Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Toyota Attempts to Regain Support

So after the Toyota recall that took place a little while ago, the corporation is now in the fast lane to regain the large amount of support that it had prior to the recall (no pun intended). Toyota had previously been one of the most trusted and popular cars in America and once the recall through the company for a loop it became crucial to get things on track without losing too much profit, and or, business. Toyota is still working hard to pick up the pieces and instill trust for their products back into the American public.

Recently we learned about the determinants of demand and this Toyota issue struck me as a great example. Imagine, what would happen to the demand for Toyota vehicles if there is a recall on multiple of their products? Something tells me that the demand will go down. Why? Well because consumer expectations for the cars that had been met in the past, have now been let down and they no longer feel comfortable enough to buy this product that is such a large percent of their income. As Silton likes to say, "economics is everywhere" and this is just one example that stood out to me, so let me know what you guys think.

1 comment:

prestonchan said...

I also agree that the demand curve would shift to the left, as consumers' "taste" for Toyota cars has gone down. If everything else stays equal, Toyota's equilibrium price of supply and demand should fall.
However, I feel that this is just a small mistake that Toyota made. Previously regarded as the most reliable car make (I don't know where it stands now), Toyota has built up a huge reputation for itself. I feel that if we can get past Toyota's mistake and put it behind us, Toyota can still be as successful as it was and even more so. Especially with its hybrid technology, Toyota, I feel, can still lead the auto making industry.