Toyota: Moving Forward?

Safety, dependability, and family. That's what Toyota has built as its brand image. And people eat it up. But what Toyota doesn't show you in its commercials is its incredible ambitions and the cost of achieving those goals. 8 years ago, Toyota set a goal to own 15% of the automobile market by 2010. This means that they would become the largest auto maker in the world, but they would also have to grow their company by 50%. But as the recent headlines attest, recalls and faulty parts are the cost to pay for such rapid growth.

There are two major problems with Toyota cars: sticky accelerators and faulty brakes. To combat the problem of unintended accelerations, Toyota has proposed to install braking override systems. This solution will hopefully solve the problem that has led to millions of recalls due to potential accelerator problems. But unlike the sticky accelerator problem which extends across multiple models, the braking problem seems to mainly affect hybrid models. The hybrids use a combination of traditional brake pads and an electronic system. Toyota has identified that the problem occurs when the car switches between these two systems, when the anti-lock system begins to kick in.

Whether or not this incident proves to be the fall of Toyota or merely a small dent on its image remains to be determined. But one thing that will be a factor in this decision is the brand image of Toyota and the emotional connection it has built with its customers. Toyota owners are known for their exceptional loyalty and consumers in general are known for having notoriously short memories. Toyota has expanded quickly, maybe even too quickly. And the cult of efficiency and growth it has been preaching for the past few years maybe catching up with them. But if they handle themselves in the right manner during this time, they can maintain their status as the world's largest auto manufacturers and avoid losing their consumer base and brand image.

Works Cited:

The New York Times "Toyota Is to Recall 2010 Prius Model Cars for Brakes"

The New York Times "Toyota Says More Models Might Get Fix for Acceleration"

The New York Times "Rapid Growth Has Its Perils, Toyota Learns"

http://me.stanford.edu/groups/design/automotive/images/LogoToyota.jpg