TRAVERSE CITY -- A senior Toyota Motor Corp. executive told The Detroit News today that the failure of one of Detroit's Big Three automakers would be devastating for his company.
"We want everyone to succeed," said Steve St. Angelo, head of Toyota's Kentucky assembly plant and senior vice president in charge of engineering and manufacturing for North America. "Competition is good for us. The customers are the big winners, because it makes all of us better."
He added that Toyota depends on many of the same companies that provide parts to General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC.
"We share many of the same suppliers, so if one of our suppliers has difficulty with either Chrysler, GM or Ford, there's a good chance they are going to have difficulty for us," he said.
And, St. Angelo said, the entire economy benefits from a strong domestic auto industry.
"When GM, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota are healthy, the economy is stable and it's the best for all of us," he said.
Japan's largest automaker has passed Ford to become the second biggest car company in the United States and is challenging GM to become first in the world.
But St. Angelo said Toyota is doing what it can within the constraints of U.S. anti-trust rules to help its U.S. rivals.
"When any of our competitors want to come to our plants, we let them," he said. "We really don't want anybody to go bankrupt."
In recent months, many on Wall Street have openly worried that could be the fate of both Chrysler and GM.
But they, along with Ford, have taken unprecedented steps to turn their U.S. operations around.
"If you really look at the leaders of the Detroit Three, they're some of the finest leaders that this business has ever had," St. Angelo said. "I hope and I think that they'll come out of this. It would help our company. It would help America. It would help our suppliers. It would help everyone."
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vmax2007
Toyota is not any more "special" than every other company the media has targeted in the past.
'07 Toyota Camry LE
Toyota: Like other cars, only better.
What the hell Toyota. I thought you were on our side
Just kid.
This is good. Toyota knows if any of the big three go under they're could be a backlash against Toyota and a national sentiment could set in strong, like 80's strong. That's one of the reasons Toyota wants to be the "good citizen" and set up shop in the U.S. to provide jobs.
The big three need to downsize. Not just work force, dealers and factories, they need to downsize overhead (management). Streamline operations in the office and the factory.
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U.S. media is a systematic censorship on free speech. They don't like what they hear they don't report. Don't want to upset the political and advertising sponsors. Its so corrupted. While they don't have to agree with certain views, its their job to report and let US decide.
For the cynics among us... This is at least good PR on Toyota's part. By appearing to be a good corporate American citizen and concerned about what is happening to its competitors, Toyota may come out looking and smelling better, and it may actually even attract more than a few transfer sales when and if any of the Detroit 3 go under.
Not to mention the fact that if GM, Ford or Chrysler were to go under, it would put a lot of people out of work. Not to mention that it would put people out of work who work for the companies that supply parts to the Detroit 3.
It would create a ripple effect that would bring the whole American economy down even more than it already is.
Things like this are why I respect Toyota so much. Unlike GM, who rips on the Accord and Camry every chance it gets, Toyota doesnt stoop to such things.
Toyota knows they are the best, so there is no need to talk a lot of smack. The product and the sales numbers do all the talking that is needed.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vmax2007
Toyota is not any more "special" than every other company the media has targeted in the past.
'07 Toyota Camry LE
Toyota: Like other cars, only better.
For the cynics among us... This is at least good PR on Toyota's part. By appearing to be a good corporate American citizen and concerned about what is happening to its competitors, Toyota may come out looking and smelling better, and it may actually even attract more than a few transfer sales when and if any of the Detroit 3 go under.
There is also some sincerity in the fact that Toyota honestly believes they are a better company because they have the Domestics to crush.
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