Some of this ground may have been covered elsewhere, particularly with regard to the Scion-like marketing of the FJ Cruiser, but I don't think I've seen the Wall Street Journal link here on Scionlife yet ...

:bow: :bow: :bow:
Paul
Allscion -- an e-commerce website with news and accessories for your Scions
http://www.allscion.com/store


http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/images/MK-AF581A_ADVER_20060110192544.jpg

http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB113694516671743361.html


Mr. Farley thinks Toyota's problems aren't about sales. He believes they are matters of the heart. Consumers like Toyota's cars and value its reputation for quality. But most customers don't have a passion for Toyota, which has tended toward bland designs and middle of the road market positions. Mr. Farley's mission is to change that -- before rivals can close the quality gap that has sustained Toyota's U.S. growth for nearly three decades.

"I'd like to make Toyota a brand you not only respect but like or even love," he says. "Although love is tough. That has to be earned."

I am a die hard toyota fan but toyota is lacking hard in fun exciting cars. The trucks are the funnest thing they have going for them i pray that they come out with somthing exciting soon and somthing to whoop up on civics and subi's. Scion is the funnest thing they have going and not that i dont love my scion but when it comes to performance we kind of get left in the dust.

well, they've already talked about giving subaru reign on helping design a new toyota in the next 2-3 years (toyota owns a portion of subaru). so, that should be exciting. just in time for the tC redesign.....

I know what Toyota can do that could help the brand: Build and sell homes. Same MSRP price across the contigious states w/pure pricing. Price should NOT be adjusted just because the neighborhood has a high resale value. $200K should do it w/all appliances (sub zero freezers would be nice too). But this wont happen oh well.

http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/more_than_cars/housing/index.html

Earthquake resistant design ( I like the top one very much)
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/more_than_cars/housing/image/house_02.jpg
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/more_than_cars/housing/image/house_04.jpg
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/more_than_cars/housing/image/house_01.jpg

Toyota's other non-automotive ventures:
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/index_non_automotive.html

Well, the FJ Cruiser is a step in the right direction. I'd say that more cars with removable or retractable roofs would spark some passion!

true. other non-automotive ventures of toyota have yet to be popularized in the u.s... like honda has. toyota has to have a full blown merge with yamaha, sell more if its boats, and introduce some of those houses here.

... like that will happen soon. lol.

boats. . . boats. . . boats. . . didn't GM build boats? Oh wait, those were called Oldsmobiles and they had wheels.

Over-diversification is the first step towards the financial ruin of a company. I'm not saying that Toyota is heading there, but it's treading dangerous ground. Gm was at its prime when it started to diversify into 50 billion brands and products. . . and we all know what resulted from that. And there are plenty of other historical examples.

But having said that, I will completely contradict myself by saying that I would LOVE to own a Toyota computer with a Toyota operating system. Windows never fails to fail me. I spent 4 hours working on Menu designs for a restaurant, only to have windows corrupt the file upon saving.

And like the others are saying; innovative design and good performance is key. . .
. . . I've owned a few different Toyota models before, and as die hard as they were, I could never love them. They were just too plain. The design is moving in the right direction. . . as are the engines (although I'm kinda ticked that the smaller displacement 1NZ and 1ZZ motors have not been updated yet). . . I really like what they've done with the new 3.5L V6 and the new 4.6L V8. . .
. . . but Toyota suspensions need some serious attention. . . stock for stock that is.

boats. . . boats. . . boats. . . didn't GM build boats? Oh wait, those were called Oldsmobiles and they had wheels.

Over-diversification is the first step towards the financial ruin of a company. I'm not saying that Toyota is heading there, but it's treading dangerous ground. Gm was at its prime when it started to diversify into 50 billion brands and products. . . and we all know what resulted from that. And there are plenty of other historical examples.

OTOH, Toyota has the examples of Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries. They make everything from microchips to oil tankers and seem to be pretty darned successful at it.

GM didn't really diversify. They just bought up competing companies and continued to use their nameplates. After a while it became embarassing because there was little difference between cars with different nameplates. Now and then one would escape the factory with an Olds nameplate on one side and a Pontiac nameplate on the other... :)

George

...don't forget about Hyundai, they also manufacture everything known to man. Just my two cents. :) No other opinion on Toyota non-cars.

