Toyota Tundra Tackles Texas
As you'd expect, Texas is America's largest market for full-sized pickup trucks. While pickup truck sales fell 14 percent nationally over the past four years, Bloomberg reports that they rose 5.2 percent in the Lone Star State. GM, Ford and Dodge aren't exactly celebrating, though. In 2007, Toyota's piece of that pie grew 79 percent, while the so-called domestics' slice dropped by five percent. Even worse, Dallas Ford dealer Sam Pack says a lot of those Tundra sales are conquest sales, "coming from traditionally Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge" buyers. While the raw numbers still favor The Big 2.8, Tundra's share of the Texas market rose from 4.7 to 8.4 percent last year. To git 'er done, Toyota put $6.4k worth of incentives on the hood, putting the Texas-built Tundra in the middle of the pack (Ford $6.6k, Chrysler $6.47k and GM $6k). As the pickup truck market shrinks even more in 2008, you can bet Toyota will continue its slow but steady incursion into the domestics' last redoubt. And watch those profit margins shrink.
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California teaches state history, too, during the fourth grade. And yes, Hawai'i was an independent country for centuries. Unlike Texas and California, though, it did not come to the US willingly, but was conquered by American businessmen (and the US Navy) in 1893, then finally annexed in 1898 (Manifest Destiny and all that). It's been a state since 1959. I used to live in Texas, too, and remember learning Texas history, but never heard of a pledge of allegiance.
Does Ford, GM, and Dodge make flimsy tailgates and floppy truck beds in Texas also?
No, and their transmissions actually function as intended, unlike the Tundra. BTW--the new Ram looks pretty impressive. The redesign should help shore up its share of this shrinking market.
to dapope just want to correct you on the tundra sticker it says "born in texas", built by texans and what you saw between the tailgate is where the rearview camera connects i sell tundras and it must be a great truck we sold 42,294 just in the gulf states region in 2007