Toyota aims to replace GM as the largest automaker in the world

This has been reported in the business and automotive press countless times, for example:

"Amazingly, Toyota's market capitalization stands at more than that of GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler combined. "

From:

At least (under pressure) Toyota redesigned the sludge prone engines and extended the warranty on those effected.

GM has indeed redesigned the 3.4l intake manifold gasket multiple times but has never announced any kind of extended warranty coverage program.

Most of the time the leak is noticed after the short GM warranty period is over.

John

I'll second that!

I had a few 80's and 90's cab and chassis. Some still going, where are the Fords that I owned?

Found On Roar Dead!

Refinish King

Ya know, picking on people who know cars, in a car group is a No-No. Especially people who really know their shit.

Maybe ya aught to wise up before going off firing blanks. Charles

Even people who know their shit don't know everything there is to know.

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True!

But I know that Toyota isn't perfect, and they flood the market by: Dumping" like Nissan was fined for, Ford was Fined for. So fleets buy the car at below dealer cost, and the dealer gets their profit from the holdback money.

So they reached the market share they did by:

One: Dumping Two: Giving somewhat better customer service. (I've heard horror stories) Three: By covering up defects like brakes, head gaskets, sludging, transmission problems out the ass! Four: Avoiding NHTSA recalls by doing cars customers complained about before it reached the NHTSA threshold for a recall. Five: Americans who don't care that our economy is going to fail if they keep buying foreign, and we'll all be panhandlers!

Refinish King

There used to be one US economy. Now there are two. The Wall Street one and the one everyday people deal with. It seems as if the better the 1st one does the worse off the 2nd one is.

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Really? I suppose we can assume you have not investigated the cost of replacing a gasket compared the the cost of replacing an engine. LOL

mike hunt

Joseph Oberlander wrote:

It is bad enough that Toyota does not now pay a penny in corporate taxes on the profits it earns in the US on the vehicles that it sells for 20 to 30 percent more than those made in the US by GM and Ford because buyers have the allusion foreign vehicles are somehow substantially better. Vehicles that are assembled in factories that were, for the most part, built with state taxpayers subsidies. Plants that are able to operate free of state and local taxes for up to 15 years to mostly only assemble vehicles in the US of imported parts with lower paid employees that receive fewer benefits and less desirable pensions than their domestic manufactures counterparts. If and when Toyota overtakes Ford and GM, Americans will be able to buy Toyotas even higher priced vehicles, because they will not have a competitor, from a foreign corporation that builds the vehicles in China and provides not one single manufacturing job and pays not a cent of taxes to any state, local or US treasury. American consumes have no qualms about exporting their OWN jobs, and those of their children, but they bitch and moan when manufactures seek some of the lower costs available throughout the world in order to compete with foreign manufactures who have that advantage. Wise up Americans, unless you can provide a job for yourself and you offspring by starting your own business, if you continue to buy more and more from foreign corporations then you will need to go where those corporation produce their products to get a job. If not the only skill you children and grandchildren will need is how to say; 'Do you want fries with that?' or 'Welcome to WalMart.' ;)

mike hunt

John Horner wrote:

Where did you get the idea fleets can buy vehicles at a price less than at which a dealer can buy vehicles? That would be a violation of franchise law. Fleets can NOT buy directly from the manufacture, they must buy their vehicle from dealerships. The fleet discount is $400 on a Taurus. Even if there is a special price concession offered to a dealer that has a large order for similarly equipped vehicles, like those vehicles offered to government entities, all dealers car then receive that same concession as well. If the fleet buys something other than a fleet equipped model they can generally save more money buying at retail less the currently available rebates that generally do not apply to fleet specific models.

mike hunt

Ref>

You mean those 'Wall Street' companies that provide all those jobs in the US, and the 'everyday people' that own most of their individual stocks? ;)

mike hunt

SgtSilic>

Franchise law? You mean franchise agreement / contract (enforcable through civil court, not criminal) right? I ask this not to be a smart alec, but in case there actually IS franchise law.

