldn’t get your hopes up for a factory 2way chaps) Weight wise it’ll be circa 1250kg kerb weight and the entry model will “weight in” at around £20,000 otr.
FT86 concept
TAS 2010 in January saw Toyota preview the FT86-G Sports to demonstrate the “more aggressive” version of the car they are working on. It’s apparently running a turbocharged EJ series engine pushing circa 350 ponies. It’s also got a twin exhaust (although i imagine it’s just a tip) and a 30mm drop in ride height.
Personally im not at all sold on the bodywork. It looks like somebody has let my buddy mitto drive it through a rice factory.
FT86 G Sports
FT86 G Sport
FT86 G Sport
However… (and there is always a “however” with these things) recent reports from the Japanese motoring press suggest that the exterior styling (originally designed by ED2 Studio in France) may have been scrapped “completely” in favor of a new design by Calty.
Is this what we are going to get?
I must say i prefer the original design…
I’ll leave you with this video produced by the Autocar.co.uk team and let good old Steve Sutcliffe show you round the concept.
You are here: Home / Car News / Toyota Corolla steering complaints under investigation USAToyota Corolla steering complaints under investigation USA
February 18, 2010 by Alborz Fallah
18 Comments
*Update* Toyota Motor Corporation – Japan has advised the electric power-steering system used in Corolla models sold in Australia is different from that used for models sold in the United States.
In another twist in the Toyota recall saga the US highway safety officials are rumoured to begin a formal investigation into complaints about the Toyota Corolla’s steering.
According to an anonymous source inside the agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will concentrate its efforts on 2009 and 2010 model year Corollas.
The problem may result in Toyota recalling the Corolla with the automaker’s quality chief, Shinichi Sasaki, stating earlier today that Toyota may consider a Corolla recall.
According to Automotive News U.S.A, the Toyota Corolla has had 83 power-steering complaints filed against it since April 2008. More than three quarters of the complaints say that the vehicle unexpectedly veers to the left or right at 40 miles (64km) an hour and up. They further suggest that after attempting to straighten the car, it may overcorrect. There have been no cases of the issue reported to Toyota Australia.
As the new models make use of an electric power steering system, the problem may simply be due to a change in steering response compared with the older Corollas which used a hydraulic power steering system.
Such an investigation by U.S authorities is normal procedure when complaints are lodged and a process which happens to all manufacturers, nonetheless the timing couldn’t be worst for Toyota amid an escalating recall crisis.
The recall issues have become a nightmare for the Big T as the Americans make the automaker the focus of congressional hearings next week.
The Toyota Corolla is the best selling car in the world, having built its reputation on reliability.
Today, 3 mea culpas will go head to head to head for the right to be crowned “Apologist Of The Year!” But first, let’s meet our apologists!
Akio ”Crash” Toyoda – Toyota Motors chief executive. Besieged by bad brakes, he’s no longer “Mr. Reliable” but keeps moving forward - can anyone stop Toyoda?
Mark “Hasta Luego” Rogers - owner of Legends Restaurant. His wild gyrations can throw off opponents, yet he can be taken out of his game when things get hairy.
Tiger “bad lie” Woods - Golf pro. Ongoing hospitalization for chronic skankitis has limited his ability to swing.
And there’s the sound of weeping, signaling the start of play!
Toyoda: “I offer my apologies for the worries.”
Mark: “I shouldn’t have lost my temper and I’m sorry.”
Tiger: “I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior.”
Tiger comes out strong and sets the pace although Mark’s opening is also solid. But Toyoda misfires – we’re talking about cars killing people and he sounds like he forgot to call his parents after Prom! Although it could have been a bad translation!
Toyota: “We have caused lots of concern and worry and we are sorry.”
Mark: “Usually Mondays are really slow.”
Tiger: “I have a lot to atone for.”
Toyoda comes back with a nice flurry! Tiger brings it strong, especially with “atone” and it’s religious connotation. But Mark goes to the lame excuse early - it’s the restaurant business in 2010, Mark, EVERY day is slow!
Toyoda: “This kind of procedure is good for customers.”
Troy: “I want to extend my sincere apologies to all the teachers out there.”
Tiger: “I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable.”
And we have our first substitution! In for Mark is Troy Lebeck, Director of Restaurant Operations for Legends, with a nice recovery! Toyoda whifs again by appearing to claim that a recall is good for their customers – like a philandering spouse telling his wife that an AIDS test would be good for their marriage! Speaking of which, Tiger has opened up a huge lead with the strongest statement of the Smackdown!
Toyoda: “As a company, our intention is to sincerely give 100% cooperation.”
Troy: “Legends has donated thousands of dollars to area schools, from simple fundraisers to feeding the football teams, to after prom parties, to little league sponsorships.”
Tiger: “From the learning center students in southern California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.”
Down goes Tiger! Down goes Tiger! And he takes Troy with him! As both men stumble to the canvas with a “look at all the good I’ve done” thud! But can Toyoda take advantage of the opening? No! Cooperation only came after enough Camry owners crashed, burned and popped like kernels and the Feds threatened to jump in!
Toyoda: ”We want to make our best effort to deal with this matter for our customers’ security and safety.”
Mark: “I was overwhelmed in the back and had no idea what situation was going on out there.”
Tiger: “Parents use to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry. It’s hard to admit that I need help, but I do.”
A nice bounce-back by Toyoda! Mark’s back in for Troy, and still rolling out excuses! You’re the owner, Mark – stick your head out and make sure the place isn’t on fire! And speaking of being on fire, there’s Tiger, back with his A game – an unprecedented admission of vulnerability!
