For decades, the brand "Made in Japan" has enjoyed a long-standing reputation in the world market and has long been synonymous with high quality. Japanese cars are invincible in the world and have an excellent reputation in Europe and America. Every year, in many international comprehensive evaluation of automobile quality, Japanese cars are the main winners, and few European and American brands can make the list. Several major Japanese car companies have launched a powerful offensive, attacking the city for several years, and their overseas market share has steadily expanded, posing a great threat to local car dealers in Europe and America. Since the global economic crisis in 2008, several major automobile companies in Europe and America have been in a hurry until they filed for bankruptcy protection. Although Japanese car dealers have also suffered a sharp decline in sales, they still have a lot of cash turnover and their operating conditions are far better than those of their competitors. Unexpectedly, unexpected things will happen. Just after the 20 10 new year, Toyota, which has been the second largest car dealer in North America, has encountered an unprecedented crisis of trust. Under the great pressure of the relevant administrative departments of the US Department of Transportation, Toyota has announced a total recall of a number of models and stopped the production and sales of a number of models, including the most popular Corolla series and Camry series. At present, the recalled Toyota products are distributed in European, North American and Asian markets. As of June 28, 65438+/KLOC-0, the number of recalled products has reached 5.3 million. At the same time, local car dealers have stopped selling recalled cars, and many car owners have begun to negotiate with car dealers how to deal with vehicles that may have problems. Several major car rental companies have announced that they will stop all Toyota cars. American car dealers, who have been overwhelmed by Japanese cars for many years, happily announced the subsidy policy and proudly welcomed Toyota customers to switch to their "no problem" products. The biggest headache for Toyota is the general distrust of Toyota products by the American media, which may have a great impact on consumer confidence. All this is unprecedented since Toyota entered North America.
The root of the problem lies in the accelerator pedal of the car, which is also commonly known as the "accelerator". The traffic safety management department of the United States received complaints from consumers, and some models of Toyota cars showed abnormal acceleration. The specific problem is that the car will suddenly accelerate automatically during driving, or the speed will continue to increase automatically when the driver has released the throttle to slow down. After the management negotiated with Toyota, Toyota announced last year that the problem was that the foot pad under the driver moved forward, resulting in abnormal operation of the accelerator pedal. Toyota's solution last year was simple, that is, "take away the mat." It seems to be a simple question, but it is intriguing that at the end of last year, Toyota announced a large-scale recall of some models of vehicles to repair the "problem mat". Until this year, under the continuous pressure of the traffic safety management department in the United States, Toyota finally admitted that in addition to the problem of the foot pad, the accelerator pedal itself also has quality problems, which may cause the car to get out of control during driving.
Where this incident will develop next is still unknown. However, some American media hype "whether Toyota can still be trusted" or even "whether Japanese products can still be trusted", and it is doubtful whether it is suspected of taking the opportunity to retaliate against competitors. Of course, American consumers are not stupid, and they still know good or bad. They don't listen to wind and rain. Toyota had an accident, and it was reported that many buyers rushed to Honda, which shows that consumers trust Japanese cars. Putting aside these rights and wrongs for the time being, there is a significant historical background in the history of modern industrial economy behind this simple event.
From Toyota's point of view, a car manufacturer famous for its high-quality products will capsize because of a small accelerator pedal, which will lead to the recall of more than 5 million cars and huge losses. At the same time, the stock price will fall and the market will be squeezed by competitors. The most important thing is to lose the trust of many consumers. A wave of unrest, another wave. The brake failure of Toyota Prius hybrid car "surfaced", and the Mexican market recalled seven models, which made Toyota "worse".
As a star model representing Toyota's future development direction, the Prius has won a great reputation for Toyota in the world, but now it is eclipsed by brake failure. Experts pointed out that Toyota's measures to significantly reduce costs since 2002 may have damaged its quality.
Prius exposure brake problem
Saint seiya Ota, an official of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, said on the 3rd that since July last year, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has received 14 complaints about brake failure of Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles. Toyota said that as of the end of last year, it had received 77 complaints against Prius from Japanese dealers and 8 from the United States. The Associated Press reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 65,438+000 complaints about the brake failure of the Prius.
