Older but interesting article on Toyota brand recognition

This is from

formatting link
. The survey was done by Consumer Reports. It was a telephone survey of 907 adults in car owning households. Unfortunately it is not clear whether these were randomly selected from the population at large, or from CR readers. That would be good to know. One thing that I was surprised at was that the survey respondants considered Ford to be ahead of Toytoa in the design/style category. I thought this was where Ford was the weakest. All the surveys indicate that there is very little difference in quality and reliability between the major brands, so you would think that people would graviate towards cars with the better design and style. Toyota tops US auto brand survey

[Sunday, January 7, 2007 8:59:00 am]

DETROIT, United States (AFP) - One-quarter of Americans are considering buying a Toyota as their next car, according to a survey that underlined the Japanese giant's clout in the world's biggest auto market.

The survey by the influential magazine Consumer Reports said that Toyota also has the strongest brand image among automakers in the United States, ahead of Ford.

"This comes at a time when Toyota is poised to surpass General Motors (GM) as the world's largest automaker," the publication noted.

"Supporting the perception and brand loyalty numbers, 24 percent of Americans are considering a Toyota for their next purchase," it said.

Trailing behind were Japan's Honda with 17 percent, GM's Chevrolet brand with 15 percent and Ford at 13 percent.

Last year, Toyota overtook the German-US carmaker DaimlerChrysler to become the third-selling auto company in the United States, catching up on Ford in second place. GM's market share fell but it remained top overall. And in terms of global production, Toyota looks poised to overtake GM this year as the world's biggest automaker.

"Despite taking recent hits, Ford, and even Chevrolet, are brands still thought of highly by consumers," said Jeff Bartlett, deputy editor of ConsumerReports.org.

"But our survey shows Toyota's brand appeal attracts car buyers, and it retains current owners," he said, noting that fully 78 percent of current Toyota owners say they are likely to consider buying another.

Consumer Reports surveyed 907 adults in car-owning households by telephone over November 30-December 3.

Toyota won top rankings in four of the six categories studied: performance, quality, technology/innovation and value.

Ford led by a single percentage point over Toyota in the design/style category, while Volvo rated a 10-percentage-point lead in the safety category, the strongest margin in all categories.

The survey was released on the eve of the press opening of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Reply to
C. E. White
Loading thread data ...

OK, I found the actual survey on the Consumer Reports web site (requires a subscription).

"To learn how Americans perceive automobile brands, the Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a random, nationwide telephone survey from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 2006, of 907 adults whose household owns at least one vehicle. Respondents were asked to name the best vehicle in each category."

Here are the results in the various categories:

Design/Style

Ford 10% Toyota 9% Chevrolet 8% Chrysler 8% Honda 7%

This really shocked me. I would have ranked them Honda, Chrysler, Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota wouldn't have made the top 10

Performance

Toyota 13% Ford 12% Chevrolet 10% Honda 10% GMC 6%

Another shocker - I would have ranked them Chevrolet, Chrysler, Honda, Ford, and Toyota wouldn't have made the top 10

Quality

Toyota 19% Honda 14% Ford 12% Chevrolet 8% GMC 5%

This one was not surprising. at all. Although most surveys indicate there is almost no significant difference in actual quality, perception would favor Toyota.

Safety

Volvo 23% Toyota 13% Ford 10% Honda 8% Chevrolet 6%

I am not surprised Volvo was tops, but it is shocking that Toyota was second. Toyotas do well in some specific tests, but the many Toyota have relatively poor IIHS Injury Loss Rating. As a company, they don't rank second in Injury Loss Ratings by a long shot.

Technology/Innovation

Toyota 18% Honda 9% Ford 8% Lexus 7% Chevrolet 6% Mercedes-Benz 6%

I suppose this must be totally based on hybrid vehicles. Otherwise Toyota vehicles can hardly be considered technological leaders. Most of the Toyota fleet is composed of designs that have changed very little in a decade.

Value

Toyota 17% Ford 13% Honda 13% Chevrolet 10% Hyundai 5%

Hmm, not sure about this one. My experience is that most Toyotas are overpriced compared to the others on the list. It is interesting that Ford did relatively well in most categories, but is having a lot of problems (at least according to the media) selling cars despite offering good vehicles at better prices.

