NYU View: Toyota Takes Action to Improve Quality

Toyota Takes Action to Improve Quality
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The Quality Curmudgeon on 25 August, 2006 07:14:00
 
Here's an interesting story from Yahoo about an automaker taking steps to deal
with its quality problems:
Toyota May Delay Some New Models
OYAMA, Japan - Toyota may delay some of its new models, the company's president
said Friday, as the world's No. 2 automaker tries to improve its quality control
process in order to reduce a spate of recalls that is threatening its
reputation.
(Read the full story here.)
As Toyota grows and adds an increasingly complex product line, there are bound
to be some quality problems but it's encouraging to see an automaker take such
public steps prior to introducing models to address potential quality issues.
The U.S. automakers' approach seems to  be to hide quality issues and address
them behind closed doors after the fact.
I'm still mystified why Ford and GM are still so far behind the Japanese in
quality, product design, reliability, fuel efficiency, etc. Many of the Japanese
autos sold in the United States are designed and built here so I don't believe
it's a cultural issue. What do you think? If you disagree, then explain the
decline in market share--and there's more to it than rising gas prices.