All eyes on Toyota

Neither Toyota Motor Corp.'s chairman nor its CEO attended the Detroit auto show, but if their absence was an effort to downplay the Japanese automaker's growing presence in the U.S. market, it didn't succeed.
Toyota's inroads, and the pressure it puts on rivals, was a recurring theme in conversations and interviews with auto executives after Toyota finished 2006 in third place in the U.S. market, ahead of DaimlerChrysler AG.

With sales up 12.5 percent — its 11th consecutive annual rise — Toyota outpaced not only Detroit's automakers but also its Asian and European rivals.

"Quite obviously, the Japanese are very aggressively trying to conquer as much of this market as possible," said DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche.

This year, Toyota is expected to overtake General Motors Corp. — the world's largest automaker for 75 years — after forecasting sales of 9.3 million vehicles. It is already the richest carmaker, with profits forecast to reach $13 billion this year.

"Toyota is raising the bar for everybody," said Steve Wilhite, chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor America. "They're consistent, and they work to consistently improve their business."

Ford Motor Co.'s new CEO Alan Mulally holds up Toyota as the industry model. More at Detroit News