ABSTRACT
In 2009 Toyota became the largest car manufacturer in the world, but since the 1980s it already had the enviable reputation of being the most productive. Its stellar reputation was built particularly on attention to the question of quality – an attribute which had allowed it to enter and then dominate markets around the world. Toyota models regularly topped league tables such as the J. D. Power Associates annual survey of quality in the USA – and the perception of high and consistent quality was shared by customers and dealers alike.
