Toyota is world number 1 now

[DirtyHarry]

Originally Posted by AUIIForte

You're kidding right?
(The period they are talking a about is 3 month's here)

It's funny what you say because 2.26 million vehicles sold in that small time frame sounds like a hell of a lot of cars and business. hehe

It's not funny when you consider how much they are losing on a lot of those cars.

It is arguable that both Ford and GM would be better off financialy if they stopped car manufacturing altogether in North America, and somehow spun off their non-US operations. They lose money on pretty much every North American made car that they sell.

[Rev28K]

Originally Posted by MethodX

Thats Funny, Fiat are back making profit again, and the biggest growing brand in Europe. And most inportantly still italian owned.

Remember that GM recently paid out $2billion US so that they wouldn't be landed with them, that type of money will go a long way.

Having said that I hope that Fiat prosper (and Lancia come back) and don't make the mistakes that they did in the past.

[robjh80]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Business yes. Profitable no.

"Exactly"..........according to this article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6243581.stm

Ford lost $17 Billion dollars last year and borrowed $20 Billion from the banks by mortgaging all of it's manufacturing plants just to stay operational.

The Chief Economist at Research Firm "CAR", Sean McAlindrin claims that Ford are currently losing $4000 on every car they make!!

No company is able to sustain this sort of business indefinately, Ford simply cannot survive carrying on losing money like this, they need a bigger escape plan than anything Houdini could dream up to get out of this mess!!

[[Tonko]]

Good on them, they build a good, reliable car and believe it or not... people will buy them because of that...
Alot arent looking for a performance car...
My old man had an FJ40 up until 3 years ago, with 800,000k's on the original motor and 'box, We both have had way more problems with our current cars, (EL Ghia I6, XD Ghia V8) he bought a 1990 Landy 3 years ago, since then, it has only done a water pump...
If this shocks any of the carmakers like it should, It will teach them to lift their game or die a slow death....


**OT, To the post starter, i found out what your name means yesterday, not personally, but someone told me, Very gross.... :***

[Steffo]

Originally Posted by Homer1

I'm just loving how Japanese cars are coming out on top everywhere as they deserve (yes even boring ol Toyota), just to rub the point in your face MethodX! When was the last time an Italian brand dominated the world market???.... oh thats right, they never did, cause they always fell apart before long and are worth crap all after 3 years anyway. You will be waiting and hoping for something that will never happen, so good luck (not!) :

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars...ype=7&trecs=19

I mean yeah, these just aren't worth anything after 3 years hey...

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars...ype=7&trecs=11

Both were $200k+ when new... one's lost over 60% of its value, the other has lost only about 45% of its value when new. Yeap, Italian cars have bad resale and their Jap competitors are great (and those two were direct competitors in the early 90s - the Ferrari 348 inspired the design of the NSX and was the car they aimed to compete with - but if Italian cars aren't as good, why were they inspired by one to copy it and strive to be like it?).

[flukey77]

Originally Posted by Steffo

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars...ype=7&trecs=19

I mean yeah, these just aren't worth anything after 3 years hey...

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars...ype=7&trecs=11

Both were $200k+ when new... one's lost over 60% of its value, the other has lost only about 45% of its value when new. Yeap, Italian cars have bad resale and their Jap competitors are great (and those two were direct competitors in the early 90s - the Ferrari 348 inspired the design of the NSX and was the car they aimed to compete with - but if Italian cars aren't as good, why were they inspired by one to copy it and strive to be like it?).

Exactly!

[MethodX]

I think he was meaning that old Fiats and Alfas werent great.
And they werent, they went through a bad patch in the 70's and 80's

Seem to have turned the corner now and are making decent cars again.

[flukey77]

Originally Posted by TonkoXR8

Good on them, they build a good, reliable car and believe it or not... people will buy them because of that...
Alot arent looking for a performance car...
My old man had an FJ40 up until 3 years ago, with 800,000k's on the original motor and 'box, We both have had way more problems with our current cars, (EL Ghia I6, XD Ghia V8) he bought a 1990 Landy 3 years ago, since then, it has only done a water pump...
If this shocks any of the carmakers like it should, It will teach them to lift their game or die a slow death....

