Having read "The Prius That Shook The World" and monitoring Toyota business practices, I have seen a pattern of 'reaction' rather than 'pro-action'. Honda suffers from a similar problem but less so.

Now I'm not one to say either company has better or worse strategic planning. Toyota build a huge truck plant in Texas just in time for $4/gal. gasoline. Honda seems to avoided competing in the big truck market. But Honda also discontinued the Insight or worse, didn't come up with a follow-up, hybrid-lite for their product line. Honda's missteps have also been public. So neither has played the game to perfection but they didn't have to.

Toyota and Honda remain head and shoulders above all of the rest and GM is struggling to make up for the mistakes of BAS hybrids and the ultra-expensive, top of the line but not luxury, two-mode hybrids. Compared to GM, Toyota and Honda have been brilliant. Equally lead footed, Ford chased off their hybrid developer and have yet to expand beyond the Escape hybrid. Chrysler has to sell cars to pay for gasoline for their customers.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

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