MARK PHELAN: Toyota rolls out beefier mega-truck

[regfootball]

freep

apologies if this is posted elsewhere

CHICAGO --To the amazement of many, Toyota failed to reinvent the pickup truck Thursday.

"It's not the breakthrough I expected," said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, an industry consulting company based in Tustin, Calif. "It'll be a good seller for Toyota, but it doesn't change the landscape."

[Dsuupr]

toyota is not a landscape changer. They are a mass follower. Not even the idea of going hybrid was a toyota first (honda then yota). Face it, toyota is the 80s GM of today.

[Snate]

I honestly don't predict any increased sales for the new Tundra. They may even lose a few sales to more conservatives trucks since they are going to "macho".

I'm curious to see what all the "Toyota is so green" hybrid people have to say when they see this monstrocity.

[grandmarquis]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, uh oh wha? toyota released a new truck? damn thing put me to sleep..................

[ehaase]

Face it, toyota is the 80s GM of today.

Except Toyota hasn't made any big mistakes yet, like GM did in the 80's (X body, V8-6-4, HT4100, diesels, etc.)

[grandmarquis]

that's the operative word here, YET. look at toyota's sludge issues and the stalling concerns with the pious ( er, prius hee hee hee), it's only a matter of time. i believe toyota is beginning to get a little cocky like gm once was. and that will be what brings them down.

[sciguy_0504]

How can a pickup be reinvented? Honda tried with the Ridgeline and, based on sales, is failing. I would think truck buyers would want tried and true instead of Earth shatteringly-innovative.

I am not taking a shot at GM here but I believe the GMT900 pickups will not reinvent the segment, either. They will bring the same formula to the table, just in a different wrapper. There is no problem with that.

Of course you have the typical comments from grandmarquis. Talk about being put to sleep!

[Whistler]

The people that were expecting Toyota to "reinvent the truck" are the same people who think the Ridgeline deserved truck of the year.

Take a look at Ridgeline sales and see how many truck buyers wanted it to be reinvented.

Edited February 13, 2006 by Whistler

[Chicagoland]

Yeah, lots of media hype about how big trucks are Detroit's "last bastion" and the Asians will walk in and take sales based on their names only.