Toyoda: “We are committed to putting the customer first – it’s our priority.”
Troy: “I hope you can find the compassion in your hearts to forgive him. Again, my sincere apologies.”
Tiger: ”Finally there are many people in this room and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again. Thank you.”
Troy’s back in and he and Toyoda both finish strong, but it’s too little too late! As Tiger slams the door on his opponents with a lyrical reference to Kenny Rogers’ “She Believes In Me” and takes Apology Smackdown 2010 to notch his first win of the year!
“The best apology is the one that never has to be used.” - Annoymous
Jonnie Wright is a marketing consultant and customer service trainer in Des Moines, Iowa. Email him at jonniewright@thebuyosphere.com.
Akio Toyoda said Thursday he will testify at a U.S. congressional hearing next week. (Itsuo Inouye/Associated Press)
Toyota president Akio Toyoda said Thursday he will testify at a U.S. congressional hearing next week on the automaker’s recalls.
Toyoda said in a statement he looks “forward to speaking directly with Congress and the American people.”
Toyoda is the grandson of the Japanese automaker’s founder. He had earlier said he wasn’t planning to attend the hearings but would consider appearing before Congress if invited.
Toyoda’s comments followed an invitation issued earlier in the day by the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating Toyota’s massive recalls.
Edolphus Towns, chairman of the House oversight and government reform committee, wrote Toyoda saying the CEO should testify at a hearing next week, citing questions from American motorists on “whether it is safe to drive their cars.”
Towns said that the committee wanted Toyoda to “clarify” how the car manufacturer is addressing a widening recall crisis. The controversy over safety issues has burgeoned over the past four months with the recall of roughly 8.5 million vehicles.
“The public is unsure as to what exactly the problem is, whether it is safe to drive their cars, or what they should do about it,” Towns wrote in a letter to Toyoda, in the wake of safety questions involving gas pedals, floor sets and brakes on various Toyota products.
Reports of deaths in the U.S. connected to sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles have surged in recent weeks, with the toll of deaths allegedly attributed to the problem reaching 34 since 2000, according to new consumer data gathered by the U.S. government.
In Japan and in the United States, Toyota Motor Corp. has been criticized for being too slow to respond to the recall crisis and the company’s top executive has been accused of being largely invisible as the recalls escalated.
But he has held three news conferences in recent weeks, apologized repeatedly for the recalls and promised reforms.
Toyota has said it will create an outside review of company operations, do a better job of responding to customer complaints and improve communication with federal officials.
Toyoda has said he plans to travel to the U.S. soon to meet with workers and dealers but the company has not yet released his schedule.
You are here: Home / Car News / Toyota devising guidelines for transparent disclosureToyota devising guidelines for transparent disclosure
February 18, 2010 by Alborz Fallah
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Although the effects of Toyota’s recent problems were not fully felt by Toyota Australia, globally the Japanese giant is fighting hard to rein in a global quality crisis. Part of the shift in Toyota’s attitude will be a new approach to transparency with vehicle issues.
The company is reported to be devising new guidelines for disclosing issues with its models in order to increase transparency. This will address criticism that the company is slow in reacting to problems.
Toyota might soon disclose vehicle problems that it legally isn’t obligated to report such as those that fall below the recall threshold.
The issue with transparency arose due to the recent Prius recall. According to sources Toyota had began receiving complaints about the car’s brakes late last year and had already fixed the software for Prius cars coming off the assembly line but it didn’t notify customers who had already bought a third generation Prius. The reason? The braking system still fell within legal guidelines.
That all changed with the story came to light and caused a public outcry, which resulted in Toyota recalling cars already sold to update them with the upgraded ABS software.
The company’s President Akio Toyoda has already apologized for the safety problems of his company’s cars and is rumoured to be visiting the United States in early March to meet employees and dealers in the wake of the recall crisis.
There is also a possibility that Mr Toyoda will testify before Congressional hearings probing Toyota’s safety recalls and issues regarding the unintended acceleration in its cars.
The Toyota recall saga has been given an enormous amount of media attention despite other manufacturers having suffered similar recall numbers on the past. This may be due to Toyota’s incredible reliability record to date.
Regardless of the outcome of the Toyota recall saga, the news is good for all as Toyota will no doubt work tirelessly to win back customers and increase quality measures in the future.
*Note* – The only Toyota recall affecting Australian customers is for the Prius. Accelerator pedals used in Australian delivered Toyotas do not have any issues.
Rusty was NOT happy.
What do all of the above have in common? Their image or reputation was damaged. A reputation or image that has been damaged is very hard to repair and much harder to come back to the original status that may have been enjoyed earlier. Sometimes the damage is so great the company is destroyed or individuals go to jail.
I owned a 4 runner about 20 years ago and I owned two Toyota Camrys and a Toyota Corolla about 15 years ago. I bought those vehicles, in large part, because of Toyota’s great reputation for quality products. Would I buy a Toyota now? No. It will take many years of Toyota proving itself again before I would consider purchasing one of its products.
Core Values Emphasizing Quality Products and Services and Excellent Customer Service Can Go a Long Way to Building That Great Reputation and Keeping It
Frequently, companies have had ample warnings and complaints about problems. Wise companies take these seriously and deal with them quickly and proactively to ensure real problems are addressed and solved in a timely manner. Wise companies that realize the value of that great reputation protect it and do not allow themselves to become lax about core values.
