Toyota deserves my vote.
Since the mid 1970s, I have admired the Japanese people. I have only bought Japanese cars since selling my Volvo S80 in 2007. Honda became my preferred brand until I moved to the country in 2016.
Long term planning and quality
The story of Japan’s success in many markets, from vehicles to electronics, would not be complete with mentioning the contributions of Edwards Deming. American car makers prior to the 1990s were less interested in building high quality cars than appealing to customers with cool find and lots of chrome components. Planned obsolescence became a term associated with American cars as Japanese vehicle manufacturers consistently out-ranked all others in the categories of reliability, safety, efficiency and low-cost maintenance.
The Deming legacy
Statistical process control (SPC) was phrase that I first heard associated with Edwards Deming. According to folklore, Deming had approached several American vehicle manufacturers to convince them to adopt SPC and other quality disciplines as a key to their long term success. When the Americans wouldn’t listen, Demings went to Japan where his ideas were respected and adopted. Over the next few decades, Honda, Toyota and Subaru established a reputation for quality that the Americans failed to match.
The short video linked is yet another example of the Japanese approach to achieving and sustaining long term success. Toyota is not the world’s largest vehicle maker by accident. While my wife and I are current Subaru owners and past Honda customers, Toyota will certainly get serious consideration the next time we shop for a vehicle.
As a Liberarian who believes in the principle of Freedom of Informed Choice and practices it whenever possible, Toyota executives have wisely NOT adopted an EV-only market strategy. They respect consumers like me who will want several types of engine options from which to choose.
I do my homework
As always, I will vote with my money and NOT according to a group government central planning czars who are systematically curbing free market options for political and ideological reasons. If you are like me and wish to preserve your freedoms of choice, I recommend that you too will place Toyota at the top of your list for your next vehicle. EV central planners do not deserve your political vote, but companies that cater to your needs and interests certainly deserve prime consideration for your purchasing ‘vote’ IMHO.