Brand Loyalty

Toyota 78% Honda 60% Ford 51% Chevrolet 50%

Reply to
C. E. White

I'd have about as much fun shopping for a new Toyota as I would getting a major appliance from Sears.

Reply to
qslim

I know a lot of people who think of cars as appliances. And I have never found shopping for a car to be fun. I think a lot of people would be very happen if they could shop for a car like they shop for an appliance. I know that this was supposed to be the way it worked at Saturn, but having bought a Saturn, I can tell you they are just as underhanded as any other car dealer, they just gloss it over better.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

Just because you think the new Camry is ugly, doesn't mean everybody else does. The rest of the lineup has its adherents, too.

I'm pleased to see Ford get a good mark here, however, because I happen to like the design of the Five Hundred and the Fusion. We won't get one, though. I'm willing to forgive and forget but my wife is not; no Fords for us.

You should drive the V6 Camry some time. Maybe people are imporessed by good performance AND good fuel economy. Or maybe car buyers are starting to think of fuel economy as a performance number. In fact, I do.

Utter bunk. The 2007 Camry and the 2006 Rav, for example, were new designs, not warmed over models. The Rav was introduced in '96, lightly refreshed in '98 or '99, all-new for '01, refreshed in '04 and all new in '06.

And, we bought our Sienna in part because of the VVT engine, available in no other minivan at that time. It had incredible zoom-zoom and I was amazed to find it was the smallest engine in a minivan (exc the Mazda, which was also surprisingly lively but smaller and lighter). I believe every Toyota car came with a VVT engine in '01 (the Camry and Rav certainly did). I'm not sure you could get VVT in any GM product at that time, except maybe Cadillac.

Ford could lay a strong claim to this, though, as they also offer a hybrid and offer CVTs in non-hybrid cars, too.

I think this is reasonable. With Toyota, you get a lot of car for the money and then it doesn't depreciate much or cost you an arm and a leg to keep on the road. Ford does well in this category because they're offering a reasonable amount of car for very little money.

I can readily believe this. Ford and Chevy are kept afloat by people who will simply never consider Asian cars (other recent survey by J.D.Power on national branding). Toyota and Honda do well because they've done well by their existing customers.

Reply to
dh

Ford's hybrid drive system is supplied by Aisin, which is part of Toyota's keiretsu.

Reply to
Ray O

LOL, appliance prices are highly negotiable at most stores, except perhaps Costco. At Sears, Home Depot, and locally owned appliance stores they are certainly negotiable. Often the store salesperson begins the negotiation, not the customer.

Reply to
SMS

....................................

I didn't say the Camry was ugly. Bland, yes. Slightly odd looking, yes. Ugly, no. The old Echo was ugly. The outside of my SO's new RAV4 is hmmm... slightly odd, but not ugly. However, the interior is a mess. It has the most illogical control layout of any vehicle I have driven in a long time. I am sure I'd get used to it if I drove the vehicle everyday, but as an occasional driver, I find the control layout bizarre.

The 500 is continually beaten up for being bland, or looking like a big Passat. I have a Fusion. I'd not claim the exterior it is especially beautiful, but it looks OK. The interior is very well done. My SO always comments on how nice the Fusion is, but then there is no way she would buy one unless somebody changed the badges to say Toyota.

Consumer Reports didn't find the Camry V-6 to have particularly good fuel economy.

2007 XLE 3.5L V-6 - CU's overall mileage, mpg 23 CU's city/highway, mpg 16/32 CU's 150-mile trip, mpg 29

Not bad, but nothing to get excited about either. And as I mentioned in a different thread, there were numerous Consumer complaints about the poor gas mileage of the 2007 4 cylinder Camry in the CR on-line opinions forum.

In retrospect, the most surprising thing about this category is that neither VW or BMW were in the top five.

.....................

If by all new, you mean they are building the RAV4 on the Camry platform since 06, then I guess you could say the RAV4 is all new in '06. I just don't think shuffling around the same bits under new sheetmetal represents technological innovation. I give Toyota a lot of credit for selling the best hybrids, but the rest of the line-up is just reshuffling the same old parts. What makes the 2007 Camry all new? Other than the sheet metal exactly what is "all new?" I guess I can give them credit for finally using hydraulic lash adjuster on the

3.5L V-6. That's really taking a great leap forward, at least for Toyota.

