Toyota toots horn on billboards across America
Toyota has launched a new advertising campaign aimed at educating Americans about the company’s involvement in and importance to the U.S. economy. The billboards highlight such facts as 386,000 jobs have been created in this country by Toyota and the company’s invested $13 billion in the U.S. since it arrived over 35 years ago. The ads have been placed along highways in two dozen markets where Toyota operates factories or has supplier operations.
Reactions to the ads are obviously varied depending on who you ask. The general consumer these days who cares more about “Bang for the Buck” than “Buy American” is comfortable with the Japanese automaker’s increasing presence in the U.S. economy. Members of the UAW and other organized unions, however, whose domestic employers have been losing marketshare to Toyota at a rapid rate are not pleased. The linked NewsDay article points out that the UAW in particular has been weakened by the presence of Toyota’s and other foreign automakers’ nonunion operations.
[Source: NewsDay]
Note - No pics of the actual billboards were available, so we had some fun in Photoshop above.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Source1 2:24PM (4/18/2006)
The UAW and GM is weakend by the ridiculousness of 'job banks' and other non-competitive practices. Enhanced quality is helping, but quality will not be enough. GM and Ford need to cut-out fat to be more competitive.
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donald douglas 2:28PM (4/18/2006)
Id like to see them post these all over detroit and see if the locals there like it , seeing there only brave enough to post them to the people who are benifiting from toyota can see them !
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Gunnar Heinrich 2:30PM (4/18/2006)
I think the figure of Toyota's investment is even higher. As for GM pricing, if the company pays $17ma per year for Viagra, how much does the consumer pay of that cost in each car? Frankly, a penny is too much.
http://www.automobilesdeluxe.blogspot.com
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Chris 2:32PM (4/18/2006)
If you look at the white collar and the blue collar jobs of any foreign automaker in this country, they're all staffed by Americans.
Same happens when a large American company opens up shop abroad. Google, Yahoo, GM, Ford, any big company. When a company goes overseas, most of the office is staffed by the local population. Just about all the top positions at that overseas office is staffed by the local population. A part of that company's earnings also goes to improving the local community. Toyota is no exception, and nothing special; every company that's smart does it.
The only difference I see under what's in a name, is the nationality of the global head CEO, and the people around him. Why would we care about that? He's not the president of our country.
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Carlos 2:36PM (4/18/2006)
Well, they've done more for my hometown than anyone else. NUMMI's 50% GM owned, but it's mostly been Toyota work lately.
More importantly, if you say it enough someone will start to believe you... Very agressive marketing by Toyota that will probably work out for them in the long run. Their PR department is just amazing, with the whole hybrid thing and now the American thing.
Sad that PR is their only reason for racing in NASCAR and F1, and that we enthusiasts don't like their cars, but man, what a killer PR team.
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Ryan 2:37PM (4/18/2006)
Toyota doesn't need to do this. UAW needs to deal with the fact that they are killing their place of employment, maybe they should lax off of the Viagra.
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Zippy Maboonogian 2:41PM (4/18/2006)
#2: "I'd like to see them post these all over detroit and see if the locals there like it , seeing there only brave enough to post them to the people who are benifiting from toyota can see them".
No need. The Detroit Red Wings hockey team had the idea of putting a Toyota on the ice at Joe Louis Arena between periods as an ad. They couldn't get it off the ice fast enough - or close the windows quickly enough to stop the shower of beer and whatever else was handy to throw. The reaction of Detroiters is pretty much what you'd expect.
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Trevor 2:52PM (4/18/2006)
They're probably going to be doing this a lot more often in preparation of the launch of the new Tundra. That is one area where foreign manufacturers can't compete, in the Full-size truck market. To create more of a sense that Toyota is pro-USA may help change the mind of some of the die-hard chevy and ford truck fans when the new Tundra hits the market....just my $.02.
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St?ane Dumas 2:58PM (4/18/2006)
I spotted an interesting text at http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2006/02/detroit_expecte.html the one writted by Marshall King it had some interesting points.
I can't wait to see what Peter DeLorenzo will said about this in its next Autoextremist rant.
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Leo 2:58PM (4/18/2006)
Toyota Honda, Nissan and Hyundai continue to hire more Americans into good jobs with secure futures. Ford and GM let loyal employees go by the tens of thousands every year. Chrysler has been able to grow jobs by forcing the union to expand job descriptions that enable them to be flexible.
The four trandplants, plus BMW and Mercedes contribute MILLIONS into United Way, Katrina relief, scholarships, Black colleges and universities, community parks and schools, you name it.
Yet the brain dead "America First" knuckledraggers get on here day after day and try to tell us that buying the crap the former Big three spew out is the onlt way to be patriotic.
That's just bullshit, and even those retards know it.
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Ford 3:09PM (4/18/2006)
It aint convincing me any
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iQuack 3:20PM (4/18/2006)
When foreign companies invest in the U.S. and employ local people, they're doing themselves AND US a favor.
Ford and GM have been building cars in Europe for decades, so why can't overseas companies that make better products build them here?
There were "voluntary" controls placed on Japanese car imports in the mid '80s to help GM and Ford. The unintended consequence of that was for Honda to create Acrua and Toyota to create Lexus so they could make higher profits from fewer, more luxurious cars. Ditto, Nissan/Infiniti.
