IS THE TOYOTA TACOMA’S SALES LEAD UNTOUCHABLE?

http://www.tfltruck.com/2017/07/45078/



The first half of the year is done, and the Toyota Tacoma is showing an unsurmountable sales lead in the midsize pickup truck segment. Tacoma sales improved by 4.0% over June of last year.

The Nissan Frontier is still putting up very good numbers. The Frontier is still projected to catch up to Chevy Colorado sales by the end of the calendar year (see graph below). Chevy Colorado sales received a nice boost by the arrival of the 2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2.

Honda Ridgeline sales continue to show strength, while the GMC Canyon numbers are still showing decreases.

Check out the sales graph put together by Bernie Kressner. Please take note of the Toyota Tacoma sales trajectory. It is still literally off this chart. Of course, this is just an approximation. It’s very difficult to predict what will actually happen.

One thing is for sure, competition is a lot tougher now, than it was just a year or two ago.

 

Until the Ranger comes out at least. Tacoma over took it when it went mid-size. Ranger will give it a real run for its money.

 

Thats gotta be embarrassing for GM. Conversely, Nissan must be throwing out their shoulders with all the high fives going around there.

 

Are they giving rebates or sick deals on the frontier?

 

But the Ranger won't say TOYOTA on the side....

 

No, but if they gave us an ecoboosted v6 and a transmission that doesn't suck, I bet we'd have a dance off.

 

Not to mention who wants to buy a ford..

 

Trucks are the one thing Ford has always done right. I do consider myself a "Ford guy" for full disclosure. However, I love my Taco. I will be very intrigued by the new Ranger. Especially if the looks are good. Unlike with the GM twins, they look goofy.

 

I just don't see Ford doing anything to cannibalize full size sales. The profit margins must be protected at all costs. The last Ranger stagnated due in part to this.

 

I gotta imagine Nissan would be willing to wheel and deal to move a 12 year old truck platform at this point. That and with the costs of these mid sizes climbing, Nissan is in a good spot to make hay.

 

Won't matter when you can have a twin turbo 3.5 Tacoma. They won't throw the 2.7 ecoboost in the ranger. Guarantee you it will be the 2.3 eco from the mustang.

 

But it will say ford. When it comes to trucks....that represents about a gazillion more in annual sales than Toyota.

 

Thank god for bias conclusions drawn from inadequate data

 

If you're buying a work truck, full size. The midsize doesn't make much sense for contractors, landscapers, etc. I don't see many landscapers using Tacomas to snow plow or tow heavy equipment to jobs. Ford wouldn't be getting back into game if they weren't going to make money.

Also, Ford put zero energy in the last gen Ranger. Tacoma and Frontier went midsize and they reaped the benefits of a stale outdated Ranger. I had two rangers over 16 consecutive years and loved both. Based on that experience alone I would have gone to Ford to get another if they still built one for the US. I don't want or need a large truck.

In all, love my Taco but will be intrigued if Ford does it right with the next gen Ranger. Also heard they might do a mini-me raptor with it...Very intrigued by that.

 

Ford should pay me for getting everyone talking about the Ranger, lol

There is no such thing as bad press.

 

Impossible. I hear from lots of "smart" people on here that everybody hates the 3rd Gen and people are paying outrageous sums of money to get used 2nd Gens to avoid them.

 

I would be interested in the ranger if they put the 2.7L ecoboost that is going to be in the 2018 f-150's but only if I like the styling of the truck. If it looks like the Colorado/Canyon or the international version of the ranger I will probably pass regardless of how much power and torque the engine puts out.
The main reason I went with the Tacoma was because I liked the looks of it over the gm twins. I test drove a 2017 Colorado and I liked the engine and the low end power but could not get over the cheap looking interior and the look of the front end of the truck. The gm twins look to rounded in the front.
The Colorado offered a better deal though. I could of have gotten $5100 of MSRP on the Colorado versus me only getting $3k off the Tacoma.

 

It's amazing how the previous generation Nissan Frontier is catching up to the Canyon/Colorado in sales considering its age. Nissan should save their money and not redesign so they won't have a chance of messing up a nice platform.

 

The GMs look more like an SUV than a truck from the front. I did like the power the Colorado had as well. In the end I was afraid to risk it with Chevy as the previous gen was awful. I've liked Toyota since Marty McFly opened the garage door at the end of BTTF revealing his little badass black truck. People I work with loved their tacos. Test drove what would be come my Taco. Loved the looks in and out and it had a factory moonroof. I know! I know! I'm knocking Chevy for looking like an SUV while wanting a moonroof lol. My life is full of contradictions. It's a great truck.

 

toyota has dominated this market and will continue I've had every gen Tacoma and a 93 toyota pickup , friends had rangers , s-10 , Colorados etc one phrase was always said to me I wish I had your truck !