Toyota sales shake up Big Three

The "big three" auto manufacturers have been studying Toyota and the Toyota Production System since the early 1990s. They have had 15 years to either do as well as Toyota or to figure out how to do better than Toyota and, unfortunately, neither has happened.

Once again the "experts" who get quoted in the media (money.cnn.com, May 3, 2006) think that Toyota has some kind of secret weapon or crystal ball:

"I don't think it's temporary," said Dave Lucas, vice president at the auto sales tracking firm Autodata. "Toyota at this point just has the product lineup and continues to pump out the volume."

Part of Toyota's strength, according to Lucas, is having a line of vehicles that boast fuel efficiency, such as the Toyota Camry and the hybrid Prius, at a time when gasoline prices are flirting with record levels.

"Toyota seems to have the product available when people want them," said Lucas.

American business leaders, automotive and other industries, need to wake up and start thinking systemically. They need to start understanding why the corporate culture of Toyota is the true competitive advantage that will make Toyota a leader in whatever industry they choose.

The Smell of Burning Hydrocarbons (Photoblog Post #2)

One of my vices is my passion for motorsports. It's a passion that I largely satisfy in front of the tube, satiated only by the exhaust cacophony emanating from my surround-sound system. However, my inability to frequent the race track only heightens my experience during my rare visits. My body vibrates and the part of my brain connected to my olfactory nerves relishes in the fumes of dead dinosaurs.

I found a solitary spot on the circuit (that was flooded with humanity) where one could see the cars above the protective fencing. Clear shots of the cars as they enter the turn, braking hard, then, under full throttle, accelerating down the long back straight. Fun at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Photoblog Post #1

It was a Sunday afternoon in March in sunny Southern California -- Angel Stadium to be exact and we were getting ready to watch a baseball game. But it wasn't sunny (or warm) and the Angels weren't playing. The United States team was getting ready to face the team from Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

The stadium was pretty full (even though the skies were threatening rain) and the crowd was very enthusiastic. Their enthusiasm was most evident in the national flags of the competing teams, the Stars and Stripes and the Rising Sun. Chants of "U-S-A" competed with "Go Ja-pan" as the game started.

Japan took an early lead but the United States came back to tie the game in the bottom of the 6th, 3-3. Then came the 8th inning. Japan had the bases loaded with 1 out.

The play-by-play reads, "Akinori Iwamura flies into double play, left fielder Randy Winn to catcher Brian Schneider to shortstop Derek Jeter. Tsuyoshi Nishioka doubled off 3rd." The play-by-play doesn't record the controversy. Tsuyoshi Nishioka ran home on the long fly ball from Akinori Iwamura. The scoreboard read, "Japan 4, United States 3." Then something very strange happened, the officials ruled that Nishioka had left 3rd base too early and was out. The run came off of the scoreboard (keeping the game tied) and Japan's inning was over.

In the end with fans waving flags furiously, the United States won in the bottom of the 9th inning. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, Alex Rodriguez singled and Randy Winn scored the winning run.

Also, it never rained (hard) in Southern California, or at least in Anaheim.

Team Roadmeister

This is a very cool blog for those who aren't totally obsessed by bicycle technology. I hope these guys do well at their district time trial championships. I also added a link to their site in my links section.