Topic: "Beginning today, GM dealers will be able to offer Toyota customers

[articsteve]

"Beginning today, GM dealers will be able to offer Toyota customers a purchase incentive for a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicle," GM said in a statement.

"We decided to make this offer after receiving many emails and calls from our dealers, who have been approached by Toyota customers asking for help.    Such 'conquest' incentives are used commonly in the industry."

GM is offering zero percent financing for up to 60 months to customers who trade in a Toyota for a new GM vehicle. GM also is offering to make as many as three payments, for a total of up to $1,000, for Toyota lease customers. GM also is offering $1,000 discounts to cash buyers.

The program will run through February.

Ford Motor Co. said today it has no plans to offer incentives to Toyota customers. Chrysler Group LLC has not decided whether to initiate incentives.


You gotta hand it to the Americans; they really know how to play political hardball.

On one hand you've got an Obama hit man, newly appointed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration boss, David Strickland, doing a full court press on Toyota in the media and on the other hand you have Obama Government Motors underwriting 0% loans to buy off Toyota customers.

[weebl]

What about a trade in of a Pontiac Vibe?   

[MKII]

On one hand you've got an Obama hit man, newly appointed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration boss, David Strickland, doing a full court press on Toyota in the media and on the other hand you have Obama Government Motors underwriting 0% loans to buy off Toyota customers.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stated that the government was behind both the 2.3-million vehicle recall for sticky accelerator pedals and the halt in production.
"The reason Toyota decided to do the recall and to stop manufacturing was because we asked them to," LaHood said. Toyota was legally required to cease sales of the vehicles included in the eight-model recall at the time the recall was announced, but it failed to do so.

Meanwhile, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration's new administer David Strickland has agreed with the decision to halt sales,saying it "was an aggressive one and was the legally and morally correct thing to do."

Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said yesterday that Toyota is voluntarily halting sales of the eight models, though it also had a legal requirement to do so.   

Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/6616124/recalls/report-toyota-legally-required-to-halt-production-has-pedal-fix/index.html#ixzz0dqx4s47Z

[Sir Osis of Liver]

So Toyota screws up and it's the supplier's Obama's fault? Got it.


It's not just GM doing this. One of the Honda dealers in Dallas is advertising that "their pedals don't stick". Toyota is going to be getting it from all sides.

[rrocket]

So Toyota screws up and it's the supplier's Obama's fault? Got it.


It's not just GM doing this. One of the Honda dealers in Dallas is advertising that "their pedals don't stick". Toyota is going to be getting it from all sides.

Again..not Obama's fault, but the government now owns GM, Chrysler.  They also run the NHTSA.  It's in their best interest that GM and Chrysler do well.  REALLY well.  Connect the dots. 

[Leviathan]

So Toyota screws up and it's the supplier's Obama's fault? Got it.


It's not just GM doing this. One of the Honda dealers in Dallas is advertising that "their pedals don't stick". Toyota is going to be getting it from all sides.

Love that sign

[The Mighty Duck]

Again..not Obama's fault, but the government now owns GM, Chrysler.  They also run the NHTSA.  It's in their best interest that GM and Chrysler do well.  REALLY well.  Connect the dots. 

Right. I have more faith that Elvis is alive and living at Area 51, hanging out with the guys that faked the moon landing and the US officials that planned 9/11, than I do that the US government is orchestrating a massive scheme to shift sales from Toyota to GM by trumping up charges and forcing Toyota to stop selling certain models.

Oh, wait - I forgot. Toyota is infallible.

[rrocket]

Again..not Obama's fault, but the government now owns GM, Chrysler.  They also run the NHTSA.  It's in their best interest that GM and Chrysler do well.  REALLY well.  Connect the dots. 

Right. I have more faith that Elvis is alive and living at Area 51, hanging out with the guys that faked the moon landing and the US officials that planned 9/11, than I do that the US government is orchestrating a massive scheme to shift sales from Toyota to GM by trumping up charges and forcing Toyota to stop selling certain models.

Oh, wait - I forgot. Toyota is infallible.

I did not say the charges were trumped up.  But the speed at which the NHTSA got this done with in record time...along with all the press releases, etc.  For a government entity?  It must be a record!!

Compare this to the 254+ deaths in Jeep Cherokees (and the BILLIONS it will cost to fix)...and all I hear is crickets from the NHTSA.  But 16 deaths in Toyotas??  YIKES!!!  RECALL, RECALL, RECALL!!!

[dr_spock]

GM's offer is basic capitalism--capitalize on your competition's fall from grace. 

Too bad Barrie got banned.  These are interesting times. 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

So Toyota screws up and it's the supplier's Obama's fault? Got it.


