Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Can Toyota's Reputation Recover?

Even those who don't keep up with the auto industry know that Toyota's reputation has suffered drastically from various safety issues. Most famously, the "stuck accelerator" issue caused world-wide notoriety and was the subject of ridicule and concern. The big question is, can this automaker ever recover from its slump?


Just to demonstrate how tarnished Toyota's reputation has become recently, I'll cite J.D. Power’s 2010 Avoider Study which found that 19 percent of new car shoppers surveyed steered clear of Toyota showrooms because they thought the automaker had “bad reputation.” 

Toyota has always prided itself on being a manufacturer of safe vehicles with superb reliability, but with so many marks against itself in these areas, consumers seem to be putting their money elsewhere. Domestic sales have risen, and projections indicate they will continue to do so. 

Question for my readers: if you had $30,000 to purchase a brand new vehicle, what would you choose and why?

Update:  My favorite answer thus far is Sucio's.