Toyota is grovelling to Congress, and other car manufacturers are missing out on a big opportunity.

Google and Google News searches for Toyota predictably bring up plenty of ads.  On my screen, I see ads for Toyota itself, plus a few places where I can buy a Toyota, like CarMax.  The only other auto maker with an ad is Mazda.

Toyota has been in the news for weeks, which has led to a spike in search traffic.  Among these searchers are, likely, consumers curious about buying a new car, parents worried about their current, and other groups ripe to hear why they should look to trade in their Toyota for a Honda, Chevy, or Ford.  The nature of search ads would allow these competitors to send internet users directly to a page about safety, or to a Turn-in-your-Toyota program page.

As a part owner of GM by way of my American citizenship, I’d like someone to look into why we aren’t trying to sell more cars this way.