Toy-woe-ta

It will take some time to sort through the headlines and analysis of this recall crisis, but it's worth repeating that we here at J and D Auto Talk saw this coming two years ago, going on record in February 2008 (Toyota production is down - no kidding) with a follow up in August of that same year (Hey Toyota, I hate to say "I told you so...").

We were bang on, not based on regurgitating what every one else was saying at the time, but by our own sifting of the available data through the filter of our own way of looking at the industry. This process doesn't go half-baked, so stay tuned, we'll have a thought on this before too long.

Hey Toyota, I hate to say "I told you so..."

Today, a headline screamed -  Toyota reports a 28-percent plunge in profit.

It reminds me of an entry I made to this blog back in February  - Toyota production down - no kidding.

There are far more numbers-oriented analyses available out there that may explain this story with much more detail. But one thing in the recent article that jumps out at me is the following statement: "Koji Endo, auto analyst at Credit Suisse in Tokyo, said the troubles at Toyota in maintaining profits and vehicle sales were worse than it looked on the surface because of what he characterized as some bookkeeping stunts that were boosting the numbers." Inordinate focusing on sales at the cost of integrity or just plain good-faith business practices is a harbinger of woe - if they cut corners on the reporting or the books, might they also cut corners on quality, fit and finish, value...?