Dont write off the reliability of the Falcons either. My old man was an avid Holden supporter, and was searching for a Commodore wagon to replace his old HJ back in 1990. Fortunately, there were no good Commodore wagons available locally at the time and a 6 seater EA Falcon wagon came up at a good price so he gave it a try. This car has since single handedly converted our entire family into Ford followers because of its reliability and resistance to everything we have thrown at it. In over 300,000 km it has had the alternator replaced and we recently replaced the autobox, and apart from that it hasnt missed a beat. On 2 occasions we have broken fan belts a fair way out of town (due to us not keeping an eye on them), and have driven the car home nearly overheatin it on the way. In both occassions it was started up the next morning no worries. When the time came to get a new car, my old man didnt even consider anything other than a Falcon, resulting in the AU that is sitting in our shed.

[Kenster]

Originally Posted by flukey77

Cant argue with that, i guess its not Toyotas fault that the A to B masses want bland cars, lol. But come on Toyota, bring back the supra!!

flukey on your thing about the supra so far i know that i read somewhere in a magazine that they are planning to bring back the toyota supra in all new concept design, also its may be going into hybrid as well.

Just wait and see so far i dont know if they are going to release to the public

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by MethodX

I think he was meaning that old Fiats and Alfas werent great.
And they werent, they went through a bad patch in the 70's and 80's

Seem to have turned the corner now and are making decent cars again.

Well Fiat has moved up a little but still a long way to go: http://www.topgear.com/content/carsu...ures/08/2.html

If you look at the trends in these reliabilty/quality surveys (such as Powers, or warranty suppliers: http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/ma...htype=relindex) Toyota only holds top billing through its Lexus brand, the toyota brand has been slipping downwards slowly, though still better than the likes of Ford. The European brand that has been sitting at the top, above even the Japanese, has been Skoda, otherwise Lexus, Honda and Mazda consistently have top billing.

But the point is you still need a car designed for your needs. Holden and Ford have cars designed for Australian needs which overseas brands don't, so you have to accept a quality compromise to get that unfortunately.

[AussieJason]

Originally Posted by AUIIForte

You're kidding right?

Unfortunately, no. Ford US is in serious trouble, sales are falling, their car range is uninspiring, and losing $17 Billion in a year says it all.

Some positive signs are now there though. Apparently build quality is up, they are looking into their car range, and trying to cut costs by closing plants, paying out employees etc...

Hopefully it isn't too little too late !

[Aulpgute]

Have to agree on Toyota quality. There are always exceptions but generally a Toyota with 200k on it will feel as good or better than a Ford or Holden with half of that. Will be interesting what the future holds with Hilux quality as I believe they are manufactured in Spain or Brazil rather than Japan like in the past. Have also heard the Rodeo and Navara are made there as well, can anyone confirm this for sure?

[robjh80]

Originally Posted by Kenster

flukey on your thing about the supra so far i know that i read somewhere in a magazine that they are planning to bring back the toyota supra in all new concept design, also its may be going into hybrid as well.

Just wait and see so far i dont know if they are going to release to the public

Here it is.....



Currently only a prototype, released for view at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show, it is indeed the much anticipated replacement for the Supra........"if it ever gets to the production line."

Runs a 3.5L V6 developing 400HP, 0-100 in 4 seconds........."yep, I see ya point about Toyota cars, this one really sounds and looks pretty boring to me...... :sm_drool:

Here's some more info and pics....

http://www.trendpimp.com/article/162...HS_Rocket.html

[Falcon_Phill]

Its as ugly as the last one. And every other toyota for that matter.

[Redrum]

Toyota has something the US car makers don't, long term planning.........

[Rev28K]

QUOTE
Rumors about a revival of that brilliant, rear-drive, lightweight Toyota Corolla Sport coupe that starred in the ‘80s continue to do make the rounds in Tokyo.

Known as the AE86, and sold in Japan variously as the Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno, it was also a hit in Europe as the Corolla GT and sold in North America as the Corolla Sport (in DX, SR5, and GT-S trims, respectively). It’s a car that’s still number one among the toge zoku, Japan’s late night mountain racing tribe thanks to a wonderful, willful chassis that was just born to powerslide.

Senior factions with Toyota have been keen to bring the car back, but the sales and marketing teams have so far torpedoed it because they can’t believe it would sell.

First, of course, Toyota would need a good Corolla-class, rear-drive chassis, but sadly, there aren’t too many of those to go around right now. But still, the speculation about a modern day AE86 just won’t go away…


http://news.windingroad.com/body-sty...evival-rumors/

QUOTE

Our pals at Winding Road just passed along a note that Toyota might be considering re-releasing the driftastic Corolla Sport. The endearingly tossable rear-wheel-drive AE86 platform was known by many names around the world: Corolla Levin, Sprinter Trueno, Corolla GT and of course the Corolla Sport in the States. Particularly in GT-S trim, it was one of the few sporty models to make its way into Toyota dealerships, alongside the Celica and Supra, and eventually the MR2, which essentially replaced it. But it was fun and cheap, and that set it apart. Available from 1983-1987, it was one of the last affordable rear-drive cars that could take a pounding, making it a favorite of budget street racers and the emerging drift scene in the '80s and '90s.

