Word: toyotas
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...bald attempt to spin the situation last week, Toyota executive Hiroyuki Yokoyama said the brake problems came down to a matter of each and every driver's "feel," refusing to admit to any flaws in the cars themselves. Several hours later, after being loudly criticized by the Japanese press for dodging responsibility, Toyoda tried to undo the damage by offering his first personal apology over the recalls. He did not, however, offer any specific solutions. On Tuesday, Toyoda finally announced that the company determined the brakes of the Prius and other hybrid models are prone to malfunction for a split...
...What won't be so simple is restoring the faith and confidence in Toyota, which has allowed what might have been a containable problem to explode into a full-blown crisis by continually being a step behind in the management process. "I've never regarded Toyota as invincible, a company which never makes mistakes," Toyoda said on Tuesday. "However, when we do find something wrong, or when our customers point out problems, we have always made the adjustments to manufacture improved future products. And I'm very confident that we can continue to deliver the way we have...
...Unfortunately for Toyoda, the company's legendary legacy is something Toyota may have worn out. Now, people are going to have to see it to believe...
...bespectacled Sirou Hirayama, times have never been so bad. He and his wife Kiyomi, standing behind the counter at the Toyomi pharmacy in downtown Toyota City, home to Japanese car giant Toyota Motor, complain that the global recession has so punished the local economy that his sales are down 20% from 18 months ago. Now, with Toyota facing a crisis over the safety of its cars, Hirayama fears more hard times down the road. "Toyota was known for quality cars. Now that's changed 180 degrees," he says. "I'm fearful of the impact. The whole area is dependent...
...That gloom is enveloping Toyota City. The town of 420,000 in eastern Japan has been synonymous with Japanese manufacturing prowess for decades. The residents were so proud of Toyota that in 1959 they changed the city's then name, Koromo, to match its most important citizen. But the town's fortunes rise and fall with Toyota's. The firm's sprawling factory complexes lie only a short distance from the town center, and, as in any company town, the paychecks of Toyota employees are the main source of support for its restaurants and shops. According to city statistics...