Recalls erode Toyota brand value

The Toyota logo shines on the grille of a car displayed in a Tokyo showroom in Tokyo. Toyota's brand value has fallen by nearly a fifth because of huge recalls that dented consumer trust in the quality of its cars.

The Toyota logo shines on the grille of a car displayed in a Tokyo showroom in Tokyo. Toyota's brand value has fallen by nearly a fifth because of huge recalls that dented consumer trust in the quality of its cars.

Published Feb 1, 2011

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Toyota remains Japan's No.1 global brand but its value has fallen by nearly a fifth because of the recent huge recalls that dented consumer trust in the quality of its cars.

An Interbrand report released on Tuesday said that the value of the Toyota brand dropped 16 percent to $25.66 billion (184-billion) compared with its last report released a year ago.

New York-based Interbrand assesses brands from around the world based on financial strength, influence on purchasing decisions and earnings potential - a method considered a global standard for ranking brands.

Toyota's Lexus luxury model nameplate, which placed seventh in 2010, dropped to eighth, losing 19 percent of its value, Interbrand said.

Toyota has suffered a series of quality lapses since late 2009 and has announced recall after recall, mostly in the key US market.

The latest recall came last week. Most of the affected vehicles were in Japan, making for the second biggest vehicle recall in Japanese history.

Interbrand said rival Japanese carmaker Honda placed second, followed by electronics giants Canon and Sony, and then video-game maker Nintendo. Honda and Nintendo had the same placings in 2010. - Sapa-AP

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