Toyota 'world's largest carmaker'

[Rubber Duck]

Japan's Toyota has overtaken US rival General Motors to become the world's biggest carmaker, a spokesman for the company has said.
According to company figures, Toyota sold 2.348 million vehicles in the first three months of 2007.

That compares with General Motors (GM)' sales of 2.26 million cars and small trucks during the same period.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6586679.stm

[jacksonm]

Originally Posted by Rubber Duck

Japan's Toyota has overtaken US rival General Motors to become the world's biggest carmaker, a spokesman for the company has said.
According to company figures, Toyota sold 2.348 million vehicles in the first three months of 2007.

That compares with General Motors (GM)' sales of 2.26 million cars and small trucks during the same period.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6586679.stm

I would also watch Q2 and perhaps Q3 results before granting the status.

Some countries, e.g. Saudi Arabia, buy hundreds of thousands of the small white toyota pickup trucks (go there and see what I mean :-) for workers once every few years.

This could have been the year for the renewal of the fleet for the indentured servants in Saudi Arabia.

.

[Rubber Duck]

It is not just about the number of cars being sold, it is about where the company is going, and at the moment GM is going nowhere.

If you compare Toyota with GM on a share capitalisation basis, it is Ten Times the size. That means that Wall Street regards GM paper as junk.

GM share price is actually so cheap it would be a prime takeover target if anyone actually wanted to buy them. The problem is GM cars don't sell so nobody wants to buy the factories that are geared up to make them. They don't want the pension and health care baggage. It is easier to take the business by building their own factories and distribution networks.

As it is GM is retrenching. It closing factories and cutting down on production. It has limited resources for investment in the future, unlike Toyota which is on a roll.

Originally Posted by jacksonm

I would also watch Q2 and perhaps Q3 results before granting the status.

Some countries, e.g. Saudi Arabia, buy hundreds of thousands of the small white toyota pickup trucks (go there and see what I mean :-) for workers once every few years.

This could have been the year for the renewal of the fleet for the indentured servants in Saudi Arabia.

.

[jacksonm]

Originally Posted by Rubber Duck

It is not just about the number of cars being sold, it is about where the company is going, and at the moment GM is going nowhere.

If you compare Toyota with GM on a share capitalisation basis, it is Ten Times the size. That means that Wall Street regards GM paper as junk.

GM share price is actually so cheap it would be a prime takeover target if anyone actually wanted to buy them. The problem is GM cars don't sell so nobody wants to buy the factories that are geared up to make them. They don't want the pension and health care baggage. It is easier to take the business by building their own factories and distribution networks.

As it is GM is retrenching. It closing factories and cutting down on production. It has limited resources for investment in the future, unlike Toyota which is on a roll.

RD, did you study economics in school? :-) You sure do make convincing analyses, at least from my perspective.

.

[Rubber Duck]

Originally Posted by jacksonm

RD, did you study economics in school? :-) You sure do make convincing analyses, at least from my perspective.

.

No, but I have had an active interest for more than 30 years.

What I can tell you is that Detroit will be little more than a ghost town in less than 5 years.

The focus of car production is switching to India and China.

[idn]

Customization is what has been killing the boys in Detroit. Offering many options (colors,etc) causing the buyers to form certain expectations- waiting for the perfect car so to speak. Those not sold then are highly discounted. Toyota's "lean" production kicks ass.

In a semi-related story:

http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArti...rticleID=11247


A year old but stil interesting...

[Rubber Duck]

I think the main problem with US Industry is that it pre-occupied with Marketing.

The problem is that things have grown to such a hype that people are starting to close their ears to it all and starting to look at what they actually get in return for their money.

Let take a lot look at some of the America top products:

Coloured fizzy sugary water - Global Mega Brand

Compressed Mince Meat in White Bun - Global Mega Brand

Some of the World's worst designed cars - well actually hardly any of these sell outside the US

The World's buggiest software - Global Standard

The World's most insipid beer - Global Mega Brand



Anyway, I guess you get the point. What they cannot do in design, quality, innovation and cost effectivenes, they make up for by blowing the budget on advertising. That's got to work, don't it?

