Toyota and Honda own the midsize market in North America with the Camry and Accord. This is the most profitable segment in the entire industry. In terms of market share, the Taurus/500 (or whatever they call it lately) is wiped out.

Toyota is advertising that the Tundra is an American truck with many parts sourced in NA and built in the US.

Nissan has just struck a deal with Isuzu, the same company that builds GM's duramax and Toyota will both introduce diesels in 2009.

Take a look at Yahoo quotes, Toyota's market capitalization (value of total shares) is over 600% higher than Ford, GM and Chrysler put together. Ford 16.44B, GM 17.29B, Honda 115B and Toyota 206.69B.

As you can see, relatively speeking, Ford and GM are worth nothing.

Pearl Harbour was just the first wave...

 

Here is one on youtube that ran 14.3

Toyota Tundra run

 

How many parts sourced in NA? If you all recall, some years ago, the right to label something "Made in America" or something like that only required about 50% of the contents to actually have come from the US. Yes, Ford, GM, and Chrysler play the same game. Those total market values are not telling the whole story. Toyota and Honda are in other markets, like Nissan and Suzuki, and other brands from the far east, not just private sector automotive. You got to break it down to only the comparable markets.

Take this to the bank: as long as Honda wants $160 a tire or $527 for a special GM alternator(twice), and wont back it up fully when it goes out, or over $140 for a replacement cargo cover from Subaru, I wont be owning anything from Japan or built in the US under the Japanese trade name because some things just don't change simply because production is brought over stateside.

Initial Quality is misleading, after parts are being replaced and scheduled tune-ups are done then compare. To each his/her own, but I have been burned by both Honda and Isuzu. As a matter of fact, being burned by Honda now with my wife's accord, nice car, but ongoing maintenance is a killer! After her last visit to the dealer, she turned to me and asked if I could do brakes, oil changes, and the like. I smirked. That is what I do now for me!!

We got rid of her Subaru Outback for the same reason. Again, nice car, loved the stick shift, but maintenance was awful. And we shopped around for authorized garages. Some of it was a dealer issue, not the brand, but replacement part prices, regardless of location, were always on the high side. Oh ya, she owned a Suzuki Sidekick but that is too far back to remember any more.

 

HI!... Around here no one buys the CAMRY/ACCORD. They are considered junk. The CHEVY MALIBU out sells both of them here. I see 90% more FORD TAURUS's/500's than CAMRY/ACCORDS on the streets around here. Not too many JAP cars can take our Canadian winters for too long. We have a huge salt mine here in Windsor and they are not afraid to use it in the winter.

All I know is that I'm not worried when I line up to a TUNDRA next year when my trucks back on the road. Unless it's packing, at least 600RWH.P I'm not worried.

 

Ummm... WHAT? Where did this info come from? Seriously, I'd love to know who said the midsize segment is the most profitable.

 

Its the largest segment of all vehicles sold by a long shot. Honda and Toyota, unlike others are making a healthy profit per vehicle.


"The mid-sized car segment - the largest passenger car category with 3.99 million units sold in the first 10 months of 2006. Mid-range cars represented 53.5 percent (or 4.15 million units) of the U.S. car market in the first 10 months of 2005 compared with 53.6 percent in the 2006 period."

Most Americans don't care where the car is built especially on both coasts. That's based on actual data. I saw an interview from a Toyota executive where he said that in terms of market share, they were maxed out in California. Meaning that they don't have the infrastructure to sell more vehicles. Never heard that before. He said that the average Ford dealership in Cali were selling 685 vehicles versus over 4000 on average for Toyota dealers in California.

Neal, you must be living in a bubble. Just take a hike up the 401 and the scenery will change very quickly. In my area, the 911 turbos (which are relatively rare) outnumber Taurus/500 20:1 and I'm being conservative. And I don't remember ever seeing a new Malibu. I wonder how many people in Windsor would be buying Camrys and Accords if they didn't have their X and A plans to buy Fords and Chryslers.

 

Give me a break. Imports in Canada account for nearly 50% of the market just like the US.

 

Come to South Texas... F150 Rules... more than any other vehicle drivig around... PERIOD...

 

Last time I drove from Sarnia to Goderich, which is rural at times, there were no shortage of full size trucks and SUVs, all of them. There were some economy cars but, again, all brands and makes. And yes, there were tauruses and malibus and accords and camries.

I will be in Mississauga in October and I will make sure to take a gander at what is on the road but last time I was there, driving on the 407/403 back and forth to Hamilton, lots of economy cars, very few trucks of any kind. I was driving a rental Kia myself and other than me not fitting in it very well, it was ok.

 

HI!... Not around here......................

 

The only Tundra keeping up is the 2x2, and only barely methinks.
I work at a Toyota dealership and drive em every day, and NO WAY do they boot like my L. Theres no doubt theyre nice trucks, but theyre not gonna beat the L without the TRD s/c.
And oh boy do the Yota guys hate me for that =D

 

Nice logic. So, if Ford sells more F-150s than Toyota sells Tundras, then F-150 is more profitable, right???

Funny, you've got just as much data to back up your view on Tundras vs. Lightnings...

 

Amen
At any red light, I can count at least 50% ratio of trucks to all other cars.

 

I never said that a large volume resulted in higher profitability. In actual fact the Americans brands have been doing just the opposite. But Toyota and Honda are far more efficient at running their business and do have a significantly higher profit per vehicle. And the reason Ford is currently in near bankruptcy (Volvo, Jag & Land Rover all for sale) is that when the market turned 3 years ago their product mix was 75% gas guzzling trucks and SUV. That's why Toyota has been eating their lunch. Fortune last year described Ford and GM as one of the worst run companies on the planet. Since the late 90s, the Detroit 3 have lost nearly 25 points in market share. Ford has closed or in the process of closing 14 plants. Not pretty huh?

My data on the Tundra and Lightning came directly from Ford and Toyota.

 

Nope, you implied it in error... you said the midsize segment was the most profitable. Now you can't back it up.

I missed the Toyota data on the Tundra 1/4 mile. Where was that? Got a link or reference?