Jobu37

Seven Car Companies Hurt Most by Recession

Toyota's share was falling long before the economic crisis hit so it may not be a given that it will bounce back quite as quickly as you appear to be implying. Toyota can no longer charge premium prices due to their perceived quality superiority anymore. Reality is starting to settle into the market and consumers are beginning to realize that they can buy higher quality, better looking vehicles from other manufacturers such as Ford. I realize that there will always be blind loyalists but it is safe to say that the number of blind loyalists has and will continue to diminish. Blind loyalty aside, what consumer in his right mind would choose a Camry over a Ford Fusion when the Fusion has beaten the Camry, and all others, in quality surveys for the past three years, and it also gets better fuel mileage, has better handling characteristics, and costs $1,000 or more less. And don't kid yourself about Toyota holding the line on rebates, while they still have some of the lowest rebates around they have increased by a larger percentage than most. Only Kia, Hyundai, Chrysler, Nissan and GM have been more aggressive with rebates. Check the rental lots, you will find alot more Toyotas amongst the Kias and Hyundais so even their current sales are inflated compared to their historical retail demand.