Jalopnik: Toyota Tundra

Toyo Tires Shows Off 2008 SEMA Line-Up

Mark Arnold — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The Nissan GT-R, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Studebaker hot rod, disfigured Bentley Continental GT, and lifted Toyota Tundra you see here are the five cars Toyo Tires will be bringing to the upcoming 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. But what's the one thing they all have in common—besides wearing Toyo rubber? They're all ridiculous caricatures! Well, the 1931 Studebaker Model 54 hot rod might not be so bad, but if the rendering pictured is accurate, its non-existent ride height means it's nothing but a trailer queen. The most subtly tuned of the rest is the Nissan GT-R, which sports some carbon-fiber body parts, an Amuse titanium exhaust and Endless six-piston brakes. The rest of the bunch are a bit more radical.

The green Mitsubish Lancer Evo X is boasting 650 HP. The Bentley Continental GT (yes that's what's hiding under that awful body kit) brags of 800 HP. The Tundra? Well it's a huge lifted truck with green tribal grpahics...need we say more? And to think this is just the tip of the SEMA iceberg. [via MotorAuthority]

Toyota A-BAT Gets Green Light, Tundra Diesel Gets Black Flag

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:20:00 EDT

According to Pickuptrucks.com, Toyota has given the go-ahead on a production version of the radical Toyota A-BAT concept first revealed at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. The compact, unibody pickup would be equipped with an expandable four foot cargo box and hybrid synergy drive while fitting into the footprint of the RAV4. The A-BAT would be one of only a few members of the compact segment (along with the Ford Ranger, which we still are told is on the outs, and the Pontiac G8 ST), as the rest of the competition has moved into the midsize range without saying so. Further making the point that the big truck market is on the skids, rumor has it the Toyota Tundra Diesel boss "Ken" Watenabe promised we'd eventually be seeing now has the status of indefinite delay.

But what should anyone expect? Tundra sales are in the doghouse and with diesel prices sky high, Toyota doesn't foresee a return on investment for an oil-burning engine.

Although we're told the A-BAT plans could get the axe if production prices come back too high, the idea along with the Tundra anti-plans come together to form a pretty clear picture: Trucks are going to shrink, at least from Toyota. No surprise to us as the current crop of pickups, while very capable, are also gigantic and thirsty. All we ask of Toyota in this new small truck is that they avoid building the beds from pre-rusted steel, as it would go a long way to keeping our highways cleaner in this second malaise era. [Pickuptrucks.com]

Toyota May Export Tundra And Sequoia

Andrew Stoy — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Toyota appears to have hit upon a novel way of unloading excess US truck and SUV supply: Send the vehicles overseas. While no firm decisions have been made, Steve St. Angelo, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, told a group of industry observers the company's full-size Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs could be attractive to buyers in other countries. We'd presume he's talking about African nations, Russia and Asia, places where large vehicles still command a strong following thanks to folks with lots of money to spend. Either way, it sounds like a win-win, since Toyota could take advantage of the weak dollar and keep its US factories humming while we could offload our junk on someone else for a change. [Automotive News, Sub. Req.]

Toyota Corporate Blog Urges You To Buy A Toyota, Then Ride Your Bike

Andrew Stoy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Toyota is taking an unusual step on their Open Road corporate blog by promoting the idea of driving less. At first glance, this would seem oxymoronic, but Toyota is careful not to say "don't buy a Tundra." They're just saying that once you do buy a Tundra, you should leave it parked in your driveway for special occasions and hoof it everywhere else. The PR folks at Open Road also offer some suggestions in case you actually have to drive your new Toyota, like avoiding drive-throughs (Prius owners with engine shut-off are excepted of course) and turning off the engine at red lights. After all, "Idling is bad." Umkay. So what to make of this unconventional strategy?

We sort of actually admire what Toyota is trying to do here, and we don't disagree with some of their suggestions. But the whole exercise reeks of marketing. The thing is, in this age where "going green" is the flavor of the day, they're marketing better than the competition.

