Toyota: Sales Stumble, Stock Tumbles, Prius Gets Ready to Rumble
The Financial Times reports that Toyota’s suffered its first quarterly sales decline “since the months after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, underscoring that even Japan’s biggest carmaker will not escape the worldwide motor industry slump.” Uh, shouldn’t that be the world’s largest automaker? Anyway, ToMoCo global sales were yanked downwards by America’s carmageddon, falling by 4.3 per cent to 2.236m vehicles. As you might expect, the aforementioned worldwide collapse has hit Toyota’s share price hard. The AP reports that Japanese stockholders holding shares in export-heavy domestics are running for the exits, propelled by a soaring yen. “The U.S. dollar… plunged below 93 yen, a 13-year low, as traders reacted to dismal U.S. jobs data that spurred speculation the Federal Reserve might cut interest rates. The combination of the two — the yen’s surge and Sony’s revision — unnerved investors in Tokyo, who dumped shares of exporters like Toyota, Sony and Panasonic.” On the positive side, Toyota’s U.S. Prius production is sending jobs stateside. The Clarion Ledger reports that Mississippi is getting ready to welcome its sixth Prius-related supplier. “Toyota Tsusho America will open a joint venture steel processing facility on the Toyota site.”
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Toyota in big trouble? Maybe. Even they are not immune to the current economic climate. Their product lineup has some models that can help them weather this situation- Prius, Corolla and Camry. Unfortunately, they also have models rotting on lots- Tundra, Sequoia to name a couple.
It's a tough go for anyone in the auto industry right now, however Toyota is one of the best companies to weather the storm. Survival of the fittest. For a company like Toyota, having vehicles sit on the lot isn't as big of a deal than for some other companies (looking at you the Big 2.8) because the production was paid out of earnings, not borrowed money. Sure there are holding costs and there is a hit on depriciation, but at least you not paying for the financing charge for production and having that loan sitting on your balance sheet. Of course the highly export driven stocks in Japan are going to fall right now, but at least those companies have planned for the day that this exact thing would occur.
Toyota in trouble..... Heck,EVERYONE'S in trouble.In case you havent noticed there are even WHOLE countries in trouble,and I mean their monetary systems have completely collapsed!! The world is running to the U.S. for safe haven(go figure)even after the screwing they got from us that caused this in the first place!!! Aint America great!!!!!!! as far as Toyota goes..they could loose a gizillion dollars a day and still be able to survive. I think they will stop at nothing to succeed in destroying any competitor,in any country,any manufacturer.Just like American BIG BUSINESS huh!
"For a company like Toyota, having vehicles sit on the lot isn’t as big of a deal than for some other companies (looking at you the Big 2.8) because the production was paid out of earnings, not borrowed money." Also the Toyota system gives start-up $$$$$ to new locations but the new location is expected to finance any expansions that are needed once they are on solid ground. In other words the apron strings are cut after 10 years or so and if they can't grow on their own there is no more help from Mother Toyota. It forces smart business practices to be made by the individual plant management. The Texas plant is suffering because of a poor decision which focused their entire production on gas guzzling trucks with no back-up plan in place to switch to something more fuel efficient. Toyota has been paying their workers in Texas NOT to build trucks for the last month or so. Toyota will be around long after GM/Ford/Chrysler have been carved up by the creditors who own them.