It looks like the suits at Toyota are close to greenlighting a new version. Apparently the idea has been floated several times over the years with mixed reaction, but it seems to be gaining some momentum lately. There is reportedly some disagreement within the corporate ranks over whether or not it would actually sell, but a few officials appear to be backing it strongly. Must be some Initial D fans up in there. A modernized Hachi-Roku would have to find a suitable rwd platform, but would be a blast to see in the lineup again. Of course, we've had access to AE86 in games like Need For Speed for years now, but getting our hands on the real deal would be sweet. We'll keep our fingers crossed on this one.


http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/22/t...el-drive-ae86/


interesting...

[flukey77]

Originally Posted by robjh80

Here it is.....



Currently only a prototype, released for view at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show, it is indeed the much anticipated replacement for the Supra........"if it ever gets to the production line."

Runs a 3.5L V6 developing 400HP, 0-100 in 4 seconds........."yep, I see ya point about Toyota cars, this one really sounds and looks pretty boring to me...... :sm_drool:

Here's some more info and pics....

http://www.trendpimp.com/article/162...HS_Rocket.html

Holy, that FTHS is apparently going to have 400hp and in a hybrid drivetrain. Personal preference but I'm not overly keen on the looks, and I'm not really a fan of having a hybrid drivetrain in a performance car, would seem like more stuff to go wrong to me, lol. At least its rear wheel drive though. It will be interesting to see whether they actually make it or not. If they do, this might actually be a Toyota that isnt half boring lol.

[DK30RB]

I just bought a new Aurion Zr6, and i've owned an EF, EFII, AU, AUII, and BA falcon along with a Subaru RS Impreza, Liberty 3.0R-B and still have a 2006 Outback.

The quality of the ford product just kept going downhill from the EF onwards. Service seemed to go down with it.

The Aurion is light years ahead of the Ford in both build quality, refinement, and design. It's on par if not better in some aspects than the Subaru.

I've had rear wheel drive, all wheel drive and now front wheel drive, and for 99% of most people's driving, i don't think it makes a hell of a lot of difference as to which wheels the power is delivered to.

If it wasn't for the fleet companys buying local fords, then Ford australia wouldn't exist. It's only a select few in the buying public who won't consider anything else other than a rear wheel drive car.....

Toyota may be viewed as having bland and boring cars, but the sales figures don't lie. Maybe ford should start producing "bland" and "boring" cars with build quality that doesn't look like it was put together in a third world country in order to survive!!!

[JAZSXY]

toyota have succeeded for one reason. the ability to produce and simple, efficient car that gets you from point a to point b with little or no hassels.

[chich]

Originally Posted by DK30RB

I just bought a new Aurion Zr6, and i've owned an EF, EFII, AU, AUII, and BA falcon along with a Subaru RS Impreza, Liberty 3.0R-B and still have a 2006 Outback.

The quality of the ford product just kept going downhill from the EF onwards. Service seemed to go down with it.

The Aurion is light years ahead of the Ford in both build quality, refinement, and design. It's on par if not better in some aspects than the Subaru.

I've had rear wheel drive, all wheel drive and now front wheel drive, and for 99% of most people's driving, i don't think it makes a hell of a lot of difference as to which wheels the power is delivered to.

If it wasn't for the fleet companys buying local fords, then Ford australia wouldn't exist. It's only a select few in the buying public who won't consider anything else other than a rear wheel drive car.....

Toyota may be viewed as having bland and boring cars, but the sales figures don't lie. Maybe ford should start producing "bland" and "boring" cars with build quality that doesn't look like it was put together in a third world country in order to survive!!!

Well said - exactly the way it is.

[uranium_death]

Cars like Corollas are selling well, but they are inferior to the Mazda 3, Focus, Astra and Golf. Sure, they last, but they are not particularly stylish. However, for people who buy Corollas, they always say that it is only a mode of transport for them, and reliable.

Toyota have marketed their products well and whether they lie or not is irrelevant as distinguishing fact from fiction is the consumers job. Many consumers do not research properly either.

The fact is Toyota have marketed their stuff well and for that, they deserve to be number one.

When petrol prices drop, maybe we'll see people drop the 4 cylinder game and return to the big 6.