Customers
For Toyota, the quality of its vehicles and the safety of customers are paramount.
The Special Committee for Global Quality, established in March 2010 and headed by Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda, spearheads Toyota's commitment to Customer First around the world.
During the year, Toyota Motor Corporation formed new Regional Quality Task Force Committees in each region. The committees facilitate greater access to regionally-relevant quality, safety and communications training.
Toyota Australia is a member of the Asia Pacific Quality Taskforce and is initiating activities to improve quality throughout the supply chain and manufacturing plants in the region. In 2010/11, the company opened its Customer First Training Centre at the Altona assembly plant, with all team members from the plant participating in awareness-raising sessions.
Five Million Toyotas Sold in Australia
The number of Toyotas sold topped five million in 2011.
The most popular Toyota over the years has been Corolla with 1.1 million sales, representing more than one in five Toyotas sold here. Camry is the next most-popular Toyota with more than 740,000 domestic deliveries. An even greater number have been exported to more than 20 destinations.
The LandCruiser nameplate totals almost 740,000 local sales, with LandCruiser Prado accounting for more than 155,000 of these.
Over the years, Toyota has firmly established its reputation for quality, durability and reliability. Toyota also gained a customer-focused reputation by establishing dealers and service centres throughout the country, including in regional areas.
Toyota Australia's Senior Executive Director Sales and Marketing, David Buttner, said milestones were created by customers. "Our view in Australia has always been that, if we take care of the customers and provide quality vehicles, the sales milestones will take care of themselves," Mr Buttner said.
"The true significance of five million sales is that such a large number of Australian families, individuals, businesses, organisations and governments have put their faith in Toyota, our vehicles and our dealer network. We thank them for their loyalty and we can assure every Toyota customer that we are constantly striving to improve every aspect of our operations," Mr Buttner said.
Customer Experience Centre
Toyota Australia's Customer Experience Centre records all customer contacts through a Case Management System called Salesforce. Together with a new and enhanced coding system, customer contacts are classified and communicated throughout the business, allowing the 'Voice of the Customer' to be heard at all levels.
During the reporting year Toyota Australia received the following number of contacts:
- 35,484 by phone
- 13,957 by email
- 316 by mail
Toyota Australia's Customer Satisfaction Programme sends surveys to customers who purchase and/or service their vehicle in a Toyota Dealership. In the reporting period Toyota Australia collected approximately 70,000 surveys and the outcomes of the surveys (both positive and negative) were reported back to the dealer network for action and follow-up where required.
Product Safety and Recalls
The safety of customers has been at the forefront of Toyota Motor Corporation's mind for many years. The company built its first crash-test facility in Japan in 1966 and since then has been instrumental in developing rollover tests, pedestrian protection, airbags and other safety initiatives.
For the year ending 31 March 2011, Toyota Australia initiated a total of ten safety-related recall campaigns on Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
Recall Model Activity
| Date of Recall | Model | Recall Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2010 | Lexus | Variable Gear Ratio Steering |
| 13 July 2010 | LandCruiser | Front Seat Belt Buckle |
| 6 July 2010 | Lexus | Engine Valve Spring |
| 30 July 2010 | Lexus and LandCruiser | Steering Main Shaft Snap Ring |
| 8 September 2010 | HiLux | No.4 Crossmember |
| 25 October 2010 | Lexus | Fuel Suction Tube Connector |
| 28 October 2010 | HiAce | Rear Propellor Shaft Guard |
| 19 November 2010 | Coaster | Front Windscreen Wiper Switch |
| 1 February 2011 | Lexus | Fuel Pressure Sensor |
| 18 February 2011 | Lexus and Kluger | Brake Master Cylinder |
All recall processes are reported to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, in line with the FCAI voluntary code of practice for recalls.
All products sold by Toyota Australia are tested to ensure compliance before they go on to the market. Processes are in place to ensure that no vehicles are supplied to the market before all required compliance approvals are received from the Federal Government. Toyota Australia works with a range of stakeholders to achieve the highest level of product safety. They include:
- The Monash University Accident Research Centre, which conducts the Australian National Crash In-Depth study
- The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' (FCAI) Technical Committee
- Federal and State Departments of Transport
Five-Star Safety Rating for Camry and Camry Hybrid
Toyota Australia's commitment to safety has resulted in Camry and Camry Hybrid being awarded the maximum five-star rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).
Every Camry is fitted with vehicle stability control, traction control and anti-skid brakes. The Camry also has six airbags, including curtain-shield airbags that help protect front and rear-seat occupants in a side-on crash.
Toyota supports the development of long-term policies designed to improve vehicle safety. This needs to include the overall integration of vehicles, road infrastructure and driver ability.
Camry Hybrid and Camry are both produced in Australia. Toyota's other locally manufactured vehicle, V6 Aurion, already has a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
Responsible Marketing
Toyota Australia complies with all relevant laws and voluntary codes of practice. These include the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA) and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' Voluntary Code of Practice for Motor Vehicle Advertising. The CCA, among other things, facilitates consumer protection in the context of advertising, and the voluntary code provides guidelines specific to automotive advertising including ensuring that advertisements do not depict, encourage or condone dangerous, illegal, aggressive or reckless driving.
To ensure marketing and advertising information is correct, Toyota Australia:
- Has an internal review process which acts as a technical and legal check on all promotional materials to ensure accuracy.
- Conducts external audits that compare the marketing material for a particular vehicle against a physical inspection of the vehicle.
- Has a dispute resolution mechanism to ensure any advertising-related complaints are handled speedily and transparently