Toyota to begin '07 Tundra production tomorrow

[Bakemono]

http://www.nyse.com/interface/jsp/NH...sdowjones=true

Japan's top automaker is set to begin building its revamped, full-size Tundra pickup Friday at a 2.2 million-square-foot plant in San Antonio, a move aimed at grabbing a larger share of a lucrative market long dominated by Chevrolet' Silverado, Ford's F-150 and Dodge's Ram.

Analysts say it also emphasizes the company's confidence to take on the industry leaders at any level of the business. Toyota already has distinguished itself in North America with its bread-and-butter Camry sedan, always one of the best-selling cars annually, and its luxury Lexus brand, which has topped J.D. Power and Associates' vehicle-dependability study for the past dozen years.

But it won't be easy for Toyota to grab a bigger share of the truck business, and not only because demand for full-size pickups has been shrinking as drivers shift to more fuel-efficient rides. For the first 10 months of 2006, sales of full-size pickups were off 9.8% from a year ago, according to Autodata Corp., which tracks industry sales.
Another challenge for Toyota is persuading pickup owners to give up their domestic models for a nameplate that's been on the market since 1999 but has lagged GM, Ford Motor Co. (F) and DaimlerChrysler AG's (DCX) Dodge in size and power.
Toyota hopes to change that with the redesigned Tundra, which offers a more powerful stance and a 5.7-liter V8 engine that will help it compete head on with Detroit automakers. Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said engineers who designed the truck visited farms and ranches throughout the country to see how people were using their pickups.
"We feel like we've got a truck that can truly compete in a brand-loyal segment," Goss said.
Kevin Worfe, general manager of Universal Toyota in San Antonio, said he expects an additional level of interest from Texas truck drivers because the Tundra will be "born, bred and driven in Texas."
"We're already getting the buzz from F-150 and Ram owners," Worfe said.

A glance at U.S. pickup sales for 2006 shows the huge gap Toyota faces in the full-size pickup market. GM, with its Chevy and GMC brands, sold 935,469 full- size pickups last year, while Ford sold 911,737, according to Autodata. DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group was in the middle of the pack with 400,543 sales, while Toyota and Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY) posted 126,529 and 86,945 sales respectively. Nissan began selling its first full-size pickup, the Titan, in 2003.
By no means do the domestics plan to sit idly by while Toyota and Nissan tout their full-size entries.
GM is using a flag-waving anthem by John Mellencamp in TV advertisements for its redesigned 2007 Silverado, a vehicle considered key to the automaker's turnaround. GM is doing its best to surpass Ford's F-Series pickup, the country's best-selling vehicle. The new Silverados and Sierras began arriving in showrooms in the past month.
Ford, meanwhile, plans to spend millions to keep the F-Series on top, and it really can't afford not to. The struggling automaker, which lost roughly $7 billion in the first nine months of this year, sold 672,732 F-Series pickups from January-October, accounting for 29% of its overall domestic sales, said Ford spokesman George Pipas.
Yet, in part because of its aging F-150, Ford is likely to see sales of pickups decline slightly next year, while GM and Toyota climb a bit thanks to new models, according to Global Insight, an economic research and consulting company. Ford's next F-150 redesign is slated for 2008.
Global Insight analyst George Magliano said Tundra sales could climb as high as 194,000 in 2007, compared with an estimated 122,000 this year. But he acknowledged the long road ahead.
"There's no doubt this new truck is an improvement over its small, underpowered predecessor," Magliano said. "They're still not in the same class as (GM and Ford), but they're starting to make some big waves."

I for one wish Toyota all the luck in the world. As a Toyota enthusiast who suffered through all those years of gutless, underpowered Toyota trucks, Im glad to see they finally made a real truck engine that can compete head to head with the best Detroit has to offer. Also, Im going to be in the market for a Tundra when my F-150 is due to be replaced (in about 3 years), I want to see them excell.
Also something worth noting is that Toyota will win the NASCAR truck series championship this weekend. IMO, this is a symbolic step in their eventual dominance of the American truck market. To some it might not seem like a big deal, but to those who only 3 years ago said that Toyota would never be able to compete, on Toyota's behalf I would like to say, "how do you like me now?"

[RAV4EVR]

Originally Posted by Octane

Also something worth noting is that Toyota will win the NASCAR truck series championship this weekend. IMO, this is a symbolic step in their eventual dominance of the American truck market. To some it might not seem like a big deal, but to those who only 3 years ago said that Toyota would never be able to compete, on Toyota's behalf I would like to say, "how do you like me now?"

Oh.. people have been saying for 50 years how Toyota will be unsuccessful at every step so whatever..

Good article...

Also, have they revealed the first Tundra picture/color yet? I thought there was going to be a news article on that. Haven't seen any pictures yet.

[Bakemono]

No kidding. I remember when Toyota first announced they were going to compete in the truck series. Everyone laughed and said they would never be competitive. They arent laughing anymore.
Recently when Toyota announced they would be competing in the Busch and Nextel Cup series, they were laughing again and some of the top teams said they will not be successfull (mostly Jack Roush and Robert Yates). I guess Toyota once again needs to take everyone back to school and give them a little history lesson.

[Kevs Toy]

Just something to note is that my parents were in San Antonio last week for vacation and they told me that the truck plant was big news down there. They even saw some Toyota high ups on their flight back home.