Mr. Toyoda, your apology is only the beginning
2010-03-04 09:32:18Source:People′s Daily OnlineAuthor:
After hiding his head in the face of criticism from the U.S. Congress, Toyota Motors President Akio Toyoda hurried to China and apologized to Chinese consumers by bowing at a press conference in Beijing March 1.
It is said that this is the first time that Chinese consumers have witnessed a head of a large Japanese enterprise bow in apology for its transgressions.
Will the impact of Toyota's mass recalls due to the floor mat and accelerator pedal among other problems that have caused so much trouble in Europe and the U.S. be removed completely in China by his apology? Perhaps the issue does not seem so simple.
The reason why Toyoda has paid so much attention to the feelings of Chinese consumers and proactively bowed to apologize is very simple - The quality of vehicles made by Toyota has caused concerns and trouble to Chinese consumers. Behind the apparently simple reason, the real reason lies in China's huge market.
A commentary on Japan's Sankei Shimbun website exposed the hidden secret - The key to Toyota's rebirth is in the hands of the Chinese market. Therefore, Toyoda's apology to Chinese consumers is more like "crisis management." He is facing the humiliation in order to build a "fire proof road" that will keep the furious feelings of European and U.S. consumers from spreading to China.
As a result, it is unavoidable that there were some hedging words in his apology.
For instance, when asked by a reporter whether Toyota vehicles made abroad have inferior quality than those made in Japan, Toyoda seemed a little embarrassed and dodged the question by saying, "Like the flavor of the Chinese food, Mapu Tofu, it can be different in the U.S., China and other countries." These remarks are unlikely to remove the doubts of Chinese consumers that vehicle models introduced in the Chinese market by Toyota's joint venture in China have reduced configurations and raised prices.
Chinese consumers are also discontented with the recall delay and the number of to-be-recalled vehicles. Having announced a worldwide recall of RAV4 vehicles many days ago and begun to pay civil compensations in the U.S., Toyota did not start recalling faulty cars in China until February 28, an irresponsible delay far beyond anybody's comprehension.
Toyota's massive recall is mainly due to problems with the floor mat, accelerator pedal, and braking system. Toyoda explained that the company would recall about 75,000 RAV4 vehicles produced by FAW Toyota, a tiny proportion of the 7.1 million vehicles of total sales in China last year.
China has carried out the auto recall system since 2004, and catapulted to the world's largest automobile sales market last year, making Chinese consumers "giants" that no auto manufacturers dare neglect. Unfortunately, Toyota and other automakers have always made all sorts of excuses to delay recalls in China in the past. We hope that the apology by Toyoda is just the beginning and automakers will deal with problems more pragmatically and positively in the future.
Only when automakers become more honest and responsible, can the recall system be more efficient and stronger, and can the consumers truly forgive them.
It is said that this is the first time that Chinese consumers have witnessed a head of a large Japanese enterprise bow in apology for its transgressions.
Will the impact of Toyota's mass recalls due to the floor mat and accelerator pedal among other problems that have caused so much trouble in Europe and the U.S. be removed completely in China by his apology? Perhaps the issue does not seem so simple.
The reason why Toyoda has paid so much attention to the feelings of Chinese consumers and proactively bowed to apologize is very simple - The quality of vehicles made by Toyota has caused concerns and trouble to Chinese consumers. Behind the apparently simple reason, the real reason lies in China's huge market.
A commentary on Japan's Sankei Shimbun website exposed the hidden secret - The key to Toyota's rebirth is in the hands of the Chinese market. Therefore, Toyoda's apology to Chinese consumers is more like "crisis management." He is facing the humiliation in order to build a "fire proof road" that will keep the furious feelings of European and U.S. consumers from spreading to China.
As a result, it is unavoidable that there were some hedging words in his apology.
For instance, when asked by a reporter whether Toyota vehicles made abroad have inferior quality than those made in Japan, Toyoda seemed a little embarrassed and dodged the question by saying, "Like the flavor of the Chinese food, Mapu Tofu, it can be different in the U.S., China and other countries." These remarks are unlikely to remove the doubts of Chinese consumers that vehicle models introduced in the Chinese market by Toyota's joint venture in China have reduced configurations and raised prices.
Chinese consumers are also discontented with the recall delay and the number of to-be-recalled vehicles. Having announced a worldwide recall of RAV4 vehicles many days ago and begun to pay civil compensations in the U.S., Toyota did not start recalling faulty cars in China until February 28, an irresponsible delay far beyond anybody's comprehension.
Toyota's massive recall is mainly due to problems with the floor mat, accelerator pedal, and braking system. Toyoda explained that the company would recall about 75,000 RAV4 vehicles produced by FAW Toyota, a tiny proportion of the 7.1 million vehicles of total sales in China last year.
China has carried out the auto recall system since 2004, and catapulted to the world's largest automobile sales market last year, making Chinese consumers "giants" that no auto manufacturers dare neglect. Unfortunately, Toyota and other automakers have always made all sorts of excuses to delay recalls in China in the past. We hope that the apology by Toyoda is just the beginning and automakers will deal with problems more pragmatically and positively in the future.
Only when automakers become more honest and responsible, can the recall system be more efficient and stronger, and can the consumers truly forgive them.
