A look behind Toyota's carefully cultivated image.(Toyota Motor Europe)

Byline: Luca Ciferri

On the numbers side, Toyota Motor Europe remains the ultimate example of flawless execution. But two recent blows to its quality and environmental performance raise the question: Is Toyota still as good as its powerful image?

As usual, Toyota is selling more vehicles than it has promised. This year, the brand will sell close to 1.1 million units, up from 935,431 units last year.

The Japanese automaker's Lexus premium brand is suddenly more potent. From 28,777 sales in 2005, it already has surpassed the initial 45,000 forecast for this year and is ...