Negative article on Toyota.

Media bias, my but.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/05/business..._r=1&oref=login

First of all, if this was bad GM news, it would have been in the front section, not buried in Business.

Secondly, in the second paragraph they make sure they point out that Toyota is poised to take over GM as the biggest car company.

Then they go on to interview a few people who have NEVER had any problems with their Toyotas. Where is the balance there? If the article is about recalls and problems, why wouldn't they at least find someone who HAS had problems?

Then they devote most of the article to letting Toyota apologise, infer that it is Delphi's (American parts, mind you!) fault, and itemize all the things Toyota has already done to stem the tide so Toyota's will be perfect in the future.

Yeah, over all I'd say it was balanced.

The recalls are in the news. The New York Times has to say something. After all, to ignore it completely would be too obvious, so they are forced to say something.

They did a good job. I am sure they will still get their monthly check.

It is interesting to note the problems facing Toyota cannot be blamed on growing pains, or mistakes in engineering or production as a result of their sudden-success in the marketplace. This is because of the fact that these recalls affect vehiles a decade old already.

First of all, if this was bad GM news, it would have been in the front section, not buried in Business.

  Secondly, in the second paragraph they make sure they point out that Toyota is poised to take over GM as the biggest car company.

  Then they go on to interview a few people who have NEVER had any problems with their Toyotas.  Where is the balance there?  If the article is about recalls and problems, why wouldn't they at least find someone who HAS had problems?

  Then they devote most of the article to letting Toyota apologise, infer that it is Delphi's (American parts, mind you!) fault, and itemize all the things Toyota has already done to stem the tide so Toyota's will be perfect in the future.

  Yeah, over all I'd say it was balanced.

  The recalls are in the news.  The New York Times has to say something.  After all, to ignore it completely would be too obvious, so they are forced to say something. 

  They did a good job.  I am sure they will still get their monthly check.

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GM is only the US' largest automaker & in their recent, glorious history, the #1 Company on the planet. They've had some minor issues of late...(sic).

...Toyota is, relatively speaking, a johnny-come-lately...now they've become a juggernaut, a company hiring American workers to build millions of cars that GM isn't (anymore.)

*The article also contains potentially ominous inferences that the current Toyota recall issues may explode due to the age of the current problems surfacing.

So please. Are there some positive notes in there? Yes, of course....Toyota, on some level, has earned the 'benefit of the doubt', whereas the domestics are not quite back to that level, in the public's eyes.

Hopefully, that will change. Perhaps this situation with Toyota will help GM, but it's not the way back to greatness if your competitor crumbles. Like boxing, you need to earn that crown through clear 'wins' (as in great product).

This article didn't make the top story on my local news, how can you say there is no media bias?

I like that image, "recalls ahead"

Food for thought;

1. Nothing was mentioned of GMs recalls going down?

2. Nothing was mentioned about the above in the article?

3. If it takes 4 years to make the turn around because of recalls, GMs should keep going down while toyota starts to go up. That would mean by next year, toyota with less cars sold will have more recalls.

My buddy has a Nissan Frontier, even though this thread is about Toyotas, but anyway he has to take his truck in for 2 recalls and a warranty fix. So its not just all Toyota either that problems are coming up. It seems all the Japanese manfacturers are starting to have a batch of problems.