Poll Finds Toyota Reputation 'intact'

[Raistlin]

A poll of over 22,000 internet users suggests that the reputation of Toyota remains strong despite recent safety concerns over its cars in both Europe and the USA.

Visitors to MSN Cars were posed the question:

"Toyota has been a lot in the news recently. What do you think about it all?"

- 41% of respondents said that it was a 'storm in a teacup, hyped up by the media.'

- 38% of respondents said that 'it was a serious problem, but I'm sure Toyota will get it sorted out and I will consider buying one in the future'.

- Only 21% of respondents said 'I will not consider buying a Toyota in the foreseeable future.'

"Toyota's high reputation for quality and reliability has been dented by recent events,"

"However, our very large survey suggests that only a relatively small proportion of people has been put off buying one of its cars."

"The onus is now very much on Toyota to restore public confidence in its products and the initiatives it is taking around product recalls and public information are very much steps in the right direction."

Background

Toyota has been beset by high-profile concerns over vehicle safety in recent months, leading to the recall of many of its car models on both sides of the Atlantic. Toyota has agreed to pay a fine of $16.4m levied by the United States government for failing to report defects in some of its vehicles accelerator pedals.

Toyota denied hiding the defects but agreed that it could have managed the issue better.

Toyota became the world's largest car producer in 2008 but has blamed quality problems on its fast expansion.

What do you think... ?

[Bizarra]

If I was changing my car, I wouldn't consider any other make