Public opinion in Toyota regains strength

April 01, 2010, 12:12 AM GMT+0

Toyota’s latest TellYouGov scores show the car manufacturer reversing back from the brink of public vitriol that was previously its lot. 2010 has seen the Japanese car giant stumble through a succession of mechanical nightmares and press backlash, but the second half of March was witness to a remarkable recovery. Toyota’s Tygga score plummeted to -56 on the 13th March, but following a surge of positive opinion the next day, it has since not fallen below -10 and hit a high of 33 on the 15th.

At the beginning of the month, the public chose TellYouGov to vent their dissatisfaction with Toyota; and did so in droves. As the graph below shows, the volume hit its peak on 12th March at 108, just as the Tygga score hit its monthly low. However, as the initial attention tapered off, Toyota’s score correspondingly rose.

For many, the recent climb in positive buzz is due to Toyota’s competence in resolving the faults – one tygger claimed that ‘on their recall they were efficient and gave a voucher for inconvenience caused’, another was ‘extremely impressed with the recent recall arrangements’ and another emphatically declared that ‘their customer services have been absolutely brilliant in keeping us informed’. For others, Toyota’s sheer speed and conviction to help was reassuring; one tygger stated he was ‘very confident that safety is a priority [for Toyota]’ and called them ‘very efficient’. Another tygger summed up the sentiment and felt that Toyota is ‘still one of the most reliable brands for quality’.

With such a hike in positive score, it’s very possible that the car in front is still a Toyota.