Toyota may raise prices to help US automakers

[eting_pro5]

LA Times:

Toyota Motor Corp.'s chairman suggested Monday that the Japanese automaker might consider raising the prices of the vehicles it sells in the United States because of the troubles of its ailing U.S. peers, Kyodo News reported.

The head of the Japanese business lobby Keidanren, Hiroshi Okuda, who also is Toyota's chairman, suggested the possibility of price increases in the United States after U.S. auto manufacturers General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. reported weak earnings results last week, Kyodo reported.

Japanese daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that Okuda said at a news conference that the U.S. automakers' problems could cause a backlash for Toyota and other foreign rivals.

"I'm concerned about the current situation surrounding GM. Although a trade conflict … may be avoided, there may be some impact" on Japanese automakers "because the car industry is symbolic in the U.S. economy," Okuda said.

He said Toyota "may need to adjust prices," hinting that it might increase the prices of its vehicles in the United States.

[vindication]

sucks, toyota's are already high priced. My dad was lookin to by a Tundra and it was too expensive, then he looked at the Tacoma and it was still a little on the expensive side. Later we went to a nisssan dealership and were playing around with the idea of a Titan and wound up buying it cause we got a dela we couldn't refuse. Deal, of all deals

[Autox MSP]

damn Scion TC's are selling like hotcakes. They are everywhere!

[pdhaudio83]

I actually heard today they took that statement back :(

[pdhaudio83]

"Chairman Hiroshi Okuda suggests the world's second-biggest automaker is willing to raise the prices of vehicles it sells in the United States. Then his company disavows the idea. "We need to give some time for American companies to take a breath," Okuda was quoted as saying in the Japanese daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Does this mean raising prices? Dame desu--no way--said Toyota. "We are not thinking about changing prices in order to help the U.S. auto industry," said the company in a later statement reported by Reuters"


werd.

[cbcbd]

There's no reason why they would want to help the US auto industry. That was ridiculous

[pdhaudio83]

well, if one part of the industry fails, its never good.

Jap companies have said they do NOT want over a 40% share in teh US.
Its bad for everyone.

[meGrimlock]

as far as total volume sold, i thought US domestics still outnumbered japanese imports?

[ZoomZoomH]

^yes they are, but they're looking at trends and *how fast* japanese imports are *displacing* domestic marketshare. Right now it is at thirty-something % (total Japanese car marketshare in US), and the recent trend indicates that in a few years Japanese cars will go over that 40% mark.

[meGrimlock]

someone should take over the govt and have domestic companies make only muscle cars, japanese sell only small sedans & hybrids, the europeans sell only luxury cars. and trucks and SUVs will be fleeted out to construction companies and farms (you know...the folks who actually need them). ^_^


oh yea school buses, minivans, and whatever go to day cares and schools.

[cbcbd]

US companies should just try harder... or keep losing market share - what's wrong with that?

[txrxs]

Well if the US car makers would stop producing crap for cars people would want to buy them.

[Stormtrooper77]

Well if the US car makers would stop producing crap for cars people would want to buy them.

They have to produce "crap" so that the people with lower income can afford them. But, I'm not saying that all cheap cars are crap.

[ghetto waggon]

It's all a good bit more complicated than I think has been laid out.
I think the style in reporting out on the topic has alot to do with the way the public gets to hear it.

I was at a conference last friday and heard something similar regarding Toyota's sales, but this was due to the hybrid technology in which they have their hands on. You can't deny the demand is high for them, and rightfully so. If I recall correctly, they had/have two patented hybrid powerplants and just recently sold the lesser of the two to another major company.