On this list of "cars to avoid" for 2016

...^^^... This kinda funny. I did do some work with Toyota in Japan (actually met part of Toyoda family in 1980's). This was in reference to taking business away from M/B (Unimog) on some NATO & other contracts. Also, did some leg work for them in Africa to act as a catalyst pushing out L/Rovers in some areas.

Toyota is a great company, but is takes forevvveeerrrr for them to take you in and trust you for a solid business relationship.

I was a small share owner in a larger company in Canada and Finland. We manufactured fire fighting vehicles, military specialty equipment and other weird specialized vehicles. And did some private contract work for DoD & various domestic & foreign governmental agencies.

Toyota was always looking at that stuff for possible involvement in the future and wanted to be manufacturing in each large customer's country ... and only keep the quality "flagship vehicles" in Japan, i.e. Lexus and high end, limited production goodies.

We had a saying ...

European companies looked for results and profits in the "next couple of quarters" ...

US companies looked for results and profits in the "next quarter" ...

Japanese companies looked for results and profits in the "next quarter of a century" ... (meaning that they are long term thinkers first).

IMO, for the most part ... what has hurt Japan (and in turn Toyota) is ... "Japan's lost financial decade in general" ... and the severe reduction coming in the indigenous Japanese population (less J-Babies) ... and the lack of a homogenous Japanese society in the future.

Japan's culture is quickly being forever changed even more than the rest of the world's population in the "cultural diversification" area.

Changes in cultures = changes in product ... productivity ... and quality.

So much for my mindless babbling in changing geographic cultures and manufacturing. ...
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this article is crap!! I traded my 2013 in for the 2016 and soooo glad I did. Way better truck. Period.