Give me a 26-32k car worthy of the supra name plate, a MR-2 in the scion line up (dont forget to release it under the toyota name elsewhere in the world, with a 2zz engine), and launch the TRD vehicle program (alongside a lexus performance division) and you have my love, Mr.Farley and TMCo. If you have a daughter i'll marry her, cherish her and give you some cute, smart grandkids.... :)

Mr. Farley thinks Toyota's problems aren't about sales. He believes they are matters of the heart. Consumers like Toyota's cars and value its reputation for quality. But most customers don't have a passion for Toyota, which has tended toward bland designs and middle of the road market positions. Mr. Farley's mission is to change that -- before rivals can close the quality gap that has sustained Toyota's U.S. growth for nearly three decades.

"I'd like to make Toyota a brand you not only respect but like or even love," he says. "Although love is tough. That has to be earned."

Right On~ :clap:

boats. . . boats. . . boats. . . didn't GM build boats? Oh wait, those were called Oldsmobiles and they had wheels.

Over-diversification is the first step towards the financial ruin of a company. I'm not saying that Toyota is heading there, but it's treading dangerous ground. Gm was at its prime when it started to diversify into 50 billion brands and products. . . and we all know what resulted from that. And there are plenty of other historical examples.

OTOH, Toyota has the examples of Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries. They make everything from microchips to oil tankers and seem to be pretty darned successful at it.

GM didn't really diversify. They just bought up competing companies and continued to use their nameplates. After a while it became embarassing because there was little difference between cars with different nameplates. Now and then one would escape the factory with an Olds nameplate on one side and a Pontiac nameplate on the other... :)

George

Touche, but I don't know if I would go so far as to say that Mitsu and Fuji are profit rich companies. I forget the other classic examples of over-diversification, but I doubt you need me to remind you. . . I'm sure you already know :P . I hear what you are saying, and you have a good point.

Y'all ,I got a interesting thought?A hybrid-convertable sports car priced somewher around $14 - 20,000 ,any thoughts?As a previous Honda Insight owner I know that hybrids share a all common the question of power?
One thingis that sport cars r mostly gas hungry? Well u could fuse sports cars and hybrids together along with the coolness of
a Scion.I hope some of Toyota or Scion excs c this?

Hybrids are to expensive to make the scion line. The MR-S isnt very gas hungry nor is the celica Gt-S....

Something along the lines of an mr-s with the 2zz engine would be nice

Interesting I heard Honda was supposed to make hybrids a lot cheaper next year?Maybe it's just talk but, rite now the basic Honda Civic Hybrid cost $22,400.00 thats without anything /no options.The Scion Xa just standard has a new price of $14,400.00 and that is what made the final decision on me.I got the Scion Xa due to the fact it would take 8 years with no problems on the Civic Hybrid to be better than the Scion Xa .If what Honda says is true (which I don't think so)the Honda Civic Hybrids in 2007 r going to b the same price as a normal Civic.I guess I think too far ahead ? To me there r a lot of why's.I'm thinking far ahead and thinking of a sports car that can get 50MPG and kick butt.Since,I have heard a lot about talkings from this forum and such about convertables and such .I thought perhaps,I would share a little bit of my thoughts ,a convertable,hybrid ,sports car,anyone?

I'm a big Toyota fan boy but yeah Toyota has been lacking. With the discontinuation of the Supra, Celica and MR-2 Spyder here in the US. There's really nothing exciting in terms of a performance car in their lineup. They need to bring back a fun car that fully accepts the hobby of modding.

Bring back a new Supra or atleast bring an AWD 3sgte powered Toyota vehicle to compete in the same classa as the STI or EVO.

Hopefully they can bring the Caldina to the states or atleast a next gen Celica All-trac or GT4.

I'm a big Toyota fan boy but yeah Toyota has been lacking. With the discontinuation of the Supra, Celica and MR-2 Spyder here in the US. There's really nothing exciting in terms of a performance car in their lineup. They need to bring back a fun car that fully accepts the hobby of modding.

Bring back a new Supra or atleast bring an AWD 3sgte powered Toyota vehicle to compete in the same classa as the STI or EVO.

Hopefully they can bring the Caldina to the states or atleast a next gen Celica All-trac or GT4.

The new IS350 rips up the competition in terms of performance and track times. . . but it seriously lacks in drive "feel." But when it comes to outright performance (mainly acceleration), it is blindingly fast. I think they are moving in that direction. . . slowly. . . lol. . . poor choice of words on my part.

IMO, the last car company to inspire love in its vehicles was VW. Despite their warts, the aircooled VWs had (and continue to have) a die-hard following. I spent last weekend at Lake Havasu at a VW bus meet that had 300 buses in attendence.

http://www.busesbythebridge.com/

Considering that VW last sold their aircooled bus in the US in 1978 and that most of the people attending this event drove hundreds of miles across the desert in 4000 pound vehicles that make 60 horsepower, I'd say that this qualifies as "love".

However, did VW find this "love" useful from a marketing standpoint? Not really. Once they decided to go to FWD and watercooling they pretty much turned into a Germanic Toyota. After all, VW, like Toyota, wants people to buy a new car every few years, not keep their old one forever.

Ah ,the old VW's .They should teach the autoworld a lesson?Interesting , that they got 33mpg even back then?Yet hybrids of today only now get only 50mpg ,roughly?I find it so fascinating that in only 40 years of the automobile the volkswagon could achieve that high gas mileage ,have we gone astray?We priase automobiles today for getting the same now ,100+ years later after the birth of the automobile?My old 1972VWbug died after on the odometer getting 657,592 miles on it ,not to shabby.

Ah ,the old VW's .They should teach the autoworld a lesson?Interesting , that they got 33mpg even back then?Yet hybrids of today only now get only 50mpg ,roughly?I find it so fascinating that in only 40 years of the automobile the volkswagon could achieve that high gas mileage ,have we gone astray?We priase automobiles today for getting the same now ,100+ years later after the birth of the automobile?My old 1972VWbug died after on the odometer getting 657,592 miles on it ,not to shabby.

Well, the numbers are pretty flexible. My '69 bug (1600DP) gets about 25MPG in town and makes about 50HP. Compare that with my xB that gets 28MPG and makes twice the power. Of course, the xB needs some of that extra power to push extra weight, but it is a bit quicker than the bug. One would expect that with about 65 years of engine refinement.

A bug is still a bug :eyebrow:

OTOH, Toyota has the examples of Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries. They make everything from microchips to oil tankers and seem to be pretty darned successful at it.

GM didn't really diversify. They just bought up competing companies and continued to use their nameplates. After a while it became embarassing because there was little difference between cars with different nameplates. Now and then one would escape the factory with an Olds nameplate on one side and a Pontiac nameplate on the other... :)

George

...And Chevy engines in Pontiacs for the higher Pontiac price! Remember that little one? That's why GMAC is selling mortgages as DiTech.com for fresh money.

I find it humorous that Ford and GM r now 3 times embarrassed.Anyone remember Preston Tucker?I might add a little refreshment in history.The Tucker Torpedo as it was called ,it had features like in 1947 for example:moving headlites like the one's seen in the new Lexus SUV's.At least 20 mpg,interesting most cars today have that same mpg.
Interesting that the gas crisis in 1973 during the Jewish Holiday Yom Kippor (and the 6 days war) did not really spurn our dependence on foriegn oil .The Japanese came into thier being because of it.
Sept.11th 2000 was yet another milestone in the USA as gas prices reached 6 bux in some areas around here for a short time.At that time I owned a hybrid b4 that time a lot of ppl laughed at me some quieted themselves after.Afterwards things remained status quo and yet again were now on "the trip to nowhere",as a Talking Heads song says.Katrina and Rita hit on the coast here and America has sadly found out us southerners r still paying for the civil war .To make my point more concrete all u have to do is look at Waveland ,Mississippi.Interesting the southern part of Mississippi still looks 3rd world?Gas prices rose after that debocle,amazing isn't it? (end of part 1)

Please forgive me ,there is a bad storm around here.
Ppl often ask me ,"why I got a Scion Xa instead of a hybrid?"The main reason why is cost. In my calculations I would have to drive the hybrid at least 5-6 years with no problems to begin to benefit from it.I was not amazed when 1 of the representatives said,"We r not going to build a Scion hybrid due to the cost".My question to all of the automotive manufacturers is how long?
Yet again ,I get a little sidetracked .Ford and Gm have been around for how long?,accumalative of 150 years?Surely Gm and Ford with thier experience and know how could wipe any compettitor clean but,they have not done so,Y? As many of u ,I'm in a Scion ,a Japanese car .Ford and GM seem like they r retreating from the field with laying off workers and getting rid of pensions it's amazing to me that there still is a Detroit after this constant battering and belittleing the workers and not to say the least ,thier customers?I think Ford and Gm will go away with the dinosaurs and the Japanese and Germans will prevail in this auto world .Amazing everyone laughed at Preston Tucker when he mentioned that in 1947...........Thank You for Your Patience