Last year's massive recalls -- and the resulting legal fallout -- have given Toyota's reputation a beating, cutting into its sales. But the company can't blame all of its problems on the recalls. Analysts also point to another issue: A lack of compelling new models.
Toyota managed to hold onto the title of world's No. 1 automaker last year, despite numerous safety recalls that took a toll on its sales. Toyota sold 8.42 million vehicles worldwide in 2010, enough to barely edge out resurgent General Motors, which rang up sales of 8.39 million.
With U.S. automotive dominance waning, a new moniker has emerged: the "Detroit Three." Still, don't count out Ford, GM or Chrysler. Their post-recession future looks strong, thanks to some agonizing restructuring. Now, they can be profitable selling fewer cars.
Automakers recalled more vehicles last year than in any of the last six years. And while Toyota Motors accounted for much of the growth, with problems including unintended acceleration and glitchy brakes, many other car manufacturers also saw their recalls increase.
Chrysler has finally decided to jump on the hybrid bandwagon, announcing Wednesday that it is working with the EPA to develop a hydraulic hybrid powertrain for its vehicles. The system, which stores energy derived from vehicle braking as pressure, could improve fuel economy by 30% to 35%.
Ford will spend $400 million to upgrade its Kansas City, Mo., plant after production of the current Ford Escape compact SUV moves to another facility. It's the fourth North American plant that Ford has overhauled or plans to as it seeks to reinvigorate its vehicle lineup.
The smallest of the Detroit Three, Chrysler has made substantial strides in turning around its business, including lowering the number of vehicles it needs to sell to make a profit. The automaker had pegged 1.65 million as its operating break-even point, but has just lowered this to about 1.5 million vehicles.
The United Auto Workers union has been bleeding members, with fewer than 400,000 at the end of 2009. With a purportedly more collaborative attitude, the group plans to unionize foreign auto manufacturers with factories in the U.S.
At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Tuesday, Ford and Chrysler both announced plans to introduce a host of new models. Ford will add seven vehicles with "truly unique Lincoln DNA" to its luxury line, while Chrysler has its eyes on new pickups, a revived Jeep Grand Wagoneer, and possibly, a 'mini-minivan.'
New models from Ford and Toyota drew the hottest interest Monday as the North American International Auto Show opened in Detroit: Each announced several electric and hybrid vehicles, including an electric Focus and a plug-in Prius.
Italian automaker Fiat increased its stake has in Chrysler Group to 25% after the U.S. automaker met a key goal by starting engine production at a plant in Dundee, Mich., the company said Monday during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Taking the name of VW's existing midsize entry, the new Passat is more than just a fresh design. The vehicle brings with it a commitment by the German automaker to resume building cars in the U.S. for the first time in decades, at its new $1 billion in Tennessee.
GM's long-anticipated plug-in electric hybrid hatchback picked up top honors at the huge auto industry show. The Volt was joined by Ford Motor's Explorer midsize sports-utility vehicle, which was awarded North American Truck of the Year.
The nation's leading trade association for car dealers says it now sees industry sales of nearly 13 million vehicles this year, topping last year's by 12%. The rise is attributed to pent-up demand, loosening credit and a rising stock market.
Fuel efficiency remains the top concern among new car buyers around the world, which is likely to boost demand for hybrid and electric vehicles, according to a report from KPMG. But the survey of senior auto-industry executives worldwide also showed that many have serious concerns about such vehicles' affordability.
Toyota's recent spate of quality woes have allowed competitors to steal sales from the beleaguered automaker. Ford is also catching up with Toyota in another important measure of auto industry success -- consumers' opinions of vehicle brands.
The nation's automakers ended 2010 strong, with most reporting higher sales for December. Consumers seemed to put concerns about the U.S. economy on hold and more than offset reduced demand by fleet customers, such as corporations and rental-car companies.
The nation's second-largest automaker reported a healthy year-over-year sales increase that was led by strong demand for the Edge crossover and the F-Series pickups. Overall, Ford enjoyed its best month of retail sales in 2010.
And for all of 2010, GM's four core brands sold 118,435 more vehicles this year than the company did with eight brands in 2009. GM says it expects to gain total and retail market share for the year. In December alone, the automaker sold nearly 224,000 vehicles.
The economy may be less robust than most Americans would like, but that didn't stop many of them from hitting the showrooms in December. That likely propelled auto sales in the final month of 2010 to 1.13 million units, the year's highest levels.
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said Monday that he could increase Fiat's ownership in Chrysler to more than 50% should America's smallest domestic automaker seek to return to the stock market this year, but that he doesn't plan to merge the companies' operations.
It's still hard to diagnose how the overall economy will fare in 2011. But the signs for at least one area all seem to be pointing up: car sales. Analysts predict the number of vehicles sold next year will rise 10% to 23% above that of 2010.
Chrysler Group is recalling more than 144,000 Dodge and Ram vehicles in three separate actions, and Ford Motor is recalling about 15,000 trucks and sport-utility vehicles that may catch fire. These actions add to what's been a near-record for auto recalls.
2010 may be the year of the car recall, with the U.S.'s six-largest suppliers recalling more than 19 million vehicles over the last 12 months. Toyota, which recalled about 7 million cars this year, tops the list. General Motors, at about 4 million, came in second.
GM's stock price rose as much as 2.5% in trading Tuesday after several brokerage houses began coverage of the stock, with several issuing upbeat initial ratings and hefty price targets. GM still faces a hard road forward, but Wall Street generally sees success ahead.
The federal government is investigating whether some 384,000 Saturn Ion compact cars should have been included in a recall earlier this year. The recall was for more than one million General Motors models to repair power steering units that could fail.
The auto giant announced plans Monday to extend its start-stop technology -- a feature common to gas-electric hybrids -- to its conventional gasoline-powered passenger cars and SUVs as well.