It is reported that Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has asked Toyota to investigate these complaints, but has not yet received an official report from Toyota.
According to reports, Toyota Executive Vice President Makoto Sasaki 13 visited Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Naoshima Masayuki and Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Seiji Maehara, and made a report on the car recall, complaints against the Prius and the company's countermeasures. At the subsequent press conference, Shinichi Sasaki was asked if Toyota would recall the Prius. He said that the incident is still under investigation, and whether to recall it depends on the final investigation results.
It is reported that the new hybrid Prius, which began to be sold in May last year, has been complained of potential quality problems, all of which are made in Japan. This model is not among the eight models recalled this time.
The aura of "star car" is eclipsed.
According to the data provided by China Automobile Industry Association to Economic Information Daily, the sales volume of Prius in China was 27 1 vehicle in 2009 and 899 vehicles in 2008. Toyota Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd. said in an interview with the Economic Information Daily that the second-generation Prius went offline in 2005 and began to be sold in China in 2006. So far, it has sold about 3500 units.
Prius is considered as the most advanced hybrid vehicle in the world. The hybrid of all models is an important goal for Toyota in the future. According to Toyota's plan, by 2020, hybrid vehicles will account for 30% of Toyota's global sales. The development of China market has been put on the agenda. Although the sales volume in China is very small, the Prius has become synonymous with "hybrid car" and has played a great role in promoting Toyota's brand.
However, the mechanical failure of the brakes cast a shadow over this "star car".
It's not the first time that Toyota's brake system has problems. In April 2009, GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. recalled nearly 260,000 Camrys due to brake failure. By the 20th of that month, claims were settled 1249, and accidents occurred, but no casualties were found.
Xu Yiming, the head of public relations of Toyota Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd., said in an interview with the Economic Information Daily that whether the brake failure of the Prius is caused by the problem of general parts is being confirmed, and now it can only be a guess.
Xu Yiming said, "The second-generation Prius is running on the road in China, and the problematic third-generation Prius has not been introduced to China." However, he said that Toyota plans to introduce the third-generation Prius into China earlier this year, and the application process is still in progress. "Compared with the second-generation Prius, the third-generation Prius is a brand-new model, with a stronger hybrid system, larger size and higher dynamic performance. However, due to the differences between the two brake systems, further confirmation is needed. " Xu Yiming said.
Jia, a senior auto analyst, said in an interview with the Economic Information Daily that there was no problem with the new energy part of the Prius, and the main complaint this time was mechanical failure. But this is probably just the tip of the iceberg.
The American investigation is not over yet.
Reuters quoted US Transportation Secretary Lila Hood as saying on the 2nd: "Our investigation on Toyota is not over yet."
It is reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now reviewing the investigation documents of Toyota electronic control system several years ago.
Leila Hood, US Secretary of Transportation, said today that he intends to talk with Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, about the "recall incident" to ensure that Toyota is aware of the US government's concerns about Toyota's safety.
Toyota announced on the evening of the 2nd that it had recalled seven models produced in Mexico from 2007 to 20 10 due to the defect of the accelerator pedal. The specific number of vehicles involved is still unclear.
Toyota's South African subsidiary also said on the 3rd that with the expansion of the recall scope of the parent company's cars, some cars sold by the company may be involved.
The South Korean government issued a statement on the 3rd, ordering Toyota to recall 444 cars sold in South Korea through "grey channels".
"Black Boy Cost" Buries Hidden Dangers
According to the reporter, Katsuaki Watanabe, the former CEO of Toyota, known as the "cost killer", presided over the 30% cost reduction plan from 2002 to 2004 at the end of 20001,involving 80% parts.
Jia pointed out that the earliest vehicles recalled by Toyota were products produced in 2004. Now it seems that Watanabe has committed "two major crimes". Some people say that Toyota's large-scale recall is the result of blind expansion, but in fact it is to cut costs ahead of time and hurt quality. Because Toyota has been reducing costs until 200 1, it is impossible to simply reduce them. Reducing cost is not a bad thing in itself, but sometimes there is a conflict between cost and quality, and a balance should be found in the middle.
