Toyota Profit Gain Too Slow for Upgrade, Moody’s Says
Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest carmaker, will have insufficient profit to warrant an upgrade of its credit rating this fiscal year, according to Moody’s Investors Service, Bloomberg reported. Toyota, which Moody’s rates the highest among global carmakers at Aa2, needs an annual operating profit of 1 trillion yen ($11 billion), more than triple its outlook for this year, before it can be considered for a higher rating, Tadashi Usui, senior analyst at the credit rating company, said in an interview in Tokyo. It also needs an operating margin of 5 percent, he said. Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s began cutting Toyota’s rating last year after the carmaker posted the first of three straight quarterly losses. Usui said recalls of more than 8 million Toyota vehicles worldwide in the past year have damaged the company’s reputation, threatening to slow an earnings rebound. “I cannot say confidently that Toyota’s operating profit will recover smoothly,” Usui said. Toyota fell 1.9 percent to 3,300 yen as of the 12:50 p.m. trading break in Tokyo, while the benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 3.1 percent. The automaker has declined 15 percent so far this year. Operating profit may increase 90 percent this fiscal year to 280 billion yen, from 147.5 billion yen in the 12 months ended March 31, the carmaker said May 11. The forecast is almost 90 percent smaller than the record 2.27 trillion yen Toyota posted in the year that ended in March 2008. Moody’s downgraded Toyota’s credit rating last month to Aa2, its third highest level, with a negative outlook, from Aa1. The automaker lost its top Aaa rating in February 2009.
More Industry

Auto Affordability Inches Up
The latest Cox Automotive and Moody’s Analytics index shows a slight increase in new-vehicle affordability despite high prices.
Read More →
Ohio Auto Group Under New Ownership
After 79 years with the Schluter family, Mansfield Auto Group has been acquired by Missouri-based Clement Auto Group.
Read More →
RV Group Expands Carolina Footprint
Blue Compass RV Columbia Northeast is the 13th RV dealership owned by Blue Compass in the Carolinas.
Read More →
Agent Acumen
An Agent Summit panel of people who’ve been supporting auto dealers for years gave both timely and timeless advice for those starting out or mulling the prospect.
Read More →
Missed Maintenance Creates Opportunity
As families get back on the road and into daily school routines, service drives have an opportunity to capture customers who are behind on recommended vehicle maintenance.
Read More →
Mitsubishi Unveils U.S. Plan
The automaker announced a strategy that includes an expanded lineup and dealership presence, along with more ‘rugged’ and electric models.
Read More →
Selling to Grow
The question of whether you should sell your agency and if so, when, is up to you. But it’s a question worth asking to ensure you keep the business on the right path for yourself, employees and clients.
Read More →
Recalled Vehicles Hit 5-Year High
Though the number of events has fallen so far this year, impacted units are up significantly. Meanwhile, regulators consider consumer notification changes.
Read More →
Auto Group Acquires Top-Performing Rooftop
Car Pros sold its Kia Huntington Beach location to Sutherlin Automotive Group, marking the buyer’s third location in Southern California.
Read More →
China as Pacesetter
Automotive leaders huddled on where North America stands in the global picture and how it can strengthen its position against the Asian juggernaut’s surging industry.
Read More →