Interesting article in regards to Colorado

+1 This^^

 

Numbers are based on projected sales figures. Toyota sold 155,000 Tacomas last year.

It is much more difficult and not very cost effective to bring a car from the states into Canada as opposed to the other way around. Due to the favorable exchange rate and NAFTA I am seeing allot more cars coming down from Canada. In fact my truck was originally purchased in Alberta. Only time will tell if it was a good move. By the looks of this truck I swear there must be no paved roads in Alberta. Luckily I bought it cheap.

 

You likely bought a truck that was used by a oil worker. They usually destroy trucks.

You are right about the exchange rate and NAFTA, but it goes both ways. The exchange rate has been all over the place in the last ten years.

 

That is what I assumed as well. I am considering dumping it in 6 months just in case it was too abused.

 

http://m.motortrend.com/wot/1505_wo...ore_chevrolet_colorado_gmc_canyon_trucks.html
Doesn't seem like GM is creating a artificial shortage of trucks. I can also forsee a shortage of 3rd generation tacomas later this year.

 

Notice the comments section, this guy has the same concerns that I do:

 

I wonder if it'll make a difference that the Tacomas will be made in two plants VS the GM twins one. Mejico and Texas plant will probably be able to keep up. Come October I think finding a 2016 that fits your needs minus a couple features here or there shouldn't be too difficult.

 

I don't lose any sleep that the new GM's will sell. The market is there for scaled down full sized trucks. Competition will be good for Toyota in this segment that they have dominated for years. It can only serve to make an even better product if somebody else starts nipping at their heels.

 

Most of the time competition breeds excellence.

 

If Ford comes back to compete with GM then Toyota will have their work cut out for them. The Ranger owned the title of the best selling compact truck before Ford chose to let it wither on the vine opening the door for Toyota's current, well deserved, position.

 

The ranger sold so well because of its low price. People complain that Toyota didn't update the Tacoma for 10 years. How long did Ford leave the ranger untouched?

 

If they chose to get back into the segment and release a modified global Ford Ranger, it could easily be the top dog. Ford wanted in on the unibody commercial van game and I think the Transit is already outselling the Sprinter and Promaster.


All they would have to do is call it the F-100 and stick the 2.7L ecoboost engine in as optional. I wouldn't go with that particular engine but that would fly off the lots.

 

The Ranger sold for a similar price to the first generation Tacoma. Then when everybody else moved on and up with there compact trucks Ford released the sport trac, which was more like a Ridgeline than a Ranger, and left the Ranger to die.

Google the sales numbers. Before the late 1st generation Tacoma Ford owned the compact truck market. If they come back with a global Ranger with an Ecoboost engine pushing over 300 HP and 300 Torque yet good mileage it'll make life tough on Toyota.

 

I have a friend/customer that owns a couple of Ford dealerships. He hinted that such a truck has already been tested in NA. The two engine options are the small Powerstroke in the Transit and the 2.7 L Ecoboost. That was told to him by Ford corporate, they are ready to re enter the market should GM's small truck sell well.

 

I can imagine a Raptor version of the Ranger would sell quite well!

 

You can bank on that. Ford will be watching GM mighty close on small truck sales.

I agree, a mini me Raptor would probably be a hot ticket.

 

Look at the E-Series van...only minor tweaks over what, 50 years?

 

The guys at Ford aren't idiots. They know business and they're looking at trends. And they see the mid-size truck is a good option for alot of people. I think that the Ranger just wasn't a viable competitor to continue with and that's why they dropped out, not solely because there's "too small of a mid-size market". I mean, the Ranger averaged LESS mpg than the V8 crew cab 4x4 Colorado, that is just sad. And it's basically a compact truck that was trying to compete in a mid-size truck world. Not useful enough for most folks.

I live in Seattle area and work near downtown so I will use it as an example. It's one of the fastest if not the fastest growing cities in America. Estimates are that it will grow by 120,000 residents by 2025. Seattle is growing and so are the surrounding areas. Tacomas are extremely popular around here and people even in the smallest and most cramped neighborhoods have them. I met a family the other day in a neighborhood called Queen Anne which is extremely cramped and difficult to drive in. Their ONLY vehicle is a 2015 Tacoma DCSB. There are new Tacomas all around the city. People around here want capable smaller trucks.

To think Ford is just going to give up on a market like this is crazy. I think a new Ford mid-size will arrive very quickly after an announcement. Like in a matter of months. All they have to is say "F-series, best selling truck in America for 38 years, and this doozy offers an available 27 mpg epa hwy, introducing the new Ford F-100". They won't be able to make them quick enough.

 

Where do I sign!?! [/foaming at the mouth]

 

On the other hand, lack of production could be related to they've had to jimmyjack the assembly line to remedy flaws in the initial design and assembly.

Things like plugging holes in the firewall, door seals that don't seal, airdam bolts were designed upside down so the nuts weren't accessible from the underside, remembered a rear slider should be available.