Toyota to Export Big Trucks?
If you're a manufacturer with operations all over the globe and a model is bombing in one market, what do you do? You send it to other markets to see how it fares. At least that seems to be Toyota's plan for the Tundra and Sequoia, according to Steve St. Angelo, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc. Automotive News [sub] reports he stated today that the humongous "trucks could be attractive to overseas buyers." They have to do something to reclaim their investment in design and manufacturing as they aren't selling here. They halted production on both last Friday to try to clear an inventory backlog, with plans to resume production – most likely at a greatly reduced rate – in November. St. Angelo didn't say just where they plan to sell these gas-sucking mega-trucks, or who they think will buy them, but I have a feeling Europe and Japan are pretty low on their list.
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Wait, there is a market for V8 bling-over-practicality trucks outside of NA?
Thank God all companies dont operate on these beliefs otherwise Europe would be saturated with GM/Chrysler cast offs
@dean, I guess by that reasoning, you could say the same thing about all automakers in NA, couldn't you? I think everyone was surprised by the rapid rise in prices. I know I was. It seems like (at least in my neck of the woods) many people adjusted to $3/gallon gasoline rather quickly. I guess it would have been hard to know that ~ $4/gallon gasoline would have been the breaking point for this many people. Nonetheless, I'm glad I don't have to hawk Tundras or Borregos (or any car for that matter) for a living.
At least Toyota has options. They only have to sell a few thousand in every country to make it worthwhile. And heck, long-term, if they surprise themselves and find some new markets for pickups, so much the better.