Topic: Were do you think Toyota is headed

[robrocketanski]

the current s-runner uses a 5vze and the new one is what i was describing above. 245hp in a tacoma, n/a

[robrocketanski]

i forwarded most of this thread to a co-worker i doubt anyone will care though, i don't think we buy enough new trucks to count

[hessiankid31]

I think the whole Toyota 4x4 line is following the path they went with the landcruiser in the late 1970. More luxury, more electronics, more crap like body cadding . Good god, "cadding" is going on my list of top ten signs western civ. is going down the crapper! At least they kept solid axles on the LC. I bet you anything the runner will go 4wheel independant in the next decade. The 05 runners are bloated, ugly, puffy  sissymachines. I have an 01 Taco as my DD. Its a nice running road truck, but there is so much CRAP hanging off it, its a fat chick. I know I can't cut it if I wanna stay married, but it still bugs me. If I had my druthers, I'd yank the Taco powertrain, sell the shell and drop it in my 91 when the 3v goes.I would love to buy a Gibraltar 2.4 crew cab SA. I hear you can do a onetime duty free vehicle import. I was leaning towards an all JDM type R civic hatchback, but I'm getting more and more into 4x and less into the tuner stuff, mostly because its becoming so saturated  with posers.

[mudguts]

Jeep came out with the Rubicon and it's selling like gang busters where I live. Kudos to Jeep. Toyota has yet to offer any to compete
    Now Jeep is coming out with the Liberty 4x4 with the Quadra-Coil suspension system  and get this, a 2.8L CRD "Common Rail Diesel" engine. Yep a diesel.
Toyota needs to get off their  and answer to the American 4x4 needs. 

[robrocketanski]

Jeep came out with the Rubicon and it's selling like gang busters where I live. Kudos to Jeep. Toyota has yet to offer any to compete
    Now Jeep is coming out with the Liberty 4x4 with the Quadra-Coil suspension system  and get this, a 2.8L CRD "Common Rail Diesel" engine. Yep a diesel.
Toyota needs to get off their  and answer to the American 4x4 needs. 

and this is the attitude on a toyota only board!! you would think they would respond

[robrocketanski]

response from co-worker---"FYI there is a company that goes around and collects all the information from chat rooms, message boards, etc and then compiles it into a weekly report for Toyota.  Almost all message boards and posting groups are reviewed."

hmm.... should we discuss this sort of thing more? maybe it would get noticed.

[hessiankid31]

no reason why we couldn't circulate a petition, get a little grass roots advocacy going. Between this board and the other big ones out there, I'm sure there are thousands of people who would weigh in to support US market SA/2.4 D models. I've been into import tuning for lots longer than 4x4's and in the last five years, US customer demands have made a HUGE impact on the marketing strategy of really every foreign and domestic auto maker. People in the US started going nuts for JDM/type R etc. stuff, partly because it is a fad, but also because some of us realized the Japeneese/Euro spec cars were superior in many ways. According to an article I found in a tuner mag, the US spent around $750 Million damn dollars importing J-spec parts and vehicles in 2003. It's big business, so the automakers took notice and the result has been a massive shift in styling and design of both domestics and imports. I know we don't represent that much potential revenue as a consumer group, for a number of reasons. As a rule, we (4x4's) don't spend nearly as much money up front and tend to fabricate/scavange lots of things, even if we have the money, mostly because there is no off the shelf equiv. However, there is no reason we can't influence Toyota the way tuners have. It all comes down to money. If they see potential for more revenue, It'll happen.

[robrocketanski]

they do listen. a million camry buyers is a little louder than 10000 truck owners picking through junkyards.

[foxfab]

I already did the petition thing. We had thousandss of signatures on petitiononline.com. Toyota DOESNT CARE ABOUT the Off-road community. WE ARE ONE PERCENT of their market.

Here's the link: http://www.petitiononline.com/ifs/petition.html

Hard copies have been sent to Toyota USA and all I got back was thank you for your concern and we will take it into consideration. Ya right...

[SWAMPER]

AAAAAAAACCCCHHHUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!! Sorry Im just alergic to  :bull crap: