BPMM1013- PRINCIPLE OF MARKETING 1.0 Introduction Toyota is one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, selling over 8.8 million models in 2006 on all five continents. A Top 10 Fortune Global 500 enterprise, Toyota ranks among the world's leading global corporations and is proud to be the most admired automaker, an achievement the company believes stems from its dedication to customer satisfaction. Toyota has been shaped by a set of values and principles that have their roots in the company's formative years in Japan. Industry Overview and Analysis Toyota Motor Corporation competes in the automotive industry. The past five years were tumultuous for automobile manufacturers. Skyrocketing fuel prices and growing environmental concerns have shifted consumers' preferences away from fuel-guzzling pickup trucks to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. Some automakers embraced the change by expanding their small-car portfolios and diversifying into the production of hybrid electric motor vehicles. Other automakers were more reluctant to shift their focus from big to small cars, expecting the price of fuel to contract eventually, bringing consumers back to the big-car fold. When fuel prices did fall during the second half of 2008, it was due to the US financial crisis ripping through the global economy. This had a domino effect throughout the developed and emerging worlds, with many Western nations following the United States into recession. Industry revenue fell about 15.4% in 2009. Pent-up demands will aid industry revenue growth, estimated at 2.1% in 2013, thus bringing overall revenue to an estimated $2.3 trillion. Overall, the large declines followed by recovery are expected to lend the industry average growth of 2.2% per year during the five years to 2013. Throughout the past five years, growth in the BRIC countries supported production. Rising income in these countries led to an increase in the demand for motor vehicles. Also, Western automakers moved production facilities to BRIC countries to tap into these markets and benefit from low-cost production. Over the next five years, the emerging economies will continue their growth, and demand for motor vehicles in the Western world will recover. Industry revenue is forecast to grow an annualized 2.5% to total an estimated $2.6 trillion over the five years to 2018. 1