Due to brake defects, Toyota plans to recall about 270,000 new Prius.
Toyota plans to recall about 270,000 new-generation Prius hybrids in the United States and Japan to fix the braking problem. Previously, more than 100 drivers complained that their brakes were too slow. The Prius was the best-selling model in Japan last year.
Although compared with Toyota's complaints in the United States, the number of complaints in Japan is negligible, and there seems to be no fatal accident related to it. However, related reports, coupled with the fact that the Japanese media, which had paid little attention to Toyota's situation in the United States before, have begun to report this matter on a large scale, all indicate that this automobile manufacturer needs to open up a new public relations front to save its reputation.
Toyota's dominance in the world has always made Japan proud. Until now, the shock caused by Toyota's global recall has not affected Japan relatively. According to the data released by Japan Automobile Dealers Association on Monday, nearly half of the new passenger cars sold in Japan in May 438+10 were Toyota cars, which shows Toyota's dominant position in Japan. In the same month that Toyota's sales in the United States declined, its sales growth in Japan exceeded the overall market growth rate.
Toyota said it is investigating dozens of complaints received at the end of last year, which may mean that the brakes of Toyota's popular Prius hybrid car in North America and Japan are defective. Customers complain that the braking response is slow on rough or snowy roads.
Japan's Ministry of Transport confirmed that a traffic accident occurred in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo last July. It is said that a Prius had a brake problem and ran into a car waiting for a red light from behind, which rear-ended with two other cars. Two people were injured in the accident. We asked Toyota to investigate the cause of the accident last August,' said an official from Japan's Ministry of Transport. A Toyota spokesman said on Wednesday night that there were no reports of accidents or injuries according to the information obtained by the company from dealers.
Officials of the Ministry of Transport immediately pointed out that its recall department will receive more than 5,000 vehicle complaints every year. If the complaints involve traffic accidents, the department will routinely ask automakers to investigate whether there are defects in vehicles. From 65438+ in February last year to 65438+ in October this year, the Ministry of Communications received 13 complaints from Prius owners.
According to the statistics of Japan Automobile Dealers Association, the sales volume of Prius in Japan in June 5,438+10 increased nearly three times, reaching 22,306 vehicles, ranking first in the monthly sales list for the eighth consecutive month. Toyota will recall about 437,000 problem hybrid vehicles around the world.
On February 9th, Toyota Motor Corporation said that it would recall about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles around the world due to hidden dangers in the accelerator pedal.
Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation, said at the press conference on the 9th: "I am deeply sorry for the troubles and worries that Toyota has brought to many customers due to product quality and safety problems."
On the afternoon of the 9th, Toyota will report to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to recall the new Prius hybrid car. Japan will recall more than 6,543,809 vehicles. In addition, Toyota will also announce the recall of three models including the hybrid "Sai" and Lexus HS250h. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will announce the contents of the recall after accepting the declaration. GAC Toyota and FAW Toyota, Toyota's two joint ventures in China, announced that they had recalled some Camry, yaris, Vios and Corolla vehicles due to defective parts since August 25th, involving a total of 688,365,438+04 vehicles. This is the largest recall since China implemented the car recall system in 2004.
The recalled vehicles are: 384,736 Camry vehicles produced from May 2006 to February 3, 2008, and 22,767 yaris vehicles produced from May 2008 to February 3, 2008. From February/KOOC-0/8 to February 25th, 2008, VIOS was 35,523, and Corolla was 245,288 from May/KOOC-0/7 to February 25th, 2008.
According to the recall report, the reason for the recall is that the parts supplied by the same supplier to the two companies are defective. Because the control module of the main control switch of the driver's electric window is coated with too much grease in the manufacturing process, it may lead to internal short circuit, which may cause the switch to heat up and melt, and the window will feel stuck when operating, and the window will not rise and fall normally, and in a few cases, the door trim panel will melt.
On February 28th, 2009, at 65438, Toyota announced that it had recalled 43,000 vehicles in the China market, including nearly 7,000 Highlanders. However, it does not admit that the recall is related to the failure to climb the 30-degree slope, only indicating that the engine oil hose may leak oil.