What is incredible zoom-zoom? And why do you need it in a mini-van? While it is true that the Sienna is one of the faster mini-vans to 60, it did poorly in the CU handling test and was one of the smallest (and lightest) mini-vans. It seems to me that when buying a mini-van interior room would be more important than 0-60. And if it is for your family, emergency handling would be more important than zoom-zoom. But I suppose different folks have different wants and desires. In this class, I'd rate the Odyssey as tops.

As for variable valve timing - It is nothing new. There were aftermarket systems for Ford V-8s available in the 60's. Honda and Nissan have been using this in production cars for at least 20 years. Even Ford used it for some production engines as early as the late

1990's. Ford was the first pick-up truck manufacturer to use variable valve timing in a production pick-ups.

Even GM offered CVT - at least for a while, in Saturns. I had a Vue with he CVT. Honda offered hybrid cars in the US before Toyota did. Audi had hybrid nearly production ready demonstration vehicles available before either Honda or Toyota. Audi sold a production hybrid in Europe the same year Toyota introduced the Prius in Japan. You never hear that though.

...............................

You could just as easily say that Toyota is kept afloat by people who simply never consider domestic cars. I have several friends who won't even consider anything but Toyotas. They haven't owned a domestic car since the 70's (and some have never owned a domestic car). At least I am willing to shop around. I have never had a significant problem with the Fords I have owned in the last 35 years or my local Ford dealer. Even the Nissan dealer has treated me very well. I haven't had a real serious problem with a dealer since the early 80's (I had a Mazda dealer lie to me about resolving a problem). The only truly bad cars I've owned in the last 35 years were a Plymouth Reliant and a Toyota Cressida. I hated the Mazda 626 I owned, but I can't really claim it was a horrible car since my Sister drove it for many years after I decided to get rid of it.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

We see who the smart one in your family is ....

Reply to
Scott in Florida

Buying a car via the net with a reputable dealer is actually a very pleasant experience.

Get your financing (if you are going to finance) in place first.

Reply to
Scott in Florida

I am not sure I would go that far. I would day it is less distasteful. However, I've had some mediocre experiences pricing cars via the internet.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

Better do a bit more research, if that is what you believe. When you do you will discover Toyota and Ford via Volvo are cross licensed to the same technology, developed jointly by Volvo, Toyota, Aisin and another Japanese auto company, whose name escapes me at the moment. Toyota subsequent bought Aisin ;)

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

The 2008 replacement for the 500, that is coming to market as we speak, will be renamed Taurus ;)

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

She can't be that smart. The NEW 2008 Taurus, ne 500, is a full size car that sells for less than the midsize Camry ;)

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

I'll believe it when I see it. "As we speak" should mean that I could go to the Ford dealer after I hit "send" and find one delivered to the local dealer? R-i-i-i-i-g-h-t.

And even when I see it, I won't care. My wife is right. Ford reaps as they sow and they screwed us over, hugely, the last time we owned one. I'm

*perfectly* happy with my Toyotas, so why would I switch? To save a few bucks up front and then lose sleep worrying over whether or not the thing would last a year or two? To take a beating on resale value? To get stranded - again - on a vacation with a transmission that won't transmit anything?

My Toyotas are at 64K, 72K, 95K and 124K miles with ZERO problems. They look good, perform like new and have good resale value. My auto expenses are way, way down since switching to Toyotas.

And, you know what? I'm not the only person that thinks this. Toyota got brand loyalty the old-fashioned way; they earned it.

So, you can hang around here and talk up the Next Big Thing from Ford all you want but you'll be wasting your time. Most of the Toyota owners here are going to be entirely unimpressed.

Yep but she was apparently asleep at the switch when she got married! Lucky me!

Reply to
DH

My family and myself have owned numerous Fords over my life time. I don't remember even one that would have been considerd a "bad" car, although I do think my Mother had some problems with 1957 Ford Station Wagon - but I don't remember it. The problems must not have been too bad, since they replaced it with a 1964 Ford Station Wagon.