Originally Posted by idn

Customization is what has been killing the boys in Detroit. Offering many options (colors,etc) causing the buyers to form certain expectations- waiting for the perfect car so to speak. Those not sold then are highly discounted. Toyota's "lean" production kicks ass.

In a semi-related story:

http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArti...rticleID=11247


A year old but stil interesting...

[touchring]

Originally Posted by idn

Customization is what has been killing the boys in Detroit. Offering many options (colors,etc) causing the buyers to form certain expectations- waiting for the perfect car so to speak. Those not sold then are highly discounted. Toyota's "lean" production kicks ass.

In a semi-related story:

http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArti...rticleID=11247


A year old but stil interesting...

I was told, cars cost more than homes in Detriot??

[Rubber Duck]

Originally Posted by touchring

I was told, cars cost more than homes in Detriot??

That is probably going to be the case with a lot of people upping sticks to move where there is work.

[Drewbert]

RD speaks with some authority, having got a job straight out of school bolting exhausts onto Morris Marinas and Austin Princesses at the local British Leyland factory.

[thegenius1]

Originally Posted by touchring

I was told, cars cost more than homes in Detriot??

I attend a business conference annually in Detroit and the downtown has a plethora of abandoned establishments, so i can see how this statement could very well be true.

[hamiltok]

The top brass at Toyota have a much better vision at this time than GM; they will have production in India as early as ‘ 09 as well as curtailing their options for more fuel efficient cars in a much more timely manner than Detroit.

Detroit just doesn't get it, while the economy was slowing they continued producing at top notch, therefore the dealers were getting the short end of the proverbial stick, lots of inventory, rising interest rates which equaled doom. At this point the automakers don't have a choice but to start layoffs.

[Rubber Duck]

Originally Posted by Drewbert

RD speaks with some authority, having got a job straight out of school bolting exhausts onto Morris Marinas and Austin Princesses at the local British Leyland factory.

No, I didn't but the parallels are striking.

The British waved goodbye to their Car Industry through complacency and mismanagement. The US is now doing the same.

Lutz? What is he going to do for Christ's sake? He wasn't able to provide the leadership that the Industry need when he was in his prime. He sure as hell won't be able to turn it around now.

[Drewbert]

Originally Posted by Rubber Duck

No, I didn't but the parallels are striking.

The British waved goodbye to their Car Industry through complacency and mismanagement. The US is now doing the same.

That's what I meant, I just said it abstractly

GM = BL

[thefabfive]

Originally Posted by thegenius1

I attend a business conference annually in Detroit and the downtown has a plethora of abandoned establishments, so i can see how this statement could very well be true.

There are tons of homes in Detroit cheaper than IDNs commonly listed here for sale. I'm talking low $x,xxx!

[touchring]

Originally Posted by thefabfive

There are tons of homes in Detroit cheaper than IDNs commonly listed here for sale. I'm talking low $x,xxx!

Wouldn't it be good for retirement?

[xxbossmanxx]

Originally Posted by Rubber Duck

No, but I have had an active interest for more than 30 years.

What I can tell you is that Detroit will be little more than a ghost town in less than 5 years.

The focus of car production is switching to India and China.

I am from Detroit. It's been a ghost town for 15+ years alreay lol

[thefabfive]

Originally Posted by touchring

Wouldn't it be good for retirement?

Some nice vacation homes in Michigan will become available when the sh*t really hits in the fan over the next few years.

[xxbossmanxx]

Ya, the actual city of Detroit has been a burnt down hole for a very long time. Almost every michigan city that had gm in it is now one of americas worst citys.

The suburbs north of detroit such as bloomfield hills, beverly hills, west bloomfield etc. enjoyed a huge rush of mega wealth with 10-15k sq ft houses and put oakland county on the map as one of the richest countys in america.

But the economy has gone south real real bad in Michigan and the whole place is going to be crap. I am living in the seattle area and saw a michigan propaganda comercial last night, they are trying to bait young college grads from other states to come to their little attempt to convert to a mini silicon valley.

[burnsinternet]

If you didn't know Detroit was a burned out hole, then you haven't been there. Wheeling WV is even worse, I think. But both are much nicer than cities in some countries.

I guess that's why I don't reg Michigan ASCII domains, I reg Japanese IDN domains?