According to the legal evening news 65438+February 28th, the "climbing the door" incident touched the hearts of many Highlander car owners. Just when the owners doubted whether this "off-road vehicle" could be off-road, Toyota suddenly announced that it would recall nearly 7,000 Highlanders in the China market because of possible oil leakage.
A few days ago, Toyota announced that it would recall 43,000 cars in the China market, and Highlander, which became the focus of discussion, was impressively listed. Although Toyota's recall statement only indicates that the oil hose may leak oil, it does not admit that the recall is related to "climbing the door", but some riders have regarded the recall as a victory for consumers in the online "climbing the door" incident.
Since the "climbing door" incident, Toyota has not made a formal reply to the questions of some car owners. In fact, this recall statement is the first time that Toyota has released news about Highlander since the incident, which can easily be regarded as Toyota's response to this matter.
It is understood that Highlander is actually a two-wheel drive. Compared with four-wheel drive SUV, two-wheel drive has the advantages of less fuel consumption and low price, but the disadvantage is that off-road performance is not as good as four-wheel drive.
In the "climbing gate" incident, because the center of the vehicle moves backward when Highlander climbs the hill, the friction between the front wheel providing driving force and the ground decreases, and the phenomenon of dry sliding does not advance appears.
According to the media, it is undeniable that both incidents have had a negative impact on Toyota's reputation in China. In addition, Toyota has already experienced a recall in August this year, and more than 68,000 vehicles including Camry, Corolla, Vios and yaris were recalled due to power window problems. Therefore, several of Toyota's most popular models in China product line have been recalled this year. 65438+1October 2 1 Toyota announced the recall of about 2.3 million vehicles in the US market.
Eight models of cars.
65438+1On October 26th, Toyota announced that it would suspend its sales in the United States.
8 cars and shut down some production lines at the same time.
65438+1On October 28th, Toyota once again announced the recall of 1.09 million vehicles in the US market.
65438+1On October 28th, Toyota announced that it would recall 75,000 vehicles from the China market.
65438+1On October 29th, Toyota announced the recall of 1.8 million cars from Europe.
On February 2, Toyota announced that it will travel from the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
Recall 6.5438+0.8 million vehicles.
On February 4th, Toyota admitted that there was a problem with the Prius brake system.
Announced the recall of 270,000 cars in Japan and the United States. Toyota's recall involves a wide range and a large number, and the direct and indirect losses caused will be difficult to estimate. The losses estimated by various institutions around the world also range from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. Ten years ago, the famous Ford tire recall cost Ford billions of dollars, and it is conceivable that Toyota paid the price this time. Toyota's misfortune never rains but pours last year. After the financial crisis broke out, the American auto market fell sharply, and Toyota was not spared. Its share in North America dropped by more than 30%, and it lost billions of dollars before and after, which caused Toyota's first loss in 70 years. This recall will definitely greatly affect Toyota's profit index this year, which will undoubtedly hurt Toyota's vitality.
Isao Endo Chi, manager of the famous consulting firm Advanced Research Corporation of Japan, estimates that Toyota will lose at least $553 million in operating profit every month during the suspension of sales and production. "I predict that Toyota's operating profit in 2009 will reach 1 1 billion to 2.2 billion dollars, but this figure may drop to zero or become a loss due to the suspension of sales and production." Endo said. JPMorgan Chase analysts estimate that the direct losses caused by this recall will be as high as $654.38+08 billion.
Toyota's managing director, Ichigo Takahiko, told the media in Tokyo on February 4th that the company included nearly $2 billion in the final accounts of fiscal year 2009 (as of March 20 10). In addition to manufacturers having to pay a lot of recall fees, the time loss of global consumers is even more amazing. Assuming that it takes only one man-hour to recall each car, the round-trip and waiting time consumed by consumers around the world will also be tens of millions of hours.
The recall not only shook Toyota's position as the world's "boss", but also hurt its "safe and reliable" image. Chris Dolan, a columnist of Canada's Windsor Star, pointed out: "Without quality, there would be no Toyota. In order to pursue market share, the company sacrificed its brand, which takes years of efforts to make up. "
Who benefits most from Toyota's quagmire?
