>Toyota’s latest round of problems with the Corolla’s steering adds salt to an already growing wound – www.nyt.com. With brake and gas pedal problems on other models, Toyota is facing a challenge to it’s sterling reputation. It can now join the “breakdown” club of American car makers like GM and Ford. Of course, this could not come at a worse time. The world is just barely recovering from a severe recession and consumers can (and will) easily move to other car manufacturers, especially given the recent problems at Toyota and the growing sense of nationalism and economic protectionism growing in the country.
This is the chance for American auto makers to stage a market share comeback by being leaders in fuel efficient vehicles and appeal to a more, dare I say it, forward-thinking crowd (who never bought the giant SUV’s American automakers were famous for). This is where the auto industry is headed as petroleum resources become more scarce and prices continue to climb. Let us hope we (and US automakers) can be forward thinking and leaders in the greener car technologies of the future.