My personal experience has been very good, much better than with the Toyota I owned, or good compared to "good" Toyotas close friends have owned. While researching cars before buying the Fusion, I spent some time reading the Consumer Reports Opionions section for Camrys. If you believe every Camry owner is satisfied, you would be wrong. Here are a few examples of the less flattering opinions of the 2007 Camry:

2007 Camry LE Pros: exterior design, safety features, ride Cons: poor quality build and materials, problems

Driving experience precise steering, stability control works very well and breaks are good. BUT transmission hesitates to shift and too much body sway.

Comfort & convenience Ride is relatively comfortable, but when accelerating hard engine noise is too loud.

Comments Squeaks and rattles throughout the dashboard beginning in cold weather. Stereo system projects too much light into the cabin. Cruise control does not work well. Water entered the fuel filler door and froze the cap ring. Interior materials are fragile. This car does not seem like it will last. I am going to trade it.

-----

2007 Camry XLE

Pros: Handling Cons: Gas Milage Trans. engine and wind noise interior rattles

Driving experience Handles well Thats about it.

Comfort & convenience comfotable seats, space is cramped no split seats in XLE model

Comments The almighty Toyota has blinked. Gas milage is poor compared to sticker 24-34. overall

19-20mpg.wind noise and engine noise. Trans. late to kick in can be dangerous in certian situations. Save your money. back to dealer 3 times for rattles from dash and console.i cant say enough SAVE YOUR MONEY

-----

2007 Camry LE

Pros: It's a Toyota, looks Cons: Parking brake is in the wrong spot, acceleration, handling

Driving experience I test drove this car, expecting I'd end up buying it. I was so disappointed! The outside styling is great, but that's about it as far as pros go. Merging onto the interstate was dowright frightening. The drive-by-wire throttle is phoning it in, leading to an unacceptably long delay between pushing the throttle and revving the engine. I pushed the pedal to the floor in my attempt to get this thing up to speed. The handling in a cloverleaf turn was dowright awful. The car felt like it was trying to drive itself off the road and I had to slow down to keep it from succeeding. I was also disappointed to see that the parking brake was not in the spot where God intended parking brakes to be: the center console.

Comfort & convenience Who cares? The handling is so awful I'd never give up my current car for this.

Comments My 95' Galant handles better!

-----

2007 Camry LE Pros: comfort and design Cons: Transmission-Lag

Driving experience Nothing good to brag about. Terrible and dangerous acceleration issues.

Comfort & convenience Seats are comfortable and the car is very spacious.

Comments This car is a great disappointment to me and my family. I am a previous camry owner. I decided to become a loyal customer of Toyota by purchasing the 07, Big mistake. This car's acceleration problems are very bad and should be recalled. I will not put anyones life at risk by recommending this vehicle.

To be sure there were many, many very positive reviews (particualrly for the hybrid). As a rough estimate I'd say 15% of the consumer reviews for the 2007 Camry were negative. About half of those were very negative. By compariosn the Fusion got rave reviews from the consumers who posted to the CR opinions section. About the only negative comment was that he Fusion had a large turnign radius, which is weird, since the Fusion's turning radius is exactly the same as the Camry's (and almost no one complained about the Camry's turning radius).

Maybe they should be - but it they share your attitude they'll never know.

Ed

Reply to
Ed White

That's certainly bucking the odds. Of my friends and relatives who have owned Fords, I think every last one was driven away by a miserable ownership experience. Thrown rods, failed transmissions, leaking engines and other, similar problems at low mileages have caused many defections to Toyota, Honda and even GM.

[snip a bunch of bad reviews]

Maybe Toyota is letting people down with the latest Camry. Perhaps some of these people will switch to Ford. Fine. That will keep the Toyota dealers hungry. I'll get a better deal.

They don't want to know. Ford had plenty of chances with me and blew it.

Reply to
dh

You and me both!

My whole family and extended family has switched to Toyota and we are all happy with the decision.

Reply to
Scott in Florida

You've got a smart wife, too? :-)

Reply to
dh

Similarly, my immediate family at one time owned nothing but crappy Fords, GM's and Crapslers. But this changed shortly after I bought my first car, a Honda. Since then, most have switched to Honda and Toyota and have been very happy as a result.

Reply to
High Tech Misfit

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.