Meşter

Acum vreo doua saptamani, dupa ce m-am intors de la Salonul de la Geneva, remarcam oarecum surprins ca atacurile presei americane la adresa Toyota nu s-au domolit deloc in perioada evenimentului elvetian. Ba din contra. In acelasi timp, am ajuns la concluzia ca aceste atacuri indreptate inspre japonezi tind sa intre in penibil, unele televiziuni americane mergand atat de departe incat au regizat un reportaj legat de potentialele probleme ale unei masinii. Mai mult, analizele post-accident ale masinilor unor clienti care pretindeau ca pedala de acceleratie s-a blocat au aratat ca acestia nu au apasat deloc franele. Deci e normal ca masina sa loveasca zidul, din moment ce soferul nu franeaza in momentul accidentului.

Ei bine, astazi am asistat la un derapaj major al unei agentii de presa cu nume si staif. France Presse a publicat un material pe fluxul sau de stiri legat de rezultatele vanzarilor Toyota la nivel mondial in luna februarie. Dar, pentru ca japonezii reusesira sa creasca cu 13%, deci nu era nimic negativ de atacat, jurnalistii si-au gasit de lucru si au “crosetat” pe langa subiect astfel incat chiar si aceasta informatie sa fie expusa intr-o lumina negativa. O sa reiau mai jos intreaga stire, asa cum a fost ea publicata de AFP. Sublinierile imi apartin si reliefeaza partile care puteau sa lipseasca fara probleme din aceasta stire, fiind in majoritatea lor irelevante pentru subiect.

Toyota says global sales up 13 percent in February

TOKYO, March 29, 2010 (AFP) – Crisis-hit Toyota (1) said Monday that global sales rose 13 percent year-on-year in February, but analysts warned that the fall-out from recent mass safety recalls would continue to hang over the firm (2). The Toyota group, which includes brands Daihatsu and Hino trucks, sold 613,845 vehicles worldwide last month, up from 543,435 a year earlier, a spokesman said.

The group’s global production in the same period jumped 69.2 percent to 734,631 units, of which 655,180 were for the Toyota brand alone. Analysts said the figures were unsurprising given the auto industry’s troubles a year earlier as the world economic downturn eroded demand (3). “The robust figures were largely due to a rebound from its sizeable slump a year earlier. There was no surprise. The figures were within expectations,” said Mamoru Kato, auto analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Centre. “It is too early to be optimistic about the fate of Toyota.”

One of Japan’s most famed companies, Toyota has been battered by both the global economic downturn and by its massive safety woes over faulty accelerator and brake systems. In recent months, the world’s largest automaker has been forced to recall more than eight million vehicles worldwide mostly due to problems with sudden acceleration, which have been blamed for 58 deaths in the United States (4). Domestic sales continue to rise however, surging 32.1 percent year-on-year to 210,767 units, with sales in the Toyota brand alone up 49.9 percent. The figures were largely boosted by the success of the Prius hybrid model, the best selling car in Japan for the ninth consecutive month, according to statistics released earlier by a professional body. Vehicle exports from Japan more than doubled to 161,533 units, Toyota said in a statement. However, “the negative impact of its mass recall is being felt in developed countries except Japan,” said Kato. “The prospect for Toyota’s business activities is still uncertain.”(5)

Earlier this month, Toyota said sales in the United States fell 8.7 percent year-on-year in February to 100,027 units. The company last week faced its first US courtroom challenge as lawyers pressed for angry car owners to be allowed to bring a multi-billion-dollar suit against the Japanese automaker. It also announced a North American “quality task force” as it struggles to repair its reputation. The task force will answer to Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder.(6)

Other Japanese auto giants also reported on Monday strong year-on-year increases in production and sales in February as demand continued to pick up. Japan’s second biggest automaker Honda said production worldwide increased 49.3 percent to 284,711 units while Mazda production surged 73.7 percent to 100,126. Nissan saw worldwide sales gain 21.7 percent (7) year-on-year.

