Automotive News Magazine

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:04am on Monday, February 8th, 2010

Toyota's Sales Fallout Leads the February 8 Issue of Automotive News

Detroit, February 5, 2010 -- While today's Toyota press conference had President Akio Toyoda announcing a new global task force on quality to address mounting concerns, Automotive News Tokyo Reporter Hans Greimel delves into the reasons why Toyoda quietly disbanded Toyota's "Customer First" quality meetings in 2009 before this crisis ever surfaced.

In a second page one story, Reporters Jesse Snyder and Kathy Jackson's story looks at the immediate impact on Toyota sales by talking to dealers, consultants and industry experts. Brand experts say purchase intent is shrinking and fewer shoppers are researching Toyotas.

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:32am on Monday, February 1st, 2010

The February 1, 2010 issue of Automotive News includes follow-up stories on the Toyota recall debacle.

Tokyo Reporter Hans Greimel and Los Angeles Reporter Kathy Jackson assess the consumer reaction in North America and Japan to Toyota's massive recall of eight models this week due to faulty accelerator pedals. With Toyota's operation in America at risk, Automotive News looks at consumer surveys that say whether consumers have started to be bothered.

In another of the many Toyota stories in this week's Automotive News, the same reporting team of Greimel and Jackson delve into the history of Toyota's worst-ever quality crisis and when the pedal problems were first noticed.

Also in the news this week is the upcoming dealer arbitration process for rejected General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group dealerships. A story by Automotive News Reporter Neil Roland assesses whether "clunker clog" will repeat itself as more than 1,550 dealerships have given notice that they intend to seek reinstatement through arbitration -- triple the number expected by the American Arbitration Association, which is overseeing the program. Bottlenecks seem possible in states with the most filings, including Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania.

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 2:17pm on Thursday, January 28th, 2010

The January 25, 2010 issue of Automotive News includes the story "Another Recall, Another Blow to Toyota" by Hans Greimel and Kathy Jackson. It looks at the latest quality gaffe at Toyota:

"The recall of 2.3 million Toyota vehicles last week to correct sticking accelerator pedals showed that the spreading controversy over unintended accelerations -- initially dismissed by the company as merely a floor mat issue -- may have roots in a more serious design flaw.

The latest move further sullies the company's reputation for top-notch quality and effective response to safety problems. It follows a year in which Toyota recalled more vehicles than any other automaker in the United States.

The announcement follows the recall last fall of 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles, whose owners were told that floor mats could entrap the accelerator pedal, causing unintended acceleration.

As recently as this month, Toyota officials said floor mat entrapment was the cause of several deadly cases of unintended acceleration.

During the Detroit auto show, Toyota North America President Yoshi Inaba said a new brake override system and reshaping the pedals on all of the recalled vehicles "absolutely" should resolve the problem of unintended acceleration."

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 7:19am on Monday, January 25th, 2010

The January 25, 2010 issue of Automotive News features a trio of stories that explore off-stage happenings in the automotive industry.

On page one, Reporter Bradford Wernle goes behind the scenes with Chrysler's brand management leadership team to discover what it takes to lead a car company of the future. The story is entitled: "The Marchionne Way: Work long, talk strong, never whine."

In a second story, "Another Recall, Another Blow to Toyota," Hans Greimel and Kathy Jackson team up to look at the latest quality gaffe at Toyota.

Finally, Washington Reporter Neil Roland delves into the Cadillac dealership arbitration situation.