Toyota is rationing smart keys now: King of Mediocrity strikes again
Toyota is now giving just one smart key to each of its customers, on 14 different models. But hey, it's not their fault. Thank God for the pandemic, which has become the #1 corporate incompetence justifying excuse...
Reuters got onto this and the story broke in Japan recently, and then did what it does best, which is to just shotgun it to every news outlets and inbox everywhere.
Essentially, in order to save money, one presumes - based on how production is going for Toyota lately - the car brand to which all mainstream motoring media cannot wean themselves off the advertising revenue milk, has halved how many keys it sells you on its vehicles.
Here’s what Reuters reported in late October:
The world's top-selling car maker said on Thursday [October 27, 2022] it would replace one of the two electronic smart keys it delivers in Japan, with a mechanical one, for the time being as it races to get cars to customers in Japan…
“Races” is certainly a more favourable description than ‘struggles’ or ‘attempts’ or ‘fights’. Wouldn’t you say?
“Back to basics” sounds much better to potential advertisers. Image: Reuters.com
This ‘one key now, one key later’ problem is also happening on Lexus models as well. But isn’t it an interesting use of language - they're just racing, nose to the grindstone in the face of incredible adversity. Is there nothing Toyota can do wrong?
They're the Keystone Cops of carmakers, these days. Well, that's what they've become, and of course that's what the pandemic has done, let's face it. Toyota is the victim here.
Toyota said in a statement…
that was carefully prepared, presumably…
as the shortage of semiconductors continues…
The shortage which, it must be said, they engineered for themselves by just garrotting any semblance of supply chain security because the accountants just jumped in and said ‘we could save a tenth of a cent by just going with one supplier’. And that worked out so well, didn't it, ultimately?
The accountants running Toyota have halved the number of smart keys it offers, that’s not even mediocre.
Anywho, if you're waiting endlessly for your LandCruiser 300, your RAV4 hybrid, your Hilux, this is why. It's not because of insatiable demand and they can't keep up - it's just because they fumbled the supply chain by going so lean they effectively shot themselves in the dick in regards to something going wrong and being prepared for it.
And to make up the economic shortfall for their incompetence, Toyota wants you to pay for it: Toyota Australia increase prices by up to $3800: Existing orders not protected >>
If you want further detail on this supply chain preparedness failure, check out Why Toyota has Suspended LandCruiser 300 Orders Indefinitely >>
The really big question is how long until they start doing it in Australia and are they already doing it in Australia but just hoping that nobody notices?
Secondly, is this kind of thing happening to you and maybe not just with Toyota but anywhere across the automotive industry?
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IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR TOYOTA?
I think more broadly that we've reached a point where COVID has become the universal excuse for all flavours of possible corporate incompetence. Doesn't it?
I'd suggest that enough is enough. As consumers, we have a right to expect more and Toyota is one of the worst at this - off its meds.
Overall, you’d have to agree the cracks are certainly showing at Toyota. It seems like the polish is starting to wear off Toyota’s unblemished reputation:
They pulled the Rugged X and Rogue from the Hilux range: Will Toyota Hilux ever get LandCruiser's V6 twin turbo diesel engine? >> Probably not, at this rate.
They’ve added thousands to the costs of some vehicles, including existing orders >>
Their PR department went rogue with an electric vehicle tantrum recently >>
They’re facing a class action about mass volumes of vehicles with defective paintwork >>
Toyota has had to buy back bZ4X electric vehicles because the wheels fall off >>
Toyota and subsidiaries Hino and Suzuki are under investigation for emissions cheating >>
And two independent organisations have labelled Toyota the third worst global company for lobbying against climate change action.
The all-new Kia Tasman 4X4 dual-cab ute is finally coming to Australia in mid-2025. The covers are off, too. Here’s everything we know so far