Toyoda won't testify before congress

http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_0_1_aa&ct3=MAA4AEgAUAFqAnVz&usg=AFQjCNFtpjE18u867ojzWCBkf97Mi4s2jQ&sig2=toI6KWeB8Y8rXeHVdhDXbQ&cid=8797501403774&ei=5-p7S5DoIcfakAW5lIL6Aw&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessweek.com%2Fnews%2F2010-02-17%2Ftoyoda-will-skip-testifying-before-u-s-congress-on-recalls.html

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda plans to skip testifying before the U.S. Congress about the company’s recalls, potentially heightening criticism of his handling of the carmaker’s crisis.

Toyoda, who will to travel to the U.S., hasn’t decided on his schedule for the visit, he told reporters in Tokyo today. Yoshimi Inaba, the company’s North America president, will attend the hearings in Washington D.C. later this month. Toyoda said he may consider attending if he is asked by Congress.

Toyoda, the 53-year-old grandson of the company’s founder, is struggling to repair the company’s image after recalling nearly 8 million vehicles. The company will put a brake override system on all future models and will fix the braking systems on as many as 80 percent of its best-selling Prius hybrid cars by the end of this month.

“It’s a questionable decision for Toyoda to avoid the hearings,” said Tatsuya Mizuno, director of Mizuno Credit Advisory in Tokyo. “His absence will likely have more of a negative effect on the company’s image than if he were to go.”...

The powerful always think they are above the law.

he and his company think of them...well, I guess I can't help them.

...hoping it will blow over
...covering it up
...lying about a fix
...numerous dead (19 or so)

And now arrogance of power deserves the corporate death penalty. If congress won't do it, then the American consumer should.

If this was an airliner with a similar problem Boeing or Airbus, what would the response be. Lawmakers need to seriously consider some options here.

Toyota has cultivated its image over the years as being more an "American" company with its plants in the US and its large distribution system. The image of a Japanese dude speaking broken English in front of a bunch of gasbag legislators is one the PR gurus at that company think would be a disaster. Better to take the short-term "outrage"...which won't go anywhere as opposed to having videos of a beseiged "feriner" floating around the late night comedy shows and Youtube.

The game here is all about image. It trying to make this problem go away fast and leaving the damage control to the big money people who are paid to do it. That's the Japanese way.

It's public humiliation for them. They've already done all the apology and all the bowing in public. Going to Congress would serve no useful purpose for them except to give U.S. Congressmen more PR opportunities for their election campaigns.....

SUBPOENA will be in the works.

I have replaced the rear brake calipers on my Ford pickup truck - the most popular vehicle made in this country - 4 times because they are straight up defective. Is the President of Ford in front of the Congress about this? Hell no, we expect "American" vehicles to be pieces of shit that will break down at any or no provocation. Why should Toyota be any different?

I think the problem is much bigger with Toyota because there are more vehicles. There is also the fact that for years Toyota made these claims of quality while they were quietly fixing cars through the back door.