is toyota still a good car brand to own? is it still a good car company?

[jick.cejoco]

the problem with a car company that grew big because of good sales resulting from good engineering, quality and after sales support is complacency or an oversight of parts suppliers' quality of the products they sell to the car manufacturer. no other asian car, korean, japanese or chinese was fit for james bond except toyota. quality has always been there. when toyota dominated the world market in car sales, just like any business, something's gonna give. but rest assured they will correct the problem and dominate the market again. toyota europe does not have the same problem, the philippine toyota does not have the same problem as the north american toyota. the company is just too big because of so many reasons. personally, i would not buy korean or chinese cars at the moment. just like boeing, there are still problems being encountered that never existed before, but they are constantly burning the midnight candle to correct problems and to improve their products. it ain't that easy and the problems encountered are not deliberate nor intentional

[ghosthunter]

the problem with a car company that grew big because of good sales resulting from good engineering, quality and after sales support is complacency or an oversight of parts suppliers' quality of the products they sell to the car manufacturer. no other asian car, korean, japanese or chinese was fit for james bond except toyota. quality has always been there. when toyota dominated the world market in car sales, just like any business, something's gonna give. but rest assured they will correct the problem and dominate the market again. toyota europe does not have the same problem, the philippine toyota does not have the same problem as the north american toyota. the company is just too big because of so many reasons. personally, i would not buy korean or chinese cars at the moment. just like boeing, there are still problems being encountered that never existed before, but they are constantly burning the midnight candle to correct problems and to improve their products. it ain't that easy and the problems encountered are not deliberate nor intentional

The advantage you have in the USA is that the car companies do make recalls if they find problems.

Over here in the Philippines, even if the problem is staring them in the face, car companies do not make recalls to fix defects with their products.

[green_machine]

Many companies have undergone a period of crisis that have either made them much stronger or made them fail miserably and go out of business. If Toyota can bounce back from the mess they are currently in, they might emerge stronger than ever. As Friedrich Nietzsche has said, "What doesn't kill [it] will make [it] stronger."

Not being pessimistic here, but there is always the possibility of going down the other path if they won't drastically change things. Especially that it is a Japanese company, a type of organization known for efficiency, but also conservatism and gradual change. But this is the age of globalization; they must think in global terms in order to survive.

Off-topic na yata ako. Answering the question, I think it's still a yes. Many of their products have become popular with Filipinos, due to many reasons, that it's not uncommon to see a "fleet" of various Toyota cars regardless of age, shape, and size plying the same road.

[niky]

Actually... personally... I'd pick some Toyota products... but there are better alternatives out there.

For example:

Fortuner <<< Montero...

Corolla <<<<<<<<<<<<<< Everything else

Avanza < APV (but not by that much)

RAV4 < CR-V / Forester / etcetera (mostly because of the price)

Yaris/Vios <<< Jazz/City (which is why they sell them at a hefty discount)

-

The Innova is still good, but that's because it has no real competition in its segment. The Camry is still near the head of the class. But with the cheapening of Toyota's interiors on their low-end models, the horrible tuning of the current suspensions and steering of most of their cars... you don't even get the feeling of quality that you're paying the Toyota premium for anymore. At least with the previous Corollas, you were paying the same money as with other brands for a car that felt more sure and solid than the competition. With this one, you're paying for a car with a cheaper interior, rubbery controls and rattly lids and latches (steering, gearshift, glovebox... ewww) a suspension that feels insecure in emergency handling (the previous Altis was numb but drove very confidently...) and an engine that's ten years old (it's a good engine, but perception counts towards gaining new buyers).

There are lots of things to like about Toyotas, but they're not paying attention to the finer details that will make new buyers want to get a Toyota. And in the end, they will only hurt themselves.

-

This unintended acceleration thing is plain and simple mass hysteria... but it's making people pay attention to what Toyota has become... they've strayed from their winning formula of over-engineering their cars and giving the buyer more for their money... similar to what happened to Mercedes a decade or two back. And once you lose that reputation, it's hard to get it back.

They've gone the GM way. Profit and sales before product. Which is why the Corolla is the way it is. Design by committee and customer clinics. Know what else was designed by customer clinics? The Exalta. The bloody ancient Cefiro. Oldsmobiles. Didn't do them any good in the long run, did it? Because customer clinics will always tell you: "Don't fix what ain't broke." Doesn't help you gain new customers at all.

Toyota will recover from this, surely. What's important is where they go from here.

[roberto_minosa]

Innova fuel tanks develops cracks due to metal fatigue. Avanza handles like a shopping cart and the interior plastics looks as if it was taken from a second hand toy factory, the Altis has engine sludge problems and the electric power steering has less road feel than a video game.

The fuel tanks compress due to vacuum, if the owner parks the car under the sun and doesn't open the gas cap for weeks. For the Avanza, If you define a good car by its plastics, I can't blame you. As for the Altis, we never had such problems on our own back in '06 so nothing really proves anything. And finally, most folks don't need road feel. Most of 'em can't even drive over 120km/h for crying out loud.

[scharnhorst]

niky said it best - for almost every segment, there's a better vehicle than what toyota offers.

besides the old adage that toyota parts and cars are cheap to maintain is just that - an old adage. Right now the cars that might have parts aplenty are the vios and the altis, simply because they're being used as taxis.

For the other cars?

Good luck finding el-cheapo replacement parts for the Camry, Prius, and especially the IMV platform (fort-hilux-innova).

[Djerms]

Almost all our post 2000 toyota's gave us problems that shouldn't be there specially if a car is regularly maintained and if mileage is less than 30tkms. (2 of our new company hi-ace vans stall)

Yes Filipinos chose Toyota vehicles for a reason and thats mainly because they actually made good vehicles in the past and there's not much options to choose from.

Most of my friends who own toyotas now worry of potential problems. I mean you can't really tell when the problems will hit you. Just cross your fingers. Hehehe.

[Djerms]

niky said it best - for almost every segment, there's a better vehicle than what toyota offers.

besides the old adage that toyota parts and cars are cheap to maintain is just that - an old adage. Right now the cars that might have parts aplenty are the vios and the altis, simply because they're being used as taxis.

For the other cars?

Good luck finding el-cheapo replacement parts for the Camry, Prius, and especially the IMV platform (fort-hilux-innova).

El cheapo replacement parts don't last that long based on experience. Even toyota parts don't last that long.

[ghosthunter]

For the Avanza, If you define a good car by its plastics, I can't blame you.

The point is the Vios gets a better quality of dashboard. Why couldn't Toyota use the same quality manufacturing for the Avanza? Both vehicles are roughly the same so why cheapen the quality of plastics in one?

That is my point.

[roberto_minosa]

^Maybe it's because of the JDM-ASEANDM divide? ASEANDM Toyotas (or even other brands like Mitsubishi Thailand and Nissan Yulon) are generally subpar compared to JDM models. Also noticed that on the last-gen Altis, compared to our present car, the Innova. I think the designers of the ASEAN Toyotas were pressured to keep the cars' prices low, since the market won't afford better interiors which would cost more. But for the size, the Avanza's price is reasonable enough. El cheapo wouldn't mind getting a cheap interior in a cheap car.