Word: toyotas
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Decades of success led to Toyota's somersault into corporate complacency and narcissism, with the concomitant toll on flexibility. Costly, but they have to pay the price. Taiwo Danjuma, EGERKINGEN, SWITZERLAND...
That didn't stop car manufacturers like Toyota and BMW from pulling out of the sport anyway (Honda had quit at the end of 2008.) That leaves only three major carmakers - Ferrari (owned by Fiat), Mercedes-Benz and Renault (though the latter recently sold a majority stake in the racing team to Luxembourg investment firm Genii Capital) - still in F1. "The sport just wasn't delivering the value," says John Howett, head of Toyota Motor Sports. For the new season, some of the old names have been replaced by entrepreneurs with more dash than cash. Ecclestone calls the new teams...
...Toyota's Troubles Re "Toyota's Blown Engine" [Feb. 22]: In the late 1950s I traveled frequently to Japan on business. I've never forgotten the morning when I had a meal at my hotel with two executives from General Motors who were in Japan to teach automakers how to build strong engine blocks. The men spoke derisively and arrogantly about Japanese auto quality. I remembered those comments later as Toyota was hailed as great and GM denounced as mediocre. The lesson I learned: Do not ever be satisfied with the status quo. It takes constant effort to maintain quality...
...Memories are short and people unforgiving. Before Toyota became a global presence, cars were unreliable and motors lasted a mere 100,000 km before a rebore. Toyota raised the standard to unprecedented heights. Now it has stumbled. I am willing to forgive and be grateful. I hope my 1985 Cressida will be recalled for its now broken window mechanism - its only fault. John Brandts-Giesen Rangiora, New Zealand...
...Whoever would abandon Toyota for an American car deserves an American car. Dennis Rothgaber Seattle...