Toyota Europe Vice President Andrea Fornica issues an apology to European motorists,
Yet again, the ongoing safety crisis has overwhelmed Toyota’s efforts to get on with business as normal.
The automaker had to shift the spotlight off the new Auris hybrid, at the Geneva Motor Show, so company officials could issue an apology to European motorists for the maker’s latest recall problems.
“We want to apologize to our customers for the inconvenience we caused them,” said Andrea Fornica, senior vice president of Toyota Europe, as he took the stage at Geneva’s PALExpo. That said, the executive noted his company’s traditional focus on quality and added that, “I want to emphasize we not aware of a single accident cause by accelerator pedals in Europe.”
Perhaps, but the numbers involved on the American side have been growing, in recent weeks, as investigators take a closer look at accident data from around the country.
Since the European recall for sticky accelerators was launched, about two weeks ago, Fornica noted dealers have ramped up their repair efforts and can now handle about 50,000 vehicles a day – curiously the exact same number Toyota claims it can handle in the U.S.
Despite that, the executive acknowledged it is challenging to get every vehicle to come in for repairs, which involve the installation of a small metal shim. The company’s goal, said Fornica, is to reach 90% of affected models by July.
That said, the Toyota official noted that acceptance of hybrids is growing around the world, including Europe, which was slow to embrace the technology.
Toyota has been expanding the line-up of gas-electric offerings in Europe, and the latest is the 2011 Auris, which Fornica noted has been tweaked to reduce CO2 emissions to the same level as the better—known Prius.
The updated Auris is aimed at a different segment than the immediately recognizable Prius, however, targeting those buyers who want hybrid technology, “without looking different.”
At last month’s Chicago Auto Show, Toyota faced a similar problem, its safety scandal overwhelming the maker’s original intention of debuting the 2011 Avalon sedan.