The late arrival to the party could very well be wondering why they bothered.
Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA was quoted in Automotive News last week from the Paris Auto Show regarding the company's outlook on the Tundra. Lentz noted that Toyota does not want to get caught in the Ford F-Series vs Chevy Silverado war for first place in sales, or market against the all-new Dodge Ram 1500 or Ford F150. He acknowledged that many of the former buyers of pickups - commuters and those who wanted the "image" - have left the market for more fuel efficient vehicles (aka, cars) and likely won't return.
Toyota expected to sell 20,000 units per month after a fairly successful launch year, but their September 2008 sales were a dismal 7696, down over 60 percent from the September 2007 tally.
The Indiana Tundra plant was downed completely, and the Texas plant is in the midst of a three-month "extended vacation" to clear inventory. Lentz also noted that the diesel engine for the Tundra is now on hold, as their current volume is not enough to justify the investment.
The redesigned Tundra certainly was a worthy entry into what had been considered the final stronghold of the Big 3. At times last year, the Tundra looked like it could pass the GMC Sierra for 4th place among full-size pickups - a feat that would have been more impressive considering the Tundra is just a half-ton while the Sierra is a full line. Instead, the Tundra has dropped to not much more than what the Nissan Titan was selling a year ago.
There's one last introduction in the segment... and the one that is most interesting to me. The new Dodge Ram HD is supposed to be shwon this winter (probably at NAIAS in January), and as the owner of two straight Ram 3500s, I'll certainly be interested as to whether I will shell out the bucks for the next one, or will I hang on to my 2005 a bit longer than planned.