"Most of us are not surprised by the large-scale recall. To our surprise, it took so long to happen! " Masahiro Fukuda, an analyst at Japan's global auto market research company Fourin, said that Toyota's rapid expansion, human resources and production capacity can't keep up with demand, and it is only a matter of time before problems arise. Under the leadership of Katsuaki Watanabe, former president of Toyota, Toyota has implemented an active expansion strategy. In 2008, it defeated GM for the first time and topped the global sales champion. Won the championship again in 2009. Unfortunately, it suffered a heavy blow before it stabilized.
Toyota's "bad situation" has brought opportunities to its competitors. According to the latest data, Toyota's sales in the United States in June 5438+ 10 decreased by 16% year-on-year. This is the first time since June 5438+0999 that the company's sales in the United States fell below 65438+ million, while Ford and GM increased by 24% and 14% respectively. Judging from the current sales situation, Ford Motor Company has undoubtedly become the biggest beneficiary. Some analysts commented that American consumers are likely to turn to reputable Ford cars because they are unwilling to buy Toyota cars, because of quality problems or because of suspension of sales.
With the continuous expansion of Toyota's recall scale, some competitors began to "hit people when they are down". In the United States, General Motors made a quick attack and took the opportunity to provide 60-month interest-free loans, a "gift package" with a down payment of $65,438+0,000, and a prepayment fund of up to $65,438+0,000 to win over Toyota customers.
Ford also gave Toyota's original customers a discount of 65,438+0,000. Hyundai Motor, which has made great achievements in the North American market, has also launched a car purchase discount of 65,438 yuan+0,000 yuan for Toyota owners. Michael Tindal, an analyst with a Japanese consulting firm, said that other manufacturers will have opportunities, especially Honda and Nissan, and "Asian manufacturers will stand out".
Will Toyota shake "Made in Japan"?
Toyota, which is busy with overseas market crisis public relations, has temporarily taken a reassurance in the "hometown" Japanese market. Mr Kobayashi, who just bought a new Toyota car, said that the brand value accumulated by Toyota over the years is still trustworthy. However, this recall is a big blow to Japan, which strives for perfection in everything. There are many posts on popular forums in Japan, such as "Made in Japan is in danger", "Toyota overdraft credit" and "Rebuilding Made in Japan".
Japanese media also published articles saying that it was not the Toyota family that was hurt by the recall. Japan's "Tokyo News" said that Japanese manufacturing industry has always been known for its high quality, and Toyota's reputation has been damaged, which may even destroy the confidence of Japanese manufacturing industry. Koichi Kano, executive vice president of Honda, said on the 3rd that Toyota is the vanguard of Japanese automobile industry. In this sense, "we are somewhat worried that this will bring a blow to other Japanese car brands." Some experts also believe that the global competitiveness of Japanese manufacturing industry is still very strong, and this incident will not affect the entire Japanese manufacturing industry. Large-scale recalls in the United States, Europe, China and other countries and regions hit Toyota's share price hard last week. Last week, the company's share price fell for five consecutive days, with a cumulative decline of 15% in one week, and its market value evaporated by $25 billion. At the same time, rating agencies also put it on the negative watch list.
On October 27th, 65438/kloc-0, Toyota announced that it would stop the production of eight models sold in the United States, including Toyota's best-selling models, which led to the deepening of American people's concerns about Toyota. On that day, the company's share price in the new york market fell more than 8% to close at $79.77.
In Tokyo stock market, the average price index of 225 Nikkei stocks rose by 1.6 percentage points, while Toyota's share price fell by 4.3%. Shares of Honda and Nissan in Japan rose by 3.3% and 2.8% respectively, while Hyundai Motor in Korea rose by 4. 1%. "If Toyota's sales are sluggish for a long time, Honda, Nissan and Ford will benefit," said Yuzawa Gutian, an auto industry analyst at Goldman Sachs Group in Japan.
65438+1On October 28th, investors continued to sell Toyota shares, and the share price of Toyota Motor in Tokyo stock market fell by 3.9% to 3560 yen.