Sorry, but nobody could have planned on this coming. The economy was doing very well before this “pandemic” hit. Toyota has lost sales due to slow reactions to market preferences. What is the opportunity cost of that?

I have disagreed with many of your opinions in the past, but your post above is by far the worst. Sometimes message boards and opinions are not a good thing.

I am more concerned about people that have lost jobs or will lose jobs, whether temporary or permanent. I could care less how these auto makers turn out. Heck, in certain areas you can’t even purchase bread, eggs or TP. Crazy values.

Carry on

 

Unfortunate. I have been quite vocal in the Clubhouse forum about the economic disaster that is coming...I have even used the words "economic depression". I have been quite affected by all of this...my employees as well.

So, someone started a share something positive thread or funny COVID-19 thread, which at first I did not agree with. Source I do now.

Toyota's past decisions about delaying new products and cash hoarding IMO were forward-thinking. Follow my past posts, I have been saying that there was an economic downturn coming and people/companies need to be prepared....I never would have expected a pandemic. The good news, Toyota will very likely pay the salaries for their employees and at the same time they will likely absorb the pressures to close auto plants in North America....there is some good news in all of this. however, I would be very worried right now if I were employed by the UAW for the big three or in any corporate capacity....in past recessions, Toyota's market share has increased despite falling sales..they increase because of their strong market position of sedans and cheap car, not SUVS or trucks...if you own Toyota stock, now is not the time to sell it.

At this moment in time, the opportunity cost now is that Toyota is not burdened by expensive new products such as Escalade, upcoming Bronco, or high-end sedans such as new GS models. Expensive next-generation 4Runners, Land Cruiser or LX570s are not going to be weighing them down at this moment. Consumers will be shifting to lower-priced cars.

 

We can agree to disagree. What I am seeing is unprecedented and something one cannot plan for. I hope this is short term and this blows over. Certain segments of the population have gone mad and lost their ability to reason and have lost all common sense. I saw someone at a BJs wholesale club rip a case of TP from someone else’s shopping cart. Car sales are the last thing I am thinking about at this point. I am fine and my family is fine, but the hoarding going on today is absolutely nuts.

 

Looks like you're in MA. I'm in the Phila. suburbs. I tend to agree with you. I was even thinking, nah. If I were to look at how my retirement got clipped it would be unnerving. The day before the last two up days where the market was hitting new highs, a story said Goldman Sachs reportedly told their clients there could be a pullback a couple weeks ago. This is late information, but public as the market continued to hit new highs. Why wouldn't everyone and their mother go into cash? Because that's not how it works. So unprecedented and not something we could plan for, I agree. And of course hindsight is 20/20.

In January I was busy traveling and thinking S63 AMG. I'm not even remotely thinking of a S63 AMG today. My wife went to BJs on Wed. and there was plenty of toilet paper and I texted her to get 2 lol but she said no and got 1. She said many others just got 1 as well (a 30 pack). I truly don't think we ever got the craziness of NYC and northern NJ. I count my blessings that I got a good bump in pay and bonus as this was emerging (I even thought dang maybe next year will not be so I've been on a tear since 2015), and I can work from home. I feel for those whose livelihoods are either severely hampered or simply gone. Some of my friends are still traveling and on the road long term. I wonder to myself, what would I do in that situation? It would be depressing to be away from home in that case.

Now on the original topic I think Toyota will almost never build anything exciting. I drove the 2020 Camry on a long trip and I liked it. But it's a bread and butter, nice, car. They have dinosaurs of engines that produce no torque at all but the audience is ok with it. When they needed a powertrain for the Supra they had to go to BMW. I saw one today at Lowe's and the owner was mid 70's which I thought was interesting.

 

do you live under a rock?

 

What driveline is that spwolf?
Camry AWD?

 

Not sure exactly what that is but it looks like a 3 cyl car that isn't sold in North America, so whatever it is (Yaris maybe) Toyota's strategy is to sell it in Japan and probably Europe. At least we still get Camrys which really aren't bad cars at all, just bread and butter and likely uber reliable, nice and not exciting by any stretch.

 

I'm gonna guess Yaris because it looks like a 3 cyl engine turned sideways, and it looks like GR on the plastic cover although too small to make out. Honda sells some pretty exciting Civics and even below the screamer it only comes in a stick. My point is Toyota has nothing like that. Not even a Supra comes in a stick but it's not a Toyota powertrain, and the BMW too has no stick. If it did, the Toyota would. Imagine Honda's strategy--you build the top and below top Civics and they have no automatics at all. That's pretty exciting for that segment.

 

^^^ Sometimes a little attribution can help when posting pictures.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...-cylinder.html

 

You should have driven the 300hp Camry TRD Yeah, I here you that you think Toyota does not have anything exciting, but Toyota have been known for safer choices. I think that holds true today. I like their new 4Runner TRD Pro lines and Land Cruiser and LX I have always had a heart for. I hope Toyota does not stray too far in their next gen body on frame SUVs

 

Well for one thing i think the v8s are gone in next gen LC/LX/GX.

 

I would like to see an electric option for these. I would love the build quality of Lexus plus instant torque. Not sure what would happen to those who need to tow regularly.

 

Of course the audience is OK with it......with good reason. Those Toyota powerplants are reliable. And they are reliable, at least in part, because they are well-proven dinosaurs.

 

They are going hydrogen which is a form of EV. Just get a Mirai if you want instant torque.

 

You're exactly right! I drove a 2020 Camry over 1,000 miles, and I was very satisfied. With the cruise set to about 72 mph, it was pretty comfortable. Now imagine this car likely going 100-200k without any issues. But it's the idea of the insurance man, where he collects a premium on something he will never pay out upon. Overinsuring aka being worth more dead than alive. Since many only rent a car for 30-40k and 3-4 years, how is being reliable to 200k an issue anyway. These folks want torque, Apple Play, and autonomous driving, plus prestige. It's gotta look good when the soccer club's vinyl sticker gets applied.

If one notices, the way to tell a car has a dinosaur engine is despite fooling around with HP numbers, a V6 engine short of turbocharging plateaus at around 260-270 ft. lbs. We saw this game at GM where one car has 288 HP, another 305 HP, some 320+, but all had roughly the same inadequate 260-270 ft lbs. It's basically a 2008 engine in a 2020 car.

It's physics and the definition of HP, I almost would say 5252 doesn't mean much to many.