Consider it like this: Toyota is promoting conservation strategies in a direct, forthright manner on its corporate blog at the same time Chrysler is offering to subsidize your conspicuous gasoline consumption. This, despite the fact that equivalently-equipped current Toyota Tundra and Dodge Ram pickups get almost identical mileage (16 MPG combined vs. 15 MPG combined — although we hear the new 2009 Dodge Ram supposedly blows those numbers out of the water). But who's going to win the perception game in the era of $4-and-up gas? After all, perception is everything. [Open Road Blog]

Breaking: Truck Rhymes With Fuck, Advertisers Exploit

Travis Hudson — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:15:00 EDT

Hide your children, let your pets outside, the advertisers have finally stumbled upon a new gimmick in advertising. Little did anyone know the word truck rhymes with and sounds like that familiar four-letter f-word. What will happen when your kids start going around spouting off the word truck? Is it time to bring back whoopings? Is Toyota to blame with this Tundra advertisement? More at 11*. (Hat tip to Buckster!) [via Youtube]

* If you come back at 11 there will not be any more information, but feel free to keep watching the commercial.

Cincinnati Reds Toyota Truck Giveaway Is A Bit Of A Sham

Travis Hudson — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Taking a cue from a similar Kansas City Royals promotion, Toyota has a giveaway going with the Cincinnati Reds for the upcoming baseball season. The promotion has a Toyota Tundra perched in the outfield. The deal is if a player smacks the Tundra with a home run, it will be given away to a lucky fan. The average baseball fan wouldn't know it, but there's a hell of a catch.

The car is 502 feet away from home plate and 65 feet above the field level. A little math by the folks at Red Reporter determined that on an average calm day the ball would have to be hit at 134.5 mph off the bat, which is damn near physically impossible. Furthermore, the folks did more math and determined that on a balmy 90-degree day, a strong right-handed hitter with a 15 mph tailwind could maybe get it to the truck. Way to go, Toyota. Earn those advertising dollars! [Red Reporter via Deadspin]

Most Liked Ad: Hummer For The Win!

Matthew DeBord — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:15:26 EDT

Just prior to Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli's New York Auto Show keynote speech this morning, some guy who works for ~~The Dark Lord of All Media~~ Rupert Murdoch conducted a none-too-brief awards ceremony for carmkers, their marketing muckety-mucks, and their ad agencies. IAG Research, an advertising-effectiveness-measuring outfit, handed out the hardware, an example of which is pictured at left.

The design is symbolic, but we forget what the symbols are, and we were so ~~cynically dismayed~~ utterly starstruck by Pentastar Bob that we forgot to write 'em down—something about angles and a magical orb that seduces customer into car loans.... It was all incredibly juicy. Hummer was among the winners in this competition for laurels among nationally aired TV spots.

Hummer, with creative supplied by Modernista!, won for "Most Liked Ad" ("Like, it was the the ad that those in the vast IAG survey most, um, liked, you know"). It was that one of Hummers engaged in all manner of video game awesomeness (watch it here.) Obviously, the award you wanna win, if you're the standard-issue low-self-esteem marketing big shot.

Subaru won the very special "Green" award. Lexus and Chevy won for Best Overall Luxury ad and Best Overall Non-Luxury ad, respectively. Toyota Tundra won for Most Effective ad, and Hyundai Veracruz won for Most Effective New Nameplate Launch.

It was all incredibly moving. And then Nardelli started dispatching the neologisms.

Chicago Auto Show: Motor Trend Has Wood For Tundra

Mark Arnold — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST

Here it is in all its glory: The winner of the highly-coveted Motor Trend Truck of the Year Award, the Toyota Tundra. Just look at all those steel girders! When Ray (who had been locked up in the press room for most of the day) saw this shrine to the golden calipers, he just couldn't help but get an up close look.

Thing is, it turns out the trendy payload was only skin-deep. We're thinking it was plywood, but you judge for yourself. All we know is — to hold aloft that prestigious award you don't need something as strong as steel girders. Nah, you only need it to look like it.

