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Toyota looking at making a compact pickup

1366 Views 1 Reply 2 Participants Last post by rideandfly, 3 mo ago

TacoGuy

Discussion Starter · 12 mo ago

Bob Carter, EVP for Toyota Motor North America said in a recent interview that they are looking at adding a compact pickup truck to their lineup. They're keeping their eyes on sales with the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.

Toyota looking hard at compact pickup market

"[The] more that Ford sells, frankly, the more that Hyundai sells," he said, "the more we'll be able to get good research on who these customers are."

www.autoblog.com

Bob Carter, EVP for Toyota Motor North America, told MT, "Today, we have the market really well covered with Tacoma, but that [a compact pickup] could be a possibility and something we continue to look at." Cooper Ericksen, the group VP of product planning and strategy, made it clear the key is figuring out the customer. Toyota has a body-on-frame platform it could use for a pickup that leans toward hardy use, and unibody platforms for a city-focused getaround with a bed — which one makes more sense? "[The] more that Ford sells, frankly, the more that Hyundai sells," he said, "the more we'll be able to get good research on who these customers are, why they want this vehicle, and we'll see if that's the space that we want to enter into."

Underlining the point, Jack Hollis, the carmaker's SVP of automotive operations here told AN that there's no question of having space in the lineup for a truck below the Tacoma. The dimensions of the current Tacoma add emphasis, AN pointing out that the modern mid-sizer is nine inches taller and a minimum of three feet longer than a 2000 Tacoma. Hollis asked of that space, "The question is, how to fill it?"

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rideandfly

· #2 · 3 mo ago

We had a 1987 Toyota Pickup, really great truck! Currently own a 2003 Tacoma we purchased new, it's a daily driver. Really like our 2022 Tundra for towing a travel trailer and daily driving.

Can't wait until the Gen 4 Tacoma is available, it will probably replace our 2003 Tacoma, but the 2003 is a daily driver with only 200,000 miles and going strong.

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Toyota looking hard at compact pickup market

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