Downtime for Toyota in Europe
Toyota pays dearly for its quality problems in Europe, where it has recalled more than 1.7 million vehicles, nearly 9 million worldwide. Its sales fell 21% in Europe in February, while the market grew by 3.2%. In two months, the decline amounted to 8.1%.
Consequently, the Japanese manufacturer, also a victim of the premium end of the breaks, slowing production on the Old Continent. The Onnaing plant in northern France, which produces the Yaris will undergo fourteen days of partial unemployment by 1 July, a union source. His pace, already reduced to 837 cars per day in February, dropping to 651 vehicles May 10After splitting from over 300 temps in February, the plant will not renew the contracts of the 340 remaining, the source said.
Eight days of production shutdown is also scheduled by mid-April in Britain, according to the Japanese agency Kyodo. Production will be suspended again in August and 750 jobs should be deleted.
To reassure customers
Aware that the crisis of technical faults has tarnished the image of his group, Akio Toyoda, Toyota's CEO, tried this week to reassure employees and customers during an impromptu visit to EU headquarters in Brussels. Having acknowledged that the group had wanted to grow up too quickly at the expense of quality, Akio Toyoda has formalized the establishment of a World Committee on this subject. The goal is to go faster technical problems payday loan no faxing .This committee will be chaired by the CEO and will have five members. Didier Leroy, previously director of sales and marketing in Europe, has been appointed quality manager for this area.
"We must reassure our existing customers on the fact that there were no accidents in Europe, and that repairs are progressing," says Didier Leroy. Approximately 750 000 vehicles were repaired in Europe on more than 1.6 million recalled because of faulty accelerator and nearly 53 000 Prius hybrid with a brake problem.
For now, a survey conducted in late February in the United States, shows that Japanese customers remain loyal to the brand. Only 6.5% of them said they no longer buy Toyota because of technical faults.But "convince other drivers to choose a Toyota is more complicated in the coming months, acknowledged recently Didier Leroy.
Meanwhile, the pressure intensifies court against the group in the United States. The San Diego court must determine whether complaints of Toyota customers can not be grouped into one, rather than separately. Toyota is the subject of 138 complaints in partnership with the United States for vehicle depreciation and 97 complaints relating to death or injury in accidents.
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