Motor Trend Names Toyota Tundra Truck Of The Year, Likes The Alliteration

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST

Motor Trend tapped the bulging Toyota Tundra as the 2008 Truck of the Year, besting GM's HDs and Ford's F-X50 Super Duty pickups. The trucks were pitted against each other at Chrysler's Yucca, Arizona testing facility, where the editors could have fun throwing them through various road conditions. They also hooked the trucks up to 7,500 and 10,000-pound trailers, just for kicks. The vehicles were judged in three categories: Superiority, Significance and Value. The Tundra just ended up being more significant, more valuable and more superior. [Motor Trend via PickUpTruck.com]

KBB Predicts Highest Resale Value Cars, Pats Super Bowl

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:45:00 EST

The folks over at Kelley Blue Book have announced the ten vehicles they predict will have the best resale value over the next five years in each category. Not surprisingly, the Corvette Z06 makes the list for "high performance vehicle" as there's no high privilege charge attached to buying a new one. They predict you should be able to get 50% of what you paid back in five years on the Vette. The full list below the jump:

High Performance: Chevrolet Corvette - 50% Sedan: Honda Civic - 52% Coupe: Infiniti G37 Coupe - 52% Convertible: Mini Cooper Convertible - 50% Wagon: Scion xB- 52% Hatchback: Scion tC - 52% Luxury: BMW 6-Series - 50% Pickup: Toyota Tundra - 41% SUV: Acura MDX - 49% Minivan: Honda Odyssey - 39% Hybrid: Honda Civic Hybrid - 45%

[KBB via CNN Money]

Toyota Drops In Consumer Reports Annual Car Reliability Survey, Ford Improves

Ray Wert — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT

Apparently, the V6 version of the Toyota Camry, a long-time resident to Consumer Reports' "Annual Car Reliability Survey," is no longer welcome around those parts. And it's not just the Camry, but also the new bigger-than-big four-wheel-drive V8-powered Toyota Tundra and the Lexus Gs. All three of these vehicles "declining reliability" has canceled the "automatic recommended" rating given to the Toyota, Scion and Lexus brands from CR. Hmm, that's no good thing — except it appears to be a boon for Ford, who's showing some serious increases in quality ratings this past year in the Explorer, the F-150 and the Mustang. Full list below the jump.

Models with improved reliability

BMW 7 Series

BMW X3

Cadillac STS (V6)

Chrysler 300 (V8)

Dodge Charger

Ford Explorer (V6)

Ford F-150

Ford Mustang

Jaguar S-Type

Jeep Commander

Kia Sportage

Mazda RX-8

Porsche 911

Saab 9-3

VW Jetta (5-cylinder)

Volvo S40 (non-turbo)

Models with declining reliability

BMW 6 Series

Chevrolet Suburban

Chevrolet Tahoe

Chrysler 300 (V6)

Dodge Ram 1500

GMC Yukon

GMC Yukon XL

Hyundai Entourage

Kia Amanti

Kia Sedona

Lexus GS (V6, AWD)

Pontiac G6

Toyota Camry (V6)

Toyota Tundra (V8, 4WD)

VW Passat (V6)

[via Freep]

The Prius Halo Effect Continues?

Ray Wert — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:30:00 EDT

So maybe one of us is a conspiracy theorist when it comes to whether the Prius casts a green marketing halo over the entire Toyota lineup. Sometimes however, the one of us who believes it is able to provide some evidence for why he may not be wrong. Like this example we found this morning. If there's one site you'd expect the new Toyota Tundra — or any light- or medium-duty pickup truck — to not be covered on, it would be an enviro-friendly site like GreenCarCongress. Yet, for some odd reason, they've just put up a story on Toyota offering the Tundra pickup in 13 additional trim variations. We mean, we'd understand if Toyota were adding models with active fuel management, E85, diesel — anything that may remotely have to do with being more fuel efficient. But new trim packages? [GreenCarCongress]