Archive for February 26th, 2010

America, we’re told, loves to root for underdogs.  We rally for scrappy sports teams and relish a great comeback story.  Where else can a football team like the Saints lift the spirits of an entire city or an actor jump from rehab to an Iron Man movie premiere with such verve?

Maybe its a manifestation of the can-do spirit that built this country or maybe it’s because the feeling of triumph is so much greater when you have to work harder for it.  Whatever the reason may be, motoring America has got a new underdog to consider and it’s a midsize sedan called the Suzuki Kizashi.

Chances are that you haven’t heard of this car… or even this car company.  Suzuki has a formidable reputation when it comes to motorcycles but their vehicle lineup has been hit-or-miss for many years now.  The Kizashi is the company’s first modern product with true mainstream appeal.

Besides the dark horse brand, the Kizashi qualifies as an underdog because it boldly eschews the typical midsize sedan formula.  It’s appreciably smaller than the Accord/Camry crowd and much livelier, too.  Suzuki proudly compares the Kizashi to established premium sports sedans like the Acura TSX and Audi A4, citing the Kizashi’s nimble handling and high levels of luxury equipment (think: automatic windshield wipers, rearview camera, and push-button start).

It’s clear that Suzuki has high hopes for this scrappy sports sedan.  The available manual transmission is expensive to manufacture but certain to provoke interest from the enthusiast crowd.  Likewise, the available all-wheel drive system is there to ensure that the northeast market, already known for its enthusiastic adoption of fellow dark horse, Subaru, will get the Kizashi noticed.

What’s not clear is if Americans will be willing to take a chance on a brand they don’t know very well.  We’ll just have to see if the Kizashi’s many charms are enough to turn this underdog into a sales champion.

Tears – in this case, Toyota President, Akio Toyoda’s tears.  According to a recent SFGate story, Toyota’s CEO teared up during the House Oversight Committee hearing and broke down balling at a meeting with national Toyota dealers.

Why the tears?  Crying in public is common protocol for Japanese executives in trouble.  The Japanese view crying as a virtuous symbol of the acknowledgment of one’s mistakes.

While Toyoda’s tears have improved his image in Japan; the jury is still out in the United States where Toyota continues to struggle with several high-profile safety recalls.  Did Toyoda’s tears demonstrate true remorse or were they a theatrical show?

Remorseful tears or not, many in the automobile industry and at Toyota, itself, have confidence that Akio Toyoda is still the best person to lead this global manufacturing giant.  Since assuming the role of CEO in June, 2009, Toyoda has publicly criticized the previous CEO and management team for being overly focused on growth and for losing sight of the customer.  He pledged to return the company’s focus to the customer and to grow more responsibly in the future.

After slamming Toyota’s previous management in a rare statement to the Detroit Free Press, Jim Press, the former head of the automaker’s US operations, expressed his own confidence in Toyoda.  “Akio Toyoda is not only up for the job, but he is the only person who can save Toyota. He is very capable, and he embodies the virtues and character that built this great company.”

The CEO, himself, admits, “We at Toyota are at a crossroad. We need to rethink everything about our operation.”  Fixing Toyota is going to be a big job, but Akio Toyoda appears to have the passion and drive necessary to succeed.  As he puts it; his name is on every product his company makes.