Quote:
Originally Posted by shawnhayes
Only outselling VW by 1 million units is far from "wiping the floor" with the other manufacturers.
https://www.factorywarrantylist.com/...ufacturer.html
Toyota is, and consistently has been, behind other manufacturers for years in innovation, and new technology. Sales is only one measure of "getting it right" and the vision for the future. Co-opting other people's technology cannot be the plan for the future. That's the "Enron" approach.
Saying sales is the only measure of an automobile manufacturer is saying that Walmart is the worlds best retailer. It does have the most sales, but so?
When Toyota can't independently manufacture it's own EV, or it's best sport cars without the assistance of another manufacturer, I question the "wiping the floor" assertion. Toyota is very very good at manufacturing and sales - innovation not so much. The hybrids have been good, but up until now, have been sow pig ugly.
I can't say toyota is crap. I just can't. But, if I had to rely on modern Toyota engineers to design the future, that would be a sad sad day. Everyone driving a GR Camry would just be....yeeeech.
Shawn |
That data is for 2023 and I have been referring to recent trends thru Q1 of this year. Especially March where almost every automaker saw flat or declining sales while also experiencing lower avg. sale price per vehicle. However, the trend for Toyota continues upwards while others decline, and they not only continue to capture more market share, but they have also been able to charge more for their vehicles while nearly everyone else is lowering their prices. That’s an extremely strong position to be in, and reiterates the strong demand for their products.
With regards to sales, we are talking about a company as a whole, not just one aspect of a company. I never said Toyota makes the best vehicles on the road, I mentioned their success with regards to what they have accomplished in the past 4yrs. They have continued to gain more market share, while increasing their prices and maintaining sales growth YoY. That’s not easy these days! Toyota makes good (perhaps not great) vehicles, but they understand how to leverage their strategy to ensure they are here for the long haul.
They have a wholistic approach, they are not focused too heavily on any one aspect of their operation. Their vehicles are not for the niche and are certainly not an ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ because they are designed for the masses, so one could argue they will always be behind with regards to innovation.
Take BMW for example, they certainly rocked the boat with their innovative design changes on recent models and their new tech in vehicles. Some long time customers were less than thrilled with these changes, and although some eventually came around to liking these changes, others have decided to move onto to something different. So there is more risk involved with pushing innovation because it involves change and people are usually reluctant to change. People want more of the recipe they like, but just slightly better, which limits innovation. Toyota understands this, and has taken advantage of this characteristic in people. It may not be for everyone, but it’s for the majority.
So someone else may have a better designed vehicle, a more innovative vehicle, or even a more affordable vehicle, but ultimately if you are not selling said vehicles you won’t have a company for long. Automotive sales are much different than retail sales. Toyota selling 1M more vehicles than VW is substantial because it is not easy to shift that much market share YoY, that takes time and represents the very strong demand for their products. Also, automakers can’t easily swap out products on shelves like Walmart can. If an automaker has just one bad generation of vehicles it can bankrupt them or take them years to recover (Infiniti is one example).
Ultimately, you will hear most people in the industry wish they were in the position Toyota is in! And a close second is selling used Toyotas lol. Even a luxury brand dealer will get excited when they find out a potential customer is trading in a Toyota, and the total opposite if they find out it’s an EV they are trading in.