Toyota, Honda Lose U.S. Edge

For the past three decades, Japanese auto makers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have experienced almost uninterrupted success in the U.S., their market share rising as they built plants, expanded their model lines and were held up, usually in tandem, as the industry's benchmarks for quality.

Now, as a result of Toyota's recall crisis earlier this year and the narrowing quality gap by rival auto makers, their long run in the driver's seat appears ready to come to an end.
Barring a surge in sales in the last two months of this year, both Honda and Toyota are likely to suffer drops in their U.S. market share. Through the first 10 months of 2010, Toyota's share is down 1.5 percentage points at 15.2%, according to Autodata Corp. So far this year, Honda's U.S. share is down six-tenths of a point at 10.6%.

This year, Hyundai, Nissan and a revived Ford Motor Co. have all increased their U.S. market share. Hyundai's went to 4.7% from 4.3%, Nissan's increased to 7.8% from 7.4% and Ford's rose to 16.7% from 15.2%.

In 2009, Toyota's share reached a record high of 17%. Then it recalled more than eight million vehicles world-wide to correct defects that could cause its vehicles to suddenly accelerate. It also briefly was required to stop making and selling several models in the U.S., and was further humbled when it was fined by U.S. safety regulators and its executives were called before Congress.
Quality had long been Toyota's top selling point, but the crisis gave consumers reasons to look elsewhere. And what some have found is that other auto makers are now only a half a step behind Toyota and Honda in quality, and in some areas are ahead. The most recent Consumer Reports survey found that while Toyota and Honda still ranked high among the most reliable vehicles, Hyundai and Ford were nearly equal.
In the family-car segment, the Ford Fusion beat sales leaders Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, and sales are up 21% this year, while sales of the Toyota and Honda are off.
Honda's stall out is partly the result of a lull in new model launches. Its redesigned Odyssey minivan is out now and sales are just ramping up. At the same time, it is struggling to sell the Crosstour wagon, which went on sale early this year, and the CR-Z, a hybrid sports car. Its Insight hybrid, released last year, hasn't sold as well as the company had hoped.