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I don't know about "dumping"......

I've shopped Toyota and Nissan a few times.

It was always; This is the list price, PLUS ADM ( additional dealer markup ) "We don't want your trade-in" Take it or leave it !

And that turned me off.

Yes Virginia there is a Santa Clause, as well as state and as federal franchise laws. There would be not contracts without laws. The feds use their right to regulate interstate commerce to do most anything they want, even telling the manufacture how many miles per gallon their cars must achieve ;)

mike hunt

SgtSilic>

As it should any right thinking buyer.

mike hunt

"" wrote:

Most every day people own very little stock if any, and instead their living comes from wages or salaries. Wages and salaries come from jobs.

People who's almost entire (if not all) income is based on one of the following sources are not every day type people, and are a minority. A fairly small minority:

1. Profit from owned business
2. Dividend payments from ownership of stock in a business
3. Capital gains from selling assets at a higher price than paid for
4. Other financial activities outside of wages or salaries

Sure I've heard Bush say almost half of Americans "own stock." It fails to consider that the amount of stock owned my most Americans is insignificant as relates to income potential. Again, wages and salaries are where most Americans get most of their money, and by a wide margin.

The problem is, more and more, those wall street companies are using labor overseas and not American labor. So the result is more and more, increased profitability for the Wall street companies at the same time many Americans are loosing their livelihood. The effect this will tend to have over time is to balance out labor costs between Americans, and the rest of the world; including the 3rd world. That means those in the 3rd world will experience a better situation than the miserable one they face now (which isn't saying much) and Americans (and other 1st world workers) will have greatly diminished livelihood. In fact, due to the ability to use child labor, sweatshops, unsafe work environments etc in 3rd world countries, Americans may actually eventually be worth less in labor. Oh yeah, I forgot polluting with impunity. That's always a plus for industry too.

All this leads to a 2 class society. Those with wealth, and those who have to bend over backwards for the scraps from their tables. Much the way it was in early American history in the days of the industrial revolution and the robber barons. I don't want to see things go back to that. I'm no socialist, but unbalanced and unbridled capitalism has many shortcomings too.

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Figures.

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GM and Ford make most of their parts in the US and they pay federal corporate taxes, Japanese corporations do not. I look for the '1' as the first number of the VIN, made of at least

75% American parts. If it is only a '4' it is less than 75%, if its a '5' it's less than 40% American parts. You can still buy good work shoes and boot from Knapp Shoes, made in NY state and sold by 'Iron Age' Shoe Co. Find them on the web ;)

mike hunt

Charles Bendig wrote:

In the first place you would not be using a computer if not for the stock market. Where in the world do you think the money comes from that provides those jobs, wages and salaries? One reason more companies are moving jobs overseas is to compete with low cost foreign competitors exporting to the US. Why is it OK for the American consumer to seek lower prices buying products from over seas, made by non American tax paying companies that pay low wages and need not meet any of our stringent safety and environmental laws and need not bow to the tort lawyers? Why then is it NOT OK for companies to seek lower cost oversee, as well, to stay in business and keep at least some jobs in the US? Many people other than those you think benefit from the stock market. You life, property as auto insurance rates would be much higher if the insurance companies did not invest in the market. The small business owner might not still be in business if he could not have sold stock. People that work for him would be out of a job. Many retired blue collar workers could not retire if not for the income from their own stock or the stocks owned their pension plan. Your state and local taxes would need to be higher to pay all the state and municipal employees pensions if they did not invest in the market. To top it off if you SS taxes had been invested in the market from age 18 to 65 you would be a multi-millionaire today with no need for the handout from the government that many seek. The list goes on. You need to take the 'Capitalism 101' course then get back to us.

mike hunt

SgtSilicon wrote:

SgtSilicon wrote: