Toyota to recall sedans in China
丰田汽车将在华召回逾68万辆轿车 Toyota Motor will recall 688,314 Camrys and other sedans made at its two China joint ventures from today, its largest recall in the country, to fix a faulty electric switch to the window.
However, analysts say the recall will not have any long-term impact on the Japanese carmaker's growth prospects in China as the defect is minor and only involves one supplier.
The recall, which comes at a time when Toyota has lost some of its steam after years of breakneck growth, may swing some buyers to its European and US rivals in the short term, according to analysts.
“The size of the recall is big, but it won't be a major problem for Toyota given the nature of the defect. Still, there will be some impact for the short term,” said Huang Zherui, an analyst with CSM Worldwide, a global industry consultancy.
In the first half, the carmaker sold 284,000 passenger cars in China, almost unchanged from a year earlier, due largely to its limited offering of small models.
In contrast, General Motors reported a 38 per cent rise in its sales in the country, helped by Beijing's aggressive cut in sales tax for small cars.
Toyota's recall, announced by China's quality watchdog, included 384,736 Camry models made by Toyota's joint venture in south China with Guangzhou Auto between May 15 2006 and December 31 2008.
A total of 22,767 Yaris compact cars made by the same venture would also be recalled, the statement said.
The list also included 35,523 Vios cars made at Toyota's joint venture with FAW between February 18 and December 25 2008, and 245,288 Corolla models made at the venture from May 17 2007 to December 25 2008, it said.
An official for Toyota's China operations said they had received no reports of casualties or accidents linked with the defect.
丰田汽车(Toyota Motor)周二起将在中国市场召回两家在华合资企业生产的68.8314万辆凯美瑞(Camry)和其它轿车，以修复电动车窗主控开关的一处缺陷。这是丰田在中国规模最大的一次召回行动。
但分析人士表示，此次召回不会对这家日本汽车制造商在中国的增长前景产生长期影响，因为待修复的缺陷非常轻微，且只涉及到一个供应商。
分析人士称，此次召回发生在丰田经历多年高速增长后脚步放缓之时，短期内可能促使一些买家转向其欧洲和美国竞争对手。
“此次召回规模庞大，但鉴于缺陷的性质，对丰田不会构成重大问题。不过，短期内会有一些影响，”全球汽车行业咨询公司CSM Worldwide的分析师黄哲瑞（音译)表示。
今年上半年，丰田在中国市场共售出28.4万辆轿车，几乎与上年同期持平，主要是因为其小车型的供应有限。
相比之下，通用汽车(General Motors) 在华销售增长了38%，这得益于中国政府大幅下调小排放车辆的消费税。
中国的质检部门公布的丰田此次召回名单中，包括38.4736万辆由广汽丰田生产的凯美瑞轿车，出厂日期在2006年5月15日至2008年12月31日之间。
召回公告中表示，同一家企业生产的2.2767万辆雅力士(Yaris)紧凑型轿车也将被召回。
公告显示，召回名单中还包括天津一汽丰田生产的3.5523万辆威驰(Vios)轿车，出厂日期为2008年2月18日至2008年12月25日；另外还有24.5288万辆卡罗拉(Corolla)轿车，同样产自天津一汽丰田，出厂日期为2007年5月17日至2008年12月25日。
一名负责丰田汽车中国业务的官员表示，他们尚未收到与此次待检修缺陷有关的人员伤亡或事故报告。 |
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