They should use a team of Daihtsus to pull that thing around.

wow. That's so shocking/funny/sad I'm not sure what to say...

Ouch.

Similarly, the biggest Toyota/Lexus/Scion dealer in the Cleveland area uses a full size GMC van as their parts vehicle. Time was, they'd use a cargo van from the 80s or a Previa. Heck, they could even use a 1 ton compact pick up with a box on the back like the old small UHauls. Now...a GMC.

Niches are small by nature. I get that. But if you're not in *any* niches, there's very little interesting going on IMO. Sorta like eating vanilla ice cream wearing kahkis and a white T-shirt while watching American Idol.

end yet another "what happened to the old Toyota?" rant from a long-time yota fan.

That's just silly. They need to modify a Tundra right now to haul their trailer.

Perhaps they're just being 'green', the GM trucks get better mileage...

Wait a sec, which brand has that commercial where they drop the pickup out of the back of a landing cargo plane to "demonstrate" that the brakes can stop an airplane? I thought that was Toyota, but I can't keep my big pickups straight anymore.

I'm sure GM feels a little embarrassing to about the profits..

Kinda like those Tundra adds from awhile back where the trucks working in the background were all Fords.

Now that's funny right there.

I'd still choose the new superduty though. Much better looking and nicer interior.

that commercial was for the 07 ford f150. I cant believe this photo after all the new tundra commercials - is toyota full of BS?

Only in Texas where trucks are trucks and 'yotas run scared.....

@combat chuck: Ford

That's a big trailer for even that truck to be hauling around.

If this was really bought with Toyota Bux, then they really should've spent the extra green to get a medium duty International, if only to avoid little PR fiascoes like this.

They could have kept it in the family with a Hino, but I guess that they were there to race and GM was there to do the truck stuff.

I think religion should be banned instead of guns.

A "tipster" pointed this out? I really don't think Toyota cares if they're using a heavy duty full size truck to haul their race car trailer around.

Ohes noes! Did you know that Jeff Gordon's CHEVY race team has to use a Freightliner to haul its race team around? JEFF GORDON USES A GERMAN MERCEDES TO HAUL HIS CHEVY RACE TEAM AROUND!! HOW EMBARRESING LOL! A GERMAN TRUCK HAULING A CHEVY RACE TEAM BECAUSE THEIR LITTLE CHEVY TRUCKS CAN'T HANDLE IT!! LOL!

This is seriously the stupidest thing I've seen posted here.

An International 4300 would have been almost the same price as that HD.

@grzydj: Except Jeff Gordon doesn't race against Freightliner.

@grzydj:

I think the ironies here is that this is for a NASSCAR event, where thier is considerably more weight sunk in brand loyalty.

In other words, the same 'necks spying this 3500HD hooked to a Toyota trailer were just a minute ago arguing over which kit fabricated "stock" car with Dodge/Chevy/Ford/Toyota stickers was "better" than the other.

Oh come on, GM and Toyota has been working together for decades....

1987 Chevy Nova anyone?

Geo PRISON?

There would be Prizmamino without that partnership!

Toyota used to ship Chevy Cavaliers to Japan until Toyota couldn't stand the shitty build quality and backed out of that deal.

Reminds me of one of the trucks the ALMS Risi Ferrari 430 teams has... a big Volvo with a prancing horse in place of the mars symbol on the grill

I guess all their rides are getting hossed out for the SEMA show which they will OWN!

@grzydj:

The Texas State Fair has become a pickup truck "event" in a very pickup-centric state. The new Silverado/Sierra, Tundra, and Ford Super Duty trucks were all unveiled at the fair last year. It's a really big deal that Toyota is spotted using Silverado as a tow vehicle.

@Meat Farley:

He races against Chrysler, which until a few weeks ago was Mercedes.

@Meat Farley: No, but he does race against Dodge.

Too Funny, It really needs a Toyota Logo on the door.

@grzydj: There are more degrees of separation in your scenario than what's depicted in this photo.

Observe....

Tundra vs Silverado | Tundra towed by Silverado

or

Monte Carlo vs Charger | Monte Carlo towed by Freightliner which is a subsidiary of Daimler-AG which had previously operated as Daimler-Chrysler which at that point in time included Dodge, the manufacturer of the Charger, which was used in the film Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen, who starred in The Great Escape with Charles Bronson, who was in the Dirty Dozen with Donald Sutherland, who also appeared in the move JFK, alongside Kevin bacon.

Speaking of JFK, when is Oliver Stone going to direct a movie about GM mobilizing the Third Reich?

@Meat Farley:

You seriously have way too much time on your hands. But that said ... well done!!

@grzydj: Or Mitsubishi murdering American soldiers...

how do you wanna look at this?

