THE INFLUENCE GAME: Toyota's powerful DC friends

Interesting. That would put their lobbying share at a bit less than their market share, right?

 

Whooppee. Ok welcome to the way the US Government has been run for 220 years. The US Gov't is the political and military arm of the business interests of the nation.

Since Toyota has about 18-20% of the US auto industry sales, by spending only 10% it's actually being way under-represented in the lobbying field.

Your hate campaign is having a hard time getting off the ground. I hope that you're not a pilot in real life. This thread's goin' nowhere. /thread

 

You act as if you woke up to this reality in the last month or two. Toyota has been here in force since the 80's. I'm sorry if you're disappointed. It's the way business is done. It's the way government and business interact.

DING!!!! "...and they won't support a unionized workforce...." Hmmmm that certainly sounds like a sentiment that might originate from...uhhh....uhhh...wait, wait...I got it....Detroit.

 

That was last year's expenditure. Wanna bet they beat that level this year? Maybe even beat it this month?

 

Not having ever owned a Toyota before, I didn't buy based on the admiration pedestal you speak of. I bought because I'm done with traditional non-hybrids, and Toyota's offering fit me the best. If either of Ford's excellent hybrids fit me better, I'd have returned to the Ford family. The same applies to Honda's one excellent hybrid. Or even their merely good one.

Even with this wart, my Prius is unquestionably the safest car my household has or ever had. If DW would part with her old deathtrap, I'd buy her one tomorrow.

Especially if selling prices are down.

Returning to topic -- it appears that Toyota needs to double its DC lobbying expenditure to get its fair share of Washington's favors. Maybe more, as it doesn't have the 'grassroots' union support to magnify its efforts.

 

Toyota Has Hired Additional Lobbyists, Lawyers, and PR Experts To Focus On Washington...

"Behind the scenes, the besieged carmaker is trying to learn all it can about congressional investigations, maybe even steer them if it can."

"In Washington, facing congressional inquiries and government investigations, Toyota through its lawyers and lobbyists is working full-speed to salvage its reputation. The confidential strategy -- Toyota will..."

"Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich, said Toyota representatives visited his offices seeking to learn all they could. "They're probing us. 'What are you going to ask us, where are you going with this whole thing?'" said Stupak, who is chairman of a House subcommittee looking into Toyota's problems."

"Toyota, which reported spending more than $4 million on lobbying last year, declined to discuss details of its plans. The company has "beefed up our team" by hiring additional lobbyists, lawyers and public relations experts to "work with regulators and lawmakers collaboratively towards a successful recall effort, ensuring proper, diligent compliance," spokeswoman Cindy Knight said in an e-mail to The Associated Press."

Toyota seeks damage control, in public and private - Yahoo! Finance

 

I.e. they are PR/DC neophytes. No wonder this has ballooned all out of proportion, compared to Detroit's defects.

Fortunately for them, though not for us as customers, the lobbyist, legal, and PR industries are already very well versed in the auto industry expertise they are seeking.

 

About time!

Since following the "Bell the Hybrid" nonsense, I realized that Dave McCurdy's "Auto Alliance" has been the biggest ripoff of Toyota since Richard McCune, the bitter, ex-Toyota lawyer. The "Auto Alliance" along with the "Center For Automotive Research" have taken Toyota's money and used it to stab them in the back and that is the nicest thing I can say about those two 'institutions.'

I've been in the room when the "Auto Alliance" quoted Donald Rumsfeld's nonsense about "unknowns." I have read "Auto Alliance" testimony supporting the "Bell the Hybrid" nonsense. This organization will do everything it can to hurt hybrids or any non-gas vehicle. I don't trust them at all.

As for "Center For Automotive Research," I'm pretty sure they gave CNW Marketing the nonsense numbers used in the "Dust-to-Dust" report. So how's that Hummer working out for you CNW Marketing?

BTW, I understand corporations can donate to political campaigns. IMHO, Toyota ought to donate to some the Detroit politicians ... say a week before their next election ... with a public advertisement. Spank 'em good!

Bob Wilson