It's not just GM doing this. One of the Honda dealers in Dallas is advertising that "their pedals don't stick". Toyota is going to be getting it from all sides.

Again..not Obama's fault, but the government now owns GM, Chrysler.  They also run the NHTSA.  It's in their best interest that GM and Chrysler do well.  REALLY well.  Connect the dots. 

What's to stop people from switching from Toyota to Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Mazda, etc. As far as conspiracies go, it's pretty lame.

[rrocket]

^^Is it?

You're (sorta) bright.  Tell me which is the most pressing recall issue:

16 deaths from somewhat disputed evidence in vehicles you at least have a chance of preventing the accident (brakes, neutral, etc..)

OR

254+ deaths in a vehicle where you have zero chance of preventing the outcome.


'Nuff said.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

^^Is it?

You're (sorta) bright.  Tell me which is the most pressing recall issue:

16 deaths from somewhat disputed evidence in vehicles you at least have a chance of preventing the accident (brakes, neutral, etc..)

OR

254+ deaths in a vehicle where you have zero chance of preventing the outcome.


'Nuff said.

Two things off the top of my head:

- The Jeeps in question are from '93-'04, during those years they were selling ~300k a year, so the incident rate is also pretty low. The ones since the redesign haven't had the issue.

- It is my understanding that any liability Chrysler had disappeared with the pre-bankruptcy company.

[rrocket]

Two things off the top of my head:

- The Jeeps in question are from '93-'04, during those years they were selling ~300k a year, so the incident rate is also pretty low. The ones since the redesign haven't had the issue.

- It is my understanding that any liability Chrysler had disappeared with the pre-bankruptcy company.

Ok..so the Jeep incident is pretty low.  And the Toyotas isn't?  Jeep sold 3 million of those Jeeps in question resulting in 254+ deaths.  Toyota sold ~6 million vehicles with the accelerator/floor mat issue and had 16 deaths.  Toyota has the much lower incident rate..by far.

The liability was with any existing lawsuits or NHTSA recall actions.  And just because a car was made prior to the bankruptcy, the NHTSA can STILL pull it off the road.

I'm not saying it's a conspiracy...but I'm also not going to say it's just a coincidence either.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I checked to be sure there is an investigation into the GC,

NHTSA Action Number: DP09005 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP.

So they aren't ignoring the problem, but the cars are no longer being produced. Rear end collisions causing fire aren't unusual in any car, it takes some analysis to determine if the GC is a statistical outlier or not.

With the Toyota situation a specific problem was identified with cars currently being produced, they are obligated to remedy the situation or cease production.

[articsteve]

I'm not saying it's a conspiracy...but I'm also not going to say it's just a coincidence either.


I think it's safe to say that there is heavy basis against Toyota because it is a non domestic manufacturer.


Case in Point:  The exploding 2004-2006 Ford 150 air bag


Government safety regulators have upgraded an investigation into complaints that air bags on some Ford F-150 pickups can deploy without warning, injuring the driver or passengers, Reuters is reporting.

More than 60 injuries have been reported from the unexpected air bag deployments, but only in older models:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's probe covers F-150s from model years 2004 to 2006. F-Series trucks, of which F-150 is the largest component, are the nation's biggest-selling vehicles.

The investigation covers 1.56 million vehicles, according to NHTSA documents examined by Reuters. That's three times as many from when the agency launched a preliminary review of 2005 pickups last fall.

Safety engineers have upgraded the investigation to an "engineering analysis," which can precede a recall. But so far, no recall appears on deck.

The government gave no indication that a recall was the next step. Ford believes the problem is most likely caused by an electrical short in the air bag/horn assembly. Ford made design changes for 2007 model year F-150s.


IMO, the F150 air bag issue is much more dangerous to public safety than Toyota's gas pedal, but it's being treated as an afterthought.   

[rrocket]

^^Yep..barely a peep from the media too.  And no official recall either.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

The F150 situation is similar to the Jeep thing in that the affected vehicles are no longer produced. And 60 injuries out of 3 million trucks for those years, doesn't exactly scream for attention.

The rules are different if the vehicles are still in production.

Seeing that the first reports of sticking throttles occurred in 2007, Toyota had plenty of time to rectify the situation if they had treated it seriously.

[articsteve]

And 60 injuries out of 3 million trucks for those years, doesn't exactly scream for attention.

 

Indeed  SIR!   What in the world has an exploding airbag while driving got to do with safety .

How preposterous. 

[Erik]

So the US government is stepping in to covertly help GM, but of course the Japanese government would NEVER do anything of the kind to help Toyota, right???

[DrJay]

Good for GM this is business 101 (capitalism at work not to mention your tax dollars) Kick em while they're down! The business version of a curby. This would have been a great time for Chrysler to step up but no surprise they are undecided.