Toyota's Problem

Over the past several months I cannot help but notice the frequent news stories popping up in regards to Toyota's quality. If you were to ask me five years ago who built the most reliable cars in the world I would have likely answered "Why Toyota of course". These days, I am not able to confidently say this. How could such a thing happen? I have my theory...

As Toyota worked to become the worlds largest auto maker it seemed to forget why it was successful in the first place. Let's face it. It was not styling or driving dynamics that won over the hearts of America as very few people can say that they think Toyota has the most exciting vehicles on the road. The king of vanilla automobiles made its headway in sales by delivering quality vehicles at reasonable prices. Not a bad formula for success in my book. Now when you look at Toyota you see overpriced vehicles with serious quality issues. The high prices worked for a while when Toyota had its solid reputation but as that has slipped, so have their sales.

This is where Toyota fans ultimately start screaming that their Corolla lasted a hundred years and the Ford or Chevy they bought lasted 1 month before spontaneously catching fire in a Wendy's drive through. The problem with this theory is that things can and always will change. Just as Dave Thomas's fast food restaurant went through its bankruptcy and emerged anew Toyota has become a different company as have Ford and General Motors (although GM needed a bankruptcy while Ford avoided it). As Toyota focused on selling more volume the folks in Detroit have looked at things much differently. GM and Ford are downsizing and reducing their volume. This, they believe, allows them to produce better product at higher quality. The strategy as I see it today, is working. Ford has been climbing the charts in customer satisfaction and quality for the past several years and in many instances has surpassed Toyota and Honda. Not far behind is GM as its new offerings are proving themselves. Toyota on the other hand keeps getting hammered with recalls such as its recent issue with spontaneous acceleration and rusting truck frames. Lest not we forget the current Tundra which in its first year of life had everything from faulty camshafts, transmissions, to tailgates falling off.

What happened to Toyota? A lot of things actually. To put it as simply as possible the real issue is a lack of focus and becoming out of touch with consumer demands. Now where does that sound familiar? Maybe they should have called the big three in Detroit so that they could learn from their mistakes.

The Official Shotgun Rule Book

It is a game that I remember fondly from my childhood. Growing up with three brothers, the passenger seat of our Dodge Colt was highly sought after. This especially became true when we all reached a height of over 6' 3". What we did not know is the act of calling "Shotgun" came from the days before automobiles when the passenger in a covered wagon would act as a guard from bandits and thieves. The game has evolved over the years and has indeed caused some confusion which is where Joshua Pearson, Thomas Reuter, and William Henderson come in. They have compiled a book that is full of all the official shotgun rules and regulations so that never again will an argument (or thrown shoe) from the back seat slow your ride. They are calling the book "This year's Tickle Me Elmo" which sounds important indeed. The link below will bring you to the official website of the Official Shotgun Rulebook.

http://www.shotgunrules.com/

That existed? Toyota 2000GT

As I was perusing the corners of the web today I came across the unthinkable. A 1960's sports car I had not seen nor even heard of. Being your typical car guy I can rattle off the go fast cars produced in the late 1960's and early 1970's without breaking a sweat. You have your Mustang, Camaro, Corvette, Charger, Challenger in the pure American arena. From across the pond you have your Porsche 911, a Ferrari or two, and of course the beautiful Jaguar E-Type. What is less known is a little entry from Toyota by the name of the 2000GT. A little gem from 1967 that I would love to have my hands on today.

Stylistically it resembles the Jaguar E-Type in my eyes. The roadster from Toyota is complete with the round shape and long hood you would commonly associate with the Jaguar. In overall design when comparing the two I have to give it to Toyota. Everything about it flows much better from bumper to bumper. The shape of the rear is an especial improvement as it looks much more masculine and refined.

Under the hood of the 2000GT rests a 2.0 liter straight-six sourced from Toyota's Crown sedan. The engine was sent to Yamaha motors who would then convert it from a single to a dual overhead cam setup and tune it to put out a claimed 150 horsepower. This was impressive to say the least for a 2.0 liter engine in 1967 and would propel the car to a said top speed of 135 mph. In comparison, a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette with a 327 cubic inch V8 under the hood was said to max out at 130 mph.

The Toyota 2000GT was a rather exclusive vehicle as only a little over 300 were produced from 1967-1970. Further research indicates that its biggest media moment was an appearance in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. As exclusive as it was, I am glad the little gem did not evade me forever. Now all I need is about $200,000 dollars to go purchase one.

Take that Tata: Ford unviels $650 car

Some of you may have heard about the Indian auto manufacturer Tata who is selling the worlds least expensive automobile. It would seem the Ford Motor Company does not want to be outdone and has released a direct competitor to help American's through these troubled economic times. Watch the video below to view the "Onion Networks" full coverage.

Ford Unveils New Car For Cash-Strapped Buyers: The 1993 Taurus

Hmmm. Perhaps consider buying a Schwinn.