Kaitlyn Richardson Lee Brown
1867 – Birth of Sakichi Toyoda 1937 – Toyota Motor Co. is established 1957 – First prototypes of “Crown” model exported to the USA Toyota Motor Sales 1982 – Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. And Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd. are merged into Toyota Motor Corporation. 1989 – Lexus brand is launched in the USA 1997 – Prius is launched as first mass-prod. Hybrid car 2008 – Worldwide Prius sales top 1-million mark 2009 – Toyota releases largest recall in company history
Over 8.5 Million Vehicles Recalled8.5 Million Unintended acceleration caused by: Sticking accelerator pedal Floor mat sliding forward Malfunctioning electronic throttle tech (not confirmed) 34 people dead – allegedly due to recall issues
Avalon RAV4 Camry Sequoia Corolla Tacoma Highlander Tundra Matrix Venza Prius
Alternately pressed gas and break 250 times in rapid succession Diagnostic test determined accelerator was not stuck Severe wear and damage to front brakes, no damage to rears or emergency brake 61 year old, heavily in debt, owner of a swingers’ club
Marketing effort to stress Toyota product quality Seeks 100% owner response to recall
Major incentives on purchase of new Toyota vehicles Worst sales month in January, 2010 in more than a decade. Market share down to 11.3% Insists occurrence is rare and problem has been fixed
1. Brake Hard 2. Put in Neutral 3. Turn Off Engine