On the expansionist warpath:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...TO01/511270335

 

Does Toyota make money in other ways other than selling cars? I am quite interested in how the heck they do it. Slowly over taking sales? Good planning?

Either way, I guess it's better them then GM with their unreliable crap and eagerness in buying other famous brands and render them into useless crap, hence killing legend after legend in auto industry.

 

There's this irrational fear in Detroit that Toyota is going to buy out GM. No, they're going to bury GM.

 

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Detroit and them unfounded accusations!

 

Wikipedia to the rescue:

Other than their core automotive and related subsidiaries and JVs, there's the Toyota Verblitz Rugby Team, Toyota Financial Services Corp, and a series of upstart biotech ventures.

LINK

Nissan looks even less diversified, having sold their Mobile Phone Service to Japan Telecom and only really with Nissan Marine, Renault, and Renault F1.

Honda's more diversified with a strong motorcycle presence, power equipment, marine, Honda F1, and robotics.

Hard to argue with the high profit and sales numbers of Toyota and Nissan staying pretty focused on cars, but Honda's plan is solid for them, knowing how small the company is and the amount of consolidation going on in the industry. (Anyone else ever try explaining the "Honda isn't a big company" phenominon to people who don't know much about the industry? Like talking to a wall. "but Civics and Accords are everywhere")

 

Yes. While Toyota celebrates, and the amount of Honda bashing on Toyota forums, they failed to see the fact that Honda, being a much smaller company, sells almost as many Accords as Camrys, and as many Civics as Corrolas (at least true in NA), and totally holds its own against Toyota. Honda can't turn out as many cars and SUVs as Toyota in the USA, but almost every Honda model is a success.

But still, being a car company, it's pretty amazing job Toyota does at selling cars, buying under 18-year olds into their companies, and whatnot.

 

Heh, Toyota and Honda are pretty much > *

 

Turning them into drones, man. h:

 

What is particularly scary about Toyota is that not only are they highly-regarded around the world, but Toyota has the resources to take on anyone in just about every segment of the motor vehicle industry.

Indeed, Toyota's current product line is literally killing GM, because between the Camry and Avalon, they could end up forcing GM to drastically cut back its offerings in order to compete against Toyota in the family car market.

An interesting tidbit: remember former President Clinton's plan for developing an 80 mpg demonstrator car? GM was supposed to work with Toyota on such a vehicle but Toyota backed out at the last minute. In turn, Toyota started its own research on more fuel-efficient cars that resulted in the ground-breaking Prius, a car that absolutely stunned the world when it was unveiled in the middle 1990's.

 

Maybe you were stunned. I wasn't much impressed.