Threats:
The Japanese market is getting more competitive and Toyota is losing sales to Nissan and Honda.
Chevrolet and Ford are selling better in the U.S.
The "Toyota takeover" is not assured.
Japanese manufactures gaining a foothold in the US market.
American companies are working to update the styling of their cars.
Opportunities:
Exploiting the U.S.
Attaining more local managers in order to Americanize.
Import taxes and current risk are reduced by manufacturing 2/3 of the cars U.S. and keeping revenues and expenses in U.S. dollars.
Spending salaries on 123,000 American employees at their facilities.
Strengths:
Understanding the US consumer needs and wants.
Toyota will likely pass Ford's sales in the near future.
Known for their effectiveness in long-term planning.
Not as dependent on Japan anymore.
Utilizing American designers to compete effectively in the U.S. market.
The American competitors have been slow to respond to Toyota's threat.
The development of a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
As a company, Toyota is beginning to set better long-term goals.
Getting accepted as an "American Brand"
Weaknesses:
In the beginning, Toyota had a very conservative approach to goals.
Failure to recognize a market opportunity to introduce a full-size truck.
Slowing economies in Southeastern Asian countries.
Loosing money in Japanese market.
Traditionalists inside Toyota do not like where the company is headed and want to stick to old ways.
Ford 2
Toyota uses a multi-domestic strategy in their U.S. auto division. The company is international and caters to each country's needs in which they do business. For example, in the U.S., Toyota has hired designers and managers in order to gain a better understanding of what Americans want. The cars Americans are buying today were manufactured here in the U.S. Thus, Toyota has kept their headquarters in Japan but