Por que a Toyota foi embora

IMAGEM: Toyotaf1.com/Divulgação (A última foto juntos)

Leo Lewis, correspondente de economia do TIMES no Japão, tem um artigo que sintetiza e racionaliza um pouco a a saída da Toyota e por tabela a debandada em massa dos japoneses da F1 nos últimos meses. O artigo é interessante porque revela o ponto de vista extra-F1, menos esportivo e mais centrado na identidade corporativa da companhia, algo sobre qual não estamos acostumados a ler.

Saída da Toyota é um reflexo dos problemas econômicos atuais

Por Leo Lewis — Correspondente de economia para a Ásia

“Os flashes dispararam, os obstinados executivos dobraram-se em súplica e o homem encarregado da divisão de esportes a motor soluçou como um samurai em pranto com o irmão caído nos braços: mais que isso, a desistência da Toyota da F1 foi um drama estilizado — algo que os japoneses denominam Kabuki.

O vilão da peça foi a recessão global e a miséria que assola as grandes fabricantes de automóveis ao redor mundo. Esse bicho-papão da crise é uma explicação conveniente, ainda que a Toyota tenha sido forçada a informar o seu primeiro prejuízo em 65 anos.

Também justificável foi a declaração da Toyota de que o movimento salvaria dinheiro — US$ 350 milhões por ano no que entende-se ser o custo da F1 para a companhia. Mas para um fabricante do tamanho da Toyota, a idéia de que ela não pode competir na F1 é uma fachada.

Talvez a companhia seja uma perdedora e Akio Toyoda, o seu novo presidente, não possa carregar o estigma e a vergonha de financiar uma equipe medíocre por mais três anos. A Toyota não venceu uma única corrida desde que adentrou o esporte em 2002. Recessão, sob esse ponto de vista, torna-se uma desculpa que livra a cara pelo abandono do esporte.

A desculpa financeira também é falsa. Os engenheiros da Toyota aprenderam um bocado com o esporte. A Maurgau Matrix, companhia britânica especializada em análise de mídia, calcula que esta temporada trouxe à equipe e seus parceiros exposição de US$ 353 milhões. Nem os gananciosos e vigilantes acionistas da Toyota justificariam sua partida da F1 baseada no desperdício de dinheiro.

A decisão da Toyota de deixar a F1 é desculpa esfarrapada para tempos difíceis — o sacrifício de algo brilhante e caro para persuadir o Japão de que sua maior empresa está levando a recessão a sério.

Akio Toyoda herdou uma companhia gigante com força extraordinária, mas com iguais desafios. Ele talvez tenha de desempregar centenas de trabalhadores em um país que tem desprezo ideológico pelo capitalismo.

A verdade é que a Toyota, como os seus rivais locais, deixou o automobilismo porque percebeu que o Japão não está disposto a assistir suas empresas se divertindo.”

IMAGEM. Ferrari.com

Images ~ Street Image x Toyota SEMA Project Vehicles

Once again Toyota contracted the masterminds at Street Image to produce a couple of vehicles for the annual SEMA show. Eric Valdes was given a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Camry Hybrid this year and here are the results of the builds.

The Toyota Venza, a staple of school carpools, morphed into a dream ride for extreme athletes at the 2009 SEMA Auto Show. The Toyota/Billabong Ultimate Venza is laden with gear for outdoor lovers, including a heated shower system, a custom roof rack and a hidden cargo rack that extends from the rear bumper for skis and snowboards.

While the curious can only ogle the custom Venza via photographs at this point, Toyota says the concept will be the official Billabong Team vehicle for use by surf-, snow-, skate- and wakeboard athletes. It will be displayed at upcoming Billabong events in the U.S. following the aftermarket show.

Street Image built the concept, adding a custom body kit with “Billabong” emblazoned on the side. Large Enkei wheels with Nitto tires and a TRD big brake kit round out the package. The cabin gets seats upholstered with wetsuit materials, while the headliner features a collage showing Billabong athletes in action.

Toyota says a Verizon Wireless access point router was installed, which lets athletes get up-to-date surf or snow reports. Other details include headrest-mounted LCD monitors, an audio system with 18 speakers and an iPod interface.

The Toyota Surfrider Camry Hybrid CNG is not going to be limited to the elite crowd at the 2009 SEMA Auto Show. Toyota said on Tuesday that it will provide a production version of the Camry that runs on compressed natural gas to the Surfrider Foundation. The organization is expected to use it for outreach campaigns, education programs and beach clean-up events.

The Surfrider looks distinctive and PC, with a vehicle wrap that features CNG and Surfrider logos. The car’s gas fuel system was replaced with a CNG system in the spare tire well. A viewing window shows off the CNG fuel cylinders.

