"Jamaicans love Toyotas Mon!"

Last week I had the opportunity to take my family on vacation to Jamaica.Along with my wife and three kids was my wifes brother,his wife and three kids and my Mother in law.We had a wonderful time and stayed at the Riu club resort in Negril.Lots of pool,beach,snorkling,food and exploring.My son particularily enjoyed our quest for "sea creatures" and with the help of a local glass-bottomed boat operator,we saw some neat stuff.....Anywhoo,one of the things I found interesting was the abundance of Toyotas we saw.As a matter of fact,when we were on our hour long bus ride from the airport to the Hotel,I managed to spot a brand new Hilux....Charcoal grey in color with a big rugged stainless brush guard on the front-What a nice looking truck!On our last day there I took a walk through the Hotel parking lot and saw a number of Toyota Land Cruiser Prado's.I had never seen this particular model before and struck up a conversation with a Gentleman getting out of one...Turns out he worked for the Jamaican Gov't and his Prado was a fleet vehicle.He also informed me that Toyota was by far the most popular brand with an approximate 40% market share on the Island,followed by Honda,Mitsubishi and other imports.....Later I spoke with a couple of Taxi operators that were both using Toyota mini-buses who told me that "Jamaicans love Toyotas Mon!".One fellow said that carollas were incredibly popular in the station wagon form,and while standing and talking,I bet I saw 20(almost all in white).The reason for Toyotas popularity he explained was because of the poor condition of thier roads and that the Toyotas simply lasted longer than anything else.

Interesting case study on the international popularity of our favorite brand....and a nice opportunity to meet some very warm and friendly people in a warm and friendly place.

p.s.Another item of interest was that I saw only two domestic vehicles...A white Escalade and a red extended cab Sierra.

 

You should see Costa Rica. Toys from old to new there. They need them though as some of their roads suck, though most are good.

 

Man,
You should have visited the capital city , Kingston. You would have seen a host of Tacos , mostly Double cabs and Access cabs. Interestingly , most of these are V6 models, with all the exterior mods , Roof Racks ,Bull Bars ,tonneaus, 18-20" Wheels.Then, there are lots of HILuxes, especially the Vigo "G" model, which comes with the 2.7gas/3.0 turbo diesel, and with all the bells and whistles that the Singaporean market offers.
Yep, Jamaica is definately Toyota country.

 

Hi bellphill,that's what one of the men I met told me....Lot's of Tacomas,I just didn't happen to see any in my limited time and exposure....I was really impressed by the Hilux I saw.I know there has been a fair amount of talk on here about them not being imported to NA....Shame really,I think they'd sell like hotcakes.

Your's is a beautiful country my friend,thank you for the hospitality.

 

That so cool, I hope you and your family had a time to remember.

 

In Chile too! The Hilux is super popular down there. Tough as nails in Patagonia and the northern desert. What an awesome truck. Wish we had it here.

 

That sounds like Hawaii. Hawaiians love their Tacos. Seems like every third vehicle on Maui is a Taco.

Also Tacos and reggae -- always a good match