Toyota, for years the top selling automotive manufacturer in the United States, has been beleaguered in recent months by safety concerns and recalls involving unexpected acceleration of several of its popular models. And American consumers seem to be associating Toyota’s woes with foreign cars in general. As of February 1, 2010, 24.2% of American adults agreed with the statement “Foreign cars are higher quality than American,” down from 27.2% of adults who felt the same way on April 6, 2009. The 11 percent relative decline in support of foreign cars over domestic brands may create an opening for American automakers who have experienced their share of misfortunes.