@MarkVictorArnold: If only Ferrari would try and build their own version of the 240...

@Meat Farley: Just to shorten that up for you a little bit, the Charger shared screen time in Bullitt with a Lincoln Continental, which was turned into the Deathmobile in Animal House, which had a young Kevin Bacon.

I dunno, I find this mildly amusing (I'm a Chevy guy by a vague default). It does raise one major point though, if Toyota wants the Tundra to be taken seriously (I'll admit, they're nicely on their way), where's the 3/4 or 1 ton model?

@Maymar: Speaking of Ferrari...

In the 1960s, Enzo Ferrari's daily driver was... a Mini Cooper.

Ferrari also used to have an old Peugeot 403 Break (ststion wagon) as a support vehicule while the Cavallini Rampanti were racing. Nowadays, they use Iveco trucks. Iveco is part of the FIAT group.

Modified Tundra would be nice.

maybe something like the 6X6...heh [www.urbansurvivors.com]

It would make for a good GM commercial...
0% 0% 0% financing on 60 mos. o.a.c.! Prices so below MSRP even our competition can't resist!

@Maymar: Good point there, but maybe Toyota doesn't want to be taken seriously in the truck department; at least not by the guys who actually subject their trucks to the abuse of doing actual, y'know, work, like hauling huge-ass trailers and whatnot.

Maybe Toyota just wants that slice of the truck market (say, about 90%) that are truck-poseurs who just want a big shiny Truck and never work it harder than loading up an occasional big-screen TV from Costco. Fewer things break that way, fewer warranty payouts, etc.

I know it sounds idiotic, but so are most truck purchases.

@danio3834:

Really it's no different than GM killing American troops, not to mention war profiteering and their soaring stock prices right before the war.

*adjusts tinfoil hat*

I don't see how it's a bad thing to have someone else do the hard work for you while you bask in luxury in your trailer. I mean... anyone going to Vietnam as a tourist can have some other dude pull them around for a couple of bucks; and you don't even have to tip.

Wasn't there an article on this very site not long ago about Toyota having to give dealerships HUGE incentives to use Toyota trucks as parts runners? I thought they found that a very high percentage were using the cheaper Chevrolet work trucks.

@grzydj: That point is difficult to stand behind.

So if you were to stand behind that reasoning, the only automotive products left to buy would be Fords and some South Korean products. Oh wait, Henry Ford didnt like Jews, i guess theyre out...

maybe you can drive a Kia with a clear concience...even if theyre made in Korea

I know, I know, its big bad General Motors...its worse when they do it, right?

Hey, it's no lamer than the slogan: "We're here to race." Unlike all the other cars? Why not take a chance: "We're here to kick ass!" I think they just they just painted that on the trailer so no one would think they were a concession stand pulling in. "I'm with the band."

deep Alamo? That's a 4-5 hour drive from the fair....

Yeah I'm sure Toyota is very embarrassed and ashamed to be the most successful car maker in the world.

I see some GM Trucks being delivered on auto transporters that are towed by Freightliners... which are owned by Daimler! Man, GM should be ashamed they don't have a truck big enough for commercial interstate trucking.

@danio3834:

I should have made it more obvious that I'm being ridiculously sarcastic. Sorry. It's fitting for how stupid this entire "topic" is.

@grzydj: You're coming dangerously close to a commenter execution. Calling a post "stupid" is an easy way to get there.

Screw all this truck crap - I WANT THAT TRAILER!! That thing is sweet! I'd use it to haul my sportbike to track days.

@lascauxcaveman:

hmm...good point. what's the 80/20 rule? 80% of results are garnered by 20% of effort?

toyota could easily take a nice big slice of today's pickup market without even creating a real pickup.

Why is it every time I call someone out on the internet, they drop a "NAZI! NAZI! NAZI!" smoke bomb and run away?

@Meat Farley: Oh dear god that made my head hurt and I live in Dallas

Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Etc., Chevrolet, ToyotaIt's moments like these that you know Toyota wishes it had a heavy-duty version of the Tundra.

It has been rumored that even though Kevin Bacon drove a 72 'Cuda, his left kidney was in fact replaced with a fuel filter from a 1987 Diahatsu Rocky...

Twin engine Toyota Hilux Diesel with Dana 60's on both ends and gull wing doors.

I think the point is simple. Toyota has been banging on their collective chest with commercials about how tough, strong, bad ass their trucks are. Almost like "see we CAN make a truck unlike Honda..."

Now when you go spouting your mouth off about how bad ass your game is, then get caught with your pants down, it looks BAD. I guess for towing, their more comfortable letting GM do the work.

Now if that trailer was hanging off a cliff, then yeah sure the Tundra your man.