Essay on Toyota Prius Case Study

TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM (TPS) The TPS model depends on its Human Infrastructure. The entire model is base on its PEOPLE & TEAMWORK being successful in doing their job and there buy in to the Key Elements of the TPS culture, which are as follows;  Selection  Ringi decision making  Common Goals  Cross-Trained TPS emphasize the point of its human infrastructure as a “COMMON GOAL” for all personnel in the corporation, which again is emphasize that its employees are its greatest assets as shown by the

Hitchcock Automotive Services owns Puente Hills Toyota (PHT), which is a privately held company. In addition to, Hitchcock Automotive Services owning Puente Hills Toyota, they also own two other Toyota dealerships, a Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, and BMW dealership, all located in California. Puente Hills Toyota was a large Toyota dealership with about $85 million in annual sales. PHT employs around 145 employees and was awarded several excellent performance awards, including the Toyota’s President Award for overall excellence for the past 13 years (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2012). The dealership’s organizational structure was similar to those of others within the industry, other than they combined the new and used vehicle sales department. This organizational structure worked with Hitchcock Automotive Service’s philosophy of keeping manufacturers and customers happy. (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2012)

Toyota motor products include; Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, Cars, MPVS/Vans, SUVs, Fuel Cell and Commercials. The strategy Toyota uses for marketing is mostly to showcase its different range of vehicles to the market as they also get inspired through the same to manufacture better vehicles. With this method both the clientele and the company benefit from each other.

Overview: The Toyota Production System has long been hailed and admired as the source of Toyota’s outstanding performance as a manufacturer. TPS aims to eliminate waste, reduce defects and maximize flow. TPS aims to increase efficiency and productivity by employing a unique production system that cuts costs through continuous improvement. Long term goal is to yield sharp reductions in product development and manufacturing lead times. Toyota want to be the industry best and they stand behind their culture to share the wealth of how they do it.

* Toyota’s Camry and Corolla have been the top-selling cars in their respected categories; in the past eight out of nine years. Also, Toyota produces the globe’s best selling hybrid car, the Prius – which by 2010 had surpassed two million sales worldwide.

III. When you think of a hybrid vehicle, you may find yourself thinking Toyota Prius.

Hybrids are deservingly known for their fuel economy, a 2016 Prius c can get up to 50 MPG (FuelEconomy.gov, US Department of Energy). They are also known for being kind to the environment: Toyota advertises the Prius c, as seen below, as an “everyday eco fun sized for the city” on their website (Toyota, toyota.com/priusc). In Kia’s Super Bowl LI commercial for their new hybrid crossover, the Niro, they use the tagline: “it’s hard to be an eco warrior, but it’s easy to drive like one.” Hybrid owners agree with this; they can be seen driving around with proud smiles on their faces, knowing that they are saving the earth. But they have likely done little research, because

The introduction of Toyota Prius was not just a short term goal. Toyota had much broader goals.

Should the new Toyota president accelerate the launch scheduled for the Toyota Prius? The plan to introduce the car “at the end of 1998 with expected production of 1000 units per month…” (Reinhardt, Yao & Egawa, 2006) is an extremely aggressive and ambitious goal; but, is it in TMC’s best interest to speed up the planned launch? There is no doubt that the new president (Hiroshi Okuda) is under extreme pressure to compete in a global market, he believes the company should radically alter its image to attract new customers and gain a competitive advantage while systematically facilitating environmentally-socially responsible practices. It may very well be that TMC should push for a faster

technology project. The BPTO produced weekly status reports and monthly budget reviews helping the company gauge where it was heading towards. Thus the alignment started advancing (Austin, 2007).

4. Technological environment has also increase the sales of the Prius. With its advance technology and many features has impressed the world of the technology buff as well as the modern customer who wants practical but affordable. (Kotler & Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 2010) Toyota is aware that the technology wave is a spectacular movement that shapes our marketing environment today and uses this to their advantage by incorporating affordable luxury in the Toyota Prius.

G. According to US News, the 2016 Toyota Prius was ranked #9 in compact cars, #5 in hybrid and electric cars, #8 in hatchbacks, and #10 in small cars (“2016 Toyota Prius | U.S. News & world report,” n.d.). It retails between $24,200 and $30,000 which is considered a compact car. “The Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational corporation and now the world 's largest automaker in terms of sales, net worth, revenue, and profit according to Fortune Global 500. Toyota is positioned in the moderately low-price, high volume market” (“Strategic analysis of Toyota motor corporation,” 2003). They did move more into the higher-priced market with the Lexus brand and worked to fill the need for electric vehicles with the Toyota Prius. The company is diversified in various markets within the automobile industry and are able to branch out in several directions.

1) The buyer decision process of traditional Porsche customers relies on the motivations that determine these people to select this brand. Their purchasing decision process is based on the exclusivity of the brand that is connected with the car owner. In their opinion, by purchasing a Porsche, traditional customers purchase the exclusivity and luxury associated with the brand. These customers want to purchase a car that reflects their social status and their financial power. In addition to this, they are not interested in the utility of the car, but in the characteristics that differentiate it from utility cars. These traditional buyers are rather interested in their feeling while driving a Porsche in comparison with the size, price, or fuel economy of the car.

Toyota is a key player in global automotive market. Its structure constitutes if various production plants in different locations and a very strong branding which helps it capture a major market share. Like other enterprises, Toyota has several strengths and weakness which makes it what it is now. Toyota heavily invests in Research and development which helps it come up reputable product line which is spread out throughout the world because of its strengthening global distribution network however its recent product recalling, loose grip in key geographic areas and wrong allocation of resources shows that even a strong brand like Toyota has its weaknesses.

Thus far, our product strategy of successively expanding our model range, from smaller cars to luxury sedans, full-sized pickup trucks, large SUVs, and crossover vehicles has proved successful. In a bid to further extend our customer base, we have established the Scion marketing group, which will develop a range of vehicles targeting young, first-time car buyers. With respect to environmental issues, Toyota’s hybrid automobile Prius, which was introduced to the North American market in 2000, has been extremely well received and development is under way to launch our next-generation hybrid car. The Company intends to