11th Jul 2008, 16:00
I just read the same article from AP. The Princeton, IN plant will close, the Tundra and Sequoia will be terminated, Tundras sit on lots an average of 64 days, and Toyota sales dropped 21%, even faster than the average industry-wide decline of 18%. The article also quotes an analyst that Toyota is not immune to $4/gallon gasoline, and have been brought back down to earth.
Looks like Toyota has been forced to abandon the mid- and full-sized truck segment. The previous comment is correct: this domestic v. Toyota debate appears to be over.
11th Jul 2008, 17:51
11th Jul 2008, 11:07
I love selective reading, but it doesn’t offer the true facts of the situation, so allow me to fill in the parts that seem to be missing.
First Toyota is not stopping production of the Tundra and Sequoia, they both will still be produced, just not at the numbers that have been making them, as demand has fell due to gas prices. This is happening across the board with all truck producers. This has nothing to do with public opinion.
Second, I notice there is no mention of the GM, Ford, and Dodge plants that are being shutdown and completely closing. The only difference between those and Toyota plants, is that Toyota is not dismissing its employees and is moving different vehicles to those plants, like the Prius. That is correct, Toyota is still keeping the workers employed and paid, can’t say the same for those who are unemployed now from those closed GM, Ford, and Dodge plants. Here are a few things from the article…
“Toyota generally doesn't lay off full-time workers during shutdowns, as U.S. automakers do, and this will be no exception. The San Antonio plant employs 1,900 people, while the Princeton plant employs nearly 4,500, although only 2,000 of those build the Tundra and Sequoia, Goss said. All will stay on the job, along with 891 workers in Huntsville, Ala., who make engines for the Tundra and Sequoia.”
“Toyota's moves follow production cuts at General Motors Corp. and other automakers. GM said last month it is cutting shifts, reducing assembly line speeds and temporarily idling seven factories because of declining consumer demand for truck-based vehicles. Chrysler LLC recently announced plans to close a minivan factory and cut a shift at a full-size pickup factory, while Ford is cutting truck and SUV production, cutting salaried workers and ramping up production of the Focus small car.”
Finally onto the lose of sales by Toyota, yes they are of a higher percentage than GM, but this needs to be put in full context. The numbers are compared to a year ago, meaning in July 2007 Toyota sold “x” number of vehicles and this years number are lower by what ever the percentage is. Now to look at the full picture, from 2006 to 2007 Toyota was the only maker to see an increase in sales, where GM and Ford both have been showing loses in sales for the last 3 years. So, Toyota finally saw a drop in sales numbers that is still no where near the continuous sales numbers drops by GM. This just means that the slowed economy has finally reached Toyota, and does not mean Toyota is doomed.
13th Jul 2008, 19:53
16:00; The foreign/domestic debate was over a long, long time ago. The imports (Toyota/Honda specifically) clearly took the lead with superior quality, resale value, lower cost of ownership company-wide among the fleet, higher efficiency, and simply overall better vehicles.
14th Jul 2008, 05:24
Here's how the domestic/foreign debate can be summarized; and I know this is common; I've seen it all my life:
I just got back from a long trip to camp, 8 of us went, took 4 vehicles, a Hyundai, a Nissan and 2 Fords, all about the same age within a year or two of each other. Both Fords broke down.
Actually, one Ford needed repairs just to make the trip and the other overheated on the way there.
You can talk if you like about who maintains what and how, and I need to be more specific. I could do that, but the end result would be the same. Both Fords broke down.
I've seen this my whole life. No matter how they were maintained, the Toyota's and Honda's for example get you where you need to go, and use less gas doing it. If something's going to break down, it'll nearly ALWAYS be a Ford or a Chevy.
My girlfriend's idea of maintaining her Nissan is to drive it 90 miles per hour to work every day and not even know how to open the hood. It's an Xterra, and is what pulled the trailer full of stuff to camp. The Fords are barely put together well enough to haul their own weight up a hill without falling apart. That's just what I've come to expect from them, while my imports always do the job flawlessly.
14th Jul 2008, 11:53
Two 30-year-old Fords with over 200,000 miles each are hardly comparable to a brand new Nissan (one of the world's most UN-reliable cars) and a Hyundai.
14th Jul 2008, 12:31
Yes, Toyota is going to reduce the production of the Tundra and Sequoia. But this has nothing to do with anything other than high fuel prices. Ford and GM are simply closing full size truck plants and laying off their employees altogether. So your argument that "ah-ha! they're closing plants because their trucks were bad!" is incorrect. In fact, Ford has delayed the launch of their new F-150- another result of high fuel costs.
I wouldn't buy a Tundra either. But I wouldn't buy anything full size given the cost of gas, no matter who makes it. That goes for just about everyone else. Have you seen any new Ford Expeditions lately? I haven't, and the few I see are for sale.
This marks the end of the full size truck and SUV era. Or course contractors and professional business will need large trucks, but trucks will increasingly become niche vehicles just as they were prior to the truck craze of the 90's.
14th Jul 2008, 17:19
19:53 you can take out the word Toyota Tundra and replace it with GM Silverado. Plus better ride, better towing, better handling, more people carrying capacity, better warranty.
Let's look at the new 2008 Corvette V8 great engine just for fun... 0-60 under 5 seconds, 180 mph top speed, outstanding fit and finish on the newest models and better mpg both in city and highway then the Toyota Tacoma and the Tundra. Go to Edmunds true cost to own on full size trucks and resale over 5 years... on full size trucks
11th Jul 2008, 11:07
Thankfully the subject of this review (and the related bickering) seems to be nearing an end, thanks to public opinion. This morning's news reported that Toyota is closing one parts plant and stopping production of both the Tundra and Sequoia at other plants. Hopefully this move will herald the end of the poorly-built, much-recalled and totally unacceptable Tundra once and for all. It has never been competition for real trucks (Ford, GM or Dodge), and has been a source of all too many problems.
The news article stated that Toyota, which had once been regarded as unstoppable no longer was. Also cited were the sales figures showing that Toyota sales dropped even MORE than GM.
The American public has spoken: The Tundra is NOT competition and sales drops by the big 3 have nothing to do with quality. The average Tundra now sits on a dealer's lot for over 2 months. Ads in this morning's paper offered $8,000 discounts on the Tundra. That's TWICE the discounts Ford and GM are offering on comparable vehicles.