The ultimate solution was to make more Toyotas and Hondas, etc. with domestic content in American factories so they'd become American cars--foreign in name only.
Toyota has every right to tout its contribution to the U.S. economy and the creation of U.S. jobs. If GM and Ford were slow to meet the competition and the unions were so greedy as to extract promises under strike threats, the problem rests with GM, Ford, and its unions, not with Toyota.
Unless the UAW gives more relief, they'll kill the companies that give them a reason to exist in the first place.
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Bob 3:41PM (4/18/2006)
The fact that we have foreign investment in the U.S. is great. I am glad people can put food on their plate from one of these jobs. That said, Foreign investment does not replace American jobs one for one. We shouldnt fool ourselves.
So Toyota has 10 plants? It is also constructing an R&D facility that will emply a couple hundred workers in the U.S.
GM, prior to the recent announcement of cuts had 82 "major" plants (source Detroit News) Ford has 37 major plants in the U.S., including stamping, engine, transmission and assembly plants as of today listed on their website. DCX has thirty-some facilities in the U.S. including manufacturing and R&D facilities.
The big 2.5 also employ 65,000 R&D workers in MICHIGAN alone. The Asian companies employ 3100 R&D workers in the entire U.S.
Add this to the millions of retires that the big 2.5 support (including over one million for GM alone).
I have often heard that for every manufacturing job created at a big 2.5 assembly plant, there were at least 7 others created at suppliers nearby or at other jobs like restaurants feeding the workers, etc.
Assuming this is true, should GM close its doors, you can count on nearly 4 million workers, suppliers, retirees and offshoots in the U.S. losing their incomes. That equals a big fat recession for the entire country if GM alone shut its doors.
Sorry Toyota, as much as I want your jobs too, I'd rather not have it at the expense of the many, many other jobs.
GM, Ford and even Daimler Chrysler should put up bill boards about that.
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Maverick 4:39PM (4/18/2006)
Whats more america than toyota right???
It kind of makes me sick how toyota is trying to be part of the american landscape and acting like its an american company
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Ray 5:00PM (4/18/2006)
I can't wait to see how all these people who are so in favor of foreign competition react when the foreigner companies come for their jobs. Why stop at the auto industry? School teachers, firefighters, dentists - the Japanese are way smarter, much better quality. Bring 'em on over, give them some tax breaks, and let them continue to buy their supplies from good ol' Japan. Yup, that'll make our economy strong. P.S., where do they build all those electronics that they are famous for, now that they control that market?
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Mick 5:12PM (4/18/2006)
Doesn't everything go in cycles? Toyota's roaring expansion has already caused cracks to develop in its vaunted reputation for reliability. If Toyota doesn't keep a firm grip on the reins they'll be in for more trouble - trouble, of course, that GM wishes it had. Toyota's cycles may be slower and tighter than others, but they are not immune from the laws governing human nature. Lots of cliches come to mind here: the bigger they are, the harder they fall. What goes up, must come down. GM could give them some advice on in that regard.
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storm 5:21PM (4/18/2006)
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Re: Post #13
The big 2.5 also employ 65,000 R&D workers in MICHIGAN alone. The Asian companies employ 3100 R&D workers in the entire U.S.
Add this to the millions of retires that the big 2.5 support (including over one million for GM alone).
I have often heard that for every manufacturing job created at a big 2.5 assembly plant, there were at least 7 others created at suppliers nearby or at other jobs like restaurants feeding the workers, etc.
Assuming this is true, should GM close its doors, you can count on nearly 4 million workers, suppliers, retirees and offshoots in the U.S. losing their incomes. That equals a big fat recession for the entire country if GM alone shut its doors.
Sorry Toyota, as much as I want your jobs too, I'd rather not have it at the expense of the many, many other jobs.
GM, Ford and even Daimler Chrysler should put up bill boards about that.
Posted at 3:41PM on Apr 18th 2006 by Bob
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The Big 2.5 have 65,000 workers doing R&D?
Doing WHAT??
Should GM close its doors (which it won't) there will be no recession. You exaggerate greatly the importance of GM to the US economy. If GM goes the Chapter 11 route, the effects would be harsh on its employees, suppliers and retirees, but the overall effect on the US economy would be small.
GM is a business like any other and must find a way to make a profit and pay its bills just like all other businesses.
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mike 6:43PM (4/18/2006)
Buy American!!! That Jap Crap is way overrated. Parts are expensive (and yes they break too!!!). They ride like crap!! The seats are like a park bench covered in cloth. Seats are mounted too close to the floor. Body panels are extremely thin. I am not buying into the hype. Anybody that buys a prius should be deported. That is the most retarted looking thing I have ever seen. Noway I'm sitting on a bunch of batteries. Many Police/Fire depts wont touch them in the event of an accident for fear of being burned by acid or being shocked!!! Ford and GM have their problems but I will take one of these domestics anyday. Chrysler go go home to Germany as well!!
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Smoove D 7:52PM (4/18/2006)
I've owned two vehicles made by the Big 3, one from GM and one from Chrysler. They were both utter crap and broke down repeatedly. The incompetent UAW workers deserve to lose their jobs and starve to death as far as I'm concerned.
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Brian W 8:31PM (4/18/2006)
Toyota's PR crap is getting old. Their cockiness will catch up with them when they falter.
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