Toyota says the Surfrider has a range of 250-plus miles and returns 32 miles per gallon in city driving and 24 mpg on the highway. The powertrain is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive.

The hybrid showcar gets a body kit with a custom front grille and unique rear bumper that covers the tailpipe and exhaust system. The ride height was lowered on an adjustable coil-over suspension. A set of 20-inch alloy wheels rounds out the package.

The nonprofit Surfrider Foundation was founded in Malibu, California.

Renault decision to come in December

Renault has said that it will have decided whether or not to remain in Formula One before the end of the year. Following confirmation of Toyota’s exit from the sport on Wednesday, the French marque held emergency meetings in Paris with the future of its Formula One team being the sole priority.

With Honda having pulled out in December last year, BMW making its announcement in July and Toyota following suit this week, three major car manufacturers have now left the sport within the space of twelve months; Renault could become a fourth, depending on the outcome of their executives’ meeting in the French capital.

“You’ll just have to be patient,” Carlos Ghosn, Renault’s Chief Executive, told reporters. “We’ll be making an announcement on our participation in Formula One before the end of the year.”

Having returned to F1 as a full-time works team after buying the Benetton team for 2002, Renault clinched the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles back-to-back in 2005 and 2006. Another option also being considered by diamond brand is to stay in the sport as an engine supplier only.

Reference: gpupdate.net

Withdrawal symptoms!

This week started with the news that Bridgestone will withdraw from the sport after 2010 and yesterday Toyota kissed F1 goodbye and now there is news that Renault held a meeting to discuss their future in the motorsport.

Were Renault to pull out, it will be an extraordinary year of the exit of major manufacturer teams in F1. Honda and BMW exit is not even a year old by now. Only remaining manufacturer involvement will be Mercedes and Ferrari.

Toyota’s reason to leave sport is due to falling sales of their cars. For the first time in their history since 1937 they lost money in a fiscal year. They lost $4.74b in 2008 and are expected to lose $8.3b in 2009. This is compounded by Toyota’s F1 programme’s high costs and failure to live up-to its expectations. In last 8 years of their involvement Toyota was on podium only for 8 times. Although Toyota signed concorde agreement to remain in the sport till 2012 but the numbers have played a huge part in their decision to quit.

Renault always looked like first time to leave the sport. They are already indebted by bail out package from their goverment. Along with that Carlos Ghosn isn’t F1 friendly. Numbers can play a part there too. Recently, Renault also had to suffer from ignominy of Piquet-gate. F1 is famous across the world and such incidents really tarnish the image of the whole company. Although Renault have fired the culprits but still this disgrace will be languishing at the back of their minds and can act as another factor on why they want to withdraw.

Renault can remain as a engine supplier much like 90s when they formed a formidable champion car with Williams.

The situation never looked good for manufacturers to remain in the sport in the current climate. The economic meltdown in the past 2 years have taken a toll on manufacturers and when the core business suffers, other things are bound to suffer.  F1 is all about cycles and in the current phase the number of manufacturer entries will be low.

Max Mosley already envisaged such a scenario and he was pushing for low costs but his methods were too radical and this led to famous FIA-FOTA war. His bad mouthing in the press might have already made F1 a less attractive place for manufacturers who were considering a breakaway series.

I would be upset to see Renault leave the sport. It is my second team because of Fernando Alonso. Also, a hugely talented driver in Robert Kubica’s future will be in disarray again after similar thing happened in BMW.

Toyota Dikabarkan Mundur dari Formula 1

(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Tokyo, 04 November 2009 - Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) yang selama ini terlibat aktif dalam balapan bergengsi Formula 1, Rabu (04/11) dikabarkan akan mundur dari kegiatan balapan itu pada 2010 mendatang. Mainichi Newspaper menulis, mundurnya TMC dari F1 itu dikarenakan turunnya penjualan akibat krisis global.

Toyota merupakan satu-satunya tim Jepang yang tinggal di F1 namun tidak memiliki pembalap untuk musim balap pada tahun depan. Pabrikan ini disebut-sebut juga akan menarik diri sebagai pemasok mesin Williams mulai musim 2010.

Bila benar terjadi, langkah Toyota ini menambah deretan pabrikan otomotif dan perlengkapan otomotif yang menarik diri dari F1. Sebelumnya, pada Desember tahun lalu, Honda juga menyatakan mundur dari olah raga ini. Dan Senin (02/11) lalu pabrikan ban Bridgestone juga menyatakan mundur dari kegiatan F1 setelah musim balap 2010 mendatang.

Seperti diketahui, sejak 2002 Toyota tidak pernah memenangi kejuaraan balap F1 itu. Sementara dana anggaran yang digunakan juga semakin membesar. Setidaknya US $ 300 juta.