Concluzii:

1. Toyota NU este lovita de criza mai rau decat ceilalti producatori la o analiza proportionala vanzari/scaderi, singurele “lovituri” fiind cele ale recall-ului. In aceste conditii, simplul mod in care incepe stirea este unul care ne “pregateste” pentru ce va urma.

2. O stire pozitiva poate fi transformata intr-una negativa daca, dupa ce anunti informatia care te-a facut sa redactezi materialul, tragi un “dar”. “Toyota a crescut in vanzari, DAR analistii avertizeaza”.

3. Probabil ca AFP a cautat mult pana sa gaseasca analistul japonez care sa priveasca cu pesimism rezultatele Toyota in conditiile in care vanzarile din Japonia au crescut enorm iar japonezii au demonstrat ca-si pastreaza increderea in cel mai mare producator intern. La fel de probabil este si faptul ca AFP a gasit imediat “scuza” pentru “derapajul necontrolat” al celor de la Toyota, care au indraznit sa creasca in vanzari pe timp de criza: anul trecut, criza a fost si mai accentuata. D-aia.

4. Intregul paragraf este o repetare a acelorasi probleme care au lovit Toyota in ultimele luni si care sunt aduse in discutie de fiecare data cand e vorba de Toyota. A facut Toyota record de productie in Japonia? Jurnalistii americani sau trimisii americani ai agentiilor de presa europene “rezolva” problema astfel incat amintirea problemelor sa revina proaspat in fata cititorilor. A vandut Toyota mai mult in februarie 2010 decat in februarie 2009? No problem, trecem in background problemele Toyota pe care le trecem oricum in background atunci cand scriem o stire in care utilizam cuvantul “Toyota”. Cireasa de pe tort: este absolut necesar sa readucem in discutie numarul mortilor in urma accidentelor Toyota din ultimii cinci ani. Este, doar, o stire despre vanzarile pe februarie, nu?

5. Pe aceeasi linie: a crescut Toyota masiv in Japonia si mai putin in celelalte piete? Perfect, AFP a gasit logica: sefii Toyota ar trebui sa fie pesimisti in legatura cu rezultatele de pe celelalte piete, desi ele au fost POZITIVE. “Viitorul activitatilor Toyota este inca nesigur”. Nu vi se pare o afirmatie cel putin fatalista in contextul unei cresteri?

6. In mare, vorbim de acelasi tip de informatii pe care l-am regasit si la punctul 4. Background care sa transforme stirea pozitiva intr-una care aduce aminte de problemele Toyota din SUA.

7. Stirea se termina fulminant prin analiza comparativa a productiei si vanzarilor celorlalti constructori japonezi. Evident, AFP este anti fair-play pana la capat. Au comparat exact cifrele care ii pun pe cei de la Toyota intr-o lumina proasta in comparatie cu ceilalti producatori japonezi. De exemplu, daca in cazul Honda si Mazda este specificata cresterea PRODUCTIEI, in cazul Nissan este specificata cresterea VANZARILOR. De ce? Pentru ca in cazul Mazda productia a crescut mai mult decat a crescut productie Toyota (73.7% fata de 69.2%), iar in cazul Nissan vanzarile au crescut mai mult decat cele ale lui Toyota (21.7% fata de 13%). Daca comparatia ar fi fost facuta altfel, Toyota iesea intr-o lumina pozitiva si nu dadea bine la CV.

Pana acum credeam ca problemele Toyota exista cu adevarat, dar ca presa exagereaza. Acum incep sa cred ca intreaga poveste Toyota este pur si simplu rezultatul unei fabrici de informatie. Si ca Toyota in sine este o victima a unui sistem care isi propune ridicarea artificiala a americanilor. Dar, pentru ca n-are ce sa faca,piata americana fiind una extrem de importanta pentru el, constructorul japonez tace si rabda. Si asista la propriul linsaj.