Can Tundra overcome Domestic loyalty?
Toyota hopes to double annual sales with new Tundra
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...73237053482133

Traditionally cautious Toyota is taking a gamble on the redesigned 2007 Tundra.

Toyota's new assembly plant in San Antonio will double Tundra production, so the automaker must find lots more buyers for its full-sized pickup.

What do you guys think? Probably not the first year, but I bet Toyota can pull off 250K sales a year by 2009 or so.

-B

 

The American manufacturers to my knowledge have never let the truck market slip. So there is no reason to go over to a Toyo when they tend to be priced higher and have far less usability.

Seems like a little American arrogance is rubbing off on them if they think because people trust their grocery getters they can force feed them a grocery getter with big tires for a work truck.

 

On paper it is a match in the class (10K towing, 5.7L V8), but the Titan was also a match on paper, and that's proven to not be the case and a sales disappointment.

 

Toyota has given some 'lofty' (by industry experts and consumer 'experts' alike) sales goals for almost all of its recently redesigned models, yet has exceeded every single one of them that I'm aware of.

In other words, I have no idea how much the new Tundra will sell. Obviously better than the old one as is almost always the case with model redesigns, but whether or not it's twice as much I have no idea; I can only say Toyota has not overestimated a new model's sales figures in recent times, that I'm aware of.

 

The truck market for Toyota is a totally different ballgame from their car lineup. I seriously doubt they will meet their goals.

 

They will sell more than the current truck. but I doubt they will do much more than 150,000 units a year.

 

After selling Ford's for a year (yes, I know) and being a Chevy fan with many friends driving Chevy and Ford p/u's I would say no. Reason being, that most truck owner's are diehards to their brands. Just look at Chevy and Fords sales in that category for the past few years. No doubt some people will crossover but it will be very few.

 

Here's to hoping they don't make it.

 

May they crash and burn!

 

With the new Silverado out soon? Not a chance.

 

Agreed. The old argument is, domestic cars let people down, they moved to foreign cars, and have never had a reason to come back. I'd say the vast majority of domestic trucks haven't let people down....

 

the way the new Tundra looks?? It makes the Ridgeline look like a good truck..



puts on Flame suit..

But it looks like a Dodge and Ford had a love child...the Dodge in your face bumper and chrome and Fords lightplacement and upsidown grill..

 

I see where ya'll are going with work trucks and brand loyalty, but you might be forgetting the reputation of Toyota's older trucks.

In the 4x4, muddin, and rock crawling world the older Toyotas are some of the best there are. They can do some pretty amazing things and you can't break them if you try, I know, I had a 1994 4x4 Pickup. The Tacoma has basically lived off the reputation of those older trucks and I think the Tundra has a shot at selling very well. Remember that Toyota has been making VERY VERY dependable, put Chevy to shame LONG LASTING trucks for years now, unlike Nissan. Although Nissan did make trucks in years past, they never had the reputation of Toyotas.

I think Toyota has a very good chance at competing with Ford and GM in truck sales in the long term and I expect they may beat Dodge in sales by say the end of the decade. I personally know some diehard GM fans who would consider buying a Tundra over a Silverado, RAM or F150. These are just my guesses though.

Remember that the new Tundra beats the F150 in EVERY SINGLE measurable if I am not mistaken. Power, cubic inches, towing capacity, cargo space, gas mileage, width, length, etc. That will be enough to get people to give it a try and my gut tells me that once they do they will never go back.

I am a GM fan born and raised and proud to be back in an F-body, but I have owned a Toyota truck and after doing so it is the first truck I would look at buying in the future and it is Chevy or Ford that would have to convince me to look at their trucks, not the other way around.

 

You have forgotten one very important fact that Toyota does not beat Ford, GM, or Dodge on. That would be proven durability to extreme abuse, as a work truck.

Toyota has no history of work trucks. Nobody cares about the last Tundra, as noone uses them as work trucks.

Work trucks are the bread and butter of truck sales. Also, as someone else stated, the Domestics have not given their buyers a reason to try something else. Unlike cars, which they totally ignored.......... the Domestics take great care with their trucks. They are strong, capable, reliable, dependable, and fairly priced. They have every configuration known to man.

However, the biggest hurdle that Toyota has to overcome is this............ truck buyers are THE MOST LOYAL buyers out there, with something around 90% buying the same brand over and over. That does not give a newbie much to work with.

Will Toyota increase their sales. Yes. Will they massively increase overnight. No. Remember that Toyota has had pretty lofty goals for the Tundra, just like they did the T100. They did not meet those goals. What makes us think they will meet this one???

 

The long in tooth slant eyed Silvarado and Sierra sold almost 1 million trucks last year . Ford is selling at the same pace . With both be all new trucks this year , I would say theres not a chance in absolute hell . I think it will be long time , if ever , foreign branded trucks put a dent in the american full size truck or SUV market .

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