Pada awal tahun ini, Toyota telah menandatangani perjanjian concorde yang berisikan komitmen Toyota untuk tetap berada dalam ajang F1 setidaknya hingga 2012. Sehingga, bila benar-benar mundur Toyota harus mendapatkan ijin secara legal.

Manajemen Toyota, sebut Mainichi Newspaper, hingga saat ini tidak membenarkan maupun membantah kabar yang menyebut Toyota mundur dari F1 tersebut.

Sumber foto

Auto piccole, ma grandi dentro

Sul numero di novembre di Altroconsumo:

Anche nella fascia di prezzo economica, sotto i 13 mila euro, la parola d’ordine è: spazio da vendere.
Scegliere un’utilitaria, dalle dimensioni e dal peso più contenuto, consente di abbattere la spesa del carburante e di inquinare meno. Lo dice il nostro test.

// Auto piccole, ma grandi dentro

Risparmiare sul carburante
Il peso e le dimensioni dell’automobile sono fattori da cui dipende il consumo di benzina e quindi le emissioni. Consumi ed emissioni sono le prove più riuscite di questo test sulle auto di fascia di prezzo economica, quasi tutte utilitarie. Ed è la riprova che se l’automobile è meno pesante il motore non è mai sotto sforzo, perché deve sviluppare una potenza ridotta per muovere il mezzo, consumando poco anche se l’alimentazione è a benzina. Alla faccia dei Suv. Oggi il motto è: piccola fuori, spaziosa dentro. E, infatti, la sempre maggiore abitabilità interna è una delle novità della categoria.

Al volante qualche sbandata
Sono molti i modelli al di sotto dei 13 mila euro o poco più. Cifra che consente di acquistare anche una berlina o una station wagon. In strada emergono i maggiori punti deboli delle vetture, da cui i numerosi giudizi negativi. In pratica molti modelli sono poco scattanti, poco reattivi nei cambiamenti di direzione e nello scartare gli ostacoli. Le prove su motore e cambio non destano preoccupazioni, mentre qualche modello ha prestazioni modeste nelle frenate ripetute.

Le utilitarie sono richieste soprattutto in città, perché semplificano la caccia al parcheggio, oppure per fare piccole commissioni percorrendo brevi tragitti. Ma se questa comodità comporta la necessità di acquistare la seconda auto di famiglia non è detto che ne valga la pena: meglio fare un pensierino sul car sharing, l’auto a noleggio a ore.

Sicurezza variabile
Le piccole dimensioni in generale non riducono la sicurezza attiva e passiva garantita al guidatore e al passeggero. Attualmente molte utilitarie superano brillantemente i test europei Euroncap. Ciò nonostante, qualche modello vacilla da questo punto di vista. I giudizi negativi riguardano la verifica della sicurezza passiva di un veicolo, ovvero come si comporta in caso di incidente.

Questi risultati negativi ci ricordano ancora una volta che quando acquistiamo un’auto non dobbiamo farci abbagliare dalle sole dotazioni di sicurezza attiva (garantita da Abs, EPS, cinture di sicurezza…), perché la salvaguardia in auto non può prescindere dalla risposta del nostro veicolo in caso di impatto.

Fonte: www.altroconsumo.it

FT-86, Sedan Sport Perkawinan Toyota dan Subaru

Tokyo, 1 November 2009 - Dua pabrikan otomotif Toyota dan Subaru, akhirnya resmi meluncurkan model hasil kolaborasi mereka di ajang Tokyo Motor Show 2009, Jumat (30/10). Mobil yang diberi nama FT-86 tersebut memadukan kemampuan Toyota dan kecantikan Subaru.

Seperti dilaporkan motorauthority, mobil berjuluk Hachiroku itu disebut-sebut akan dipasarkan mulai 2011 mendatang. Mobil ini menggunakan konsep sporty dengan kursi 2+2 dan mengadopsi gaya RWD Corolla AE86.

Meski bukan mobil listrik atau hybird, namun FT-86 diklaim sebagai mobil sporty berbahan bakar bensin yang ramah lingkungan, tetapi tetap mengumatakan kecepatan yang selama ini menjadi keunggulan Toyota dan Subaru.

FT-86 dibekali mesin 2.000 cc empat silinder, yang mampu menyemburkan tenaga hingga 200 daya kuda. Mobil yang menggunakan sistem transmisi manual enam kecepatan itu juga dilengkapi piranti rem ADVICS.

Sementara penggerak roda menggunakan sistem penggerak roda belakang. Desain dan tampilan FT-86 versi produksi, diklaim tidak akan mengalami perubahan yang mencolok dengan versi konsepnya.

Yang pasti, sumber terpercaya di kalangan Toyota mengatakan, FT-86 akan menyuguhkan perpaduan yang berbeda dan tidak bisa ditemui di pasar manapun.

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