Access Cab?

^It would've been both. Extra engineering and tooling costs to build a configuration with diminishing sales. With the structural reinforcements they would need to make to meet tougher crash test requirements, the access cab might have ended up heavier than double cab!

There could also be organizational reasons. As you know Toyota was already behind schedule with 4th gen development. They may have chosen to not expend engineering and tooling manpower on access doors to focus on getting the "core config" to market (double cab, boxed frame, longer wheelbase, 4-link axle). It's quite evident everything else was compromised around that config (low-hanging donut spare, reduced fuel tank capacity, low-hanging SUA leaf springs in Xtra Cab, etc.)

 

Toyota has plenty of money and resources to think of something better.

 

The purpose of the corporation is to maximize value for the shareholders. They do that by maximizing revenue and minimizing costs.

Just because they can do something (like it's absolutely true they could solve this problem), doesn't mean it's in their best interest to do so.

 

I think most people understand the business aspect. Toyota went 18 years building and selling every single Access Cab truck. 2nd and 3rd gen basically the same truck, Sales increasing every year, built new a plant with 2 factories dedicated for building Tacomas, Factories located in Mexico for obvious reasons. And all of a sudden for the 4th Gen it is not in their best interest to keep the Access Cab?

 

^Toyota killed the regular cab in 2015 and the 5-lugger in 2016. Tacoma sales were growing, but evidently access cab sales were not. Can't really fault them when Ford, GM, Jeep, and Honda all gave up on the extended cab.

Expect Jeep to kill off the 2-door Wrangler soon...

 

My Mexican made AC manual would disagree with you.

 

That didn't come out the way I intended. I wanted to say the Mexico plant didn't produce access cabs until production ended in San Antonio. In any case, not really relevant to the discussion.

 

But Where is the data? We have to take Sheldon’s word? Toyota controls what comes out of their factories. I’ve wrote this before. Sheldon stated 50% of Access Cabs were ordered with the utility package but everyone here knows Toyota doesn’t allow customers to order their vehicle the way they want.

 

Probably fleet sales orders.

I don’t see why you need any data. The plain truth is that Toyota is a corporation and makes decisions based on what makes money. Obviously the access cab don’t make the cut in one way or another. Whether that’s costs to produce a separate line of trucks, costs to safety certify, who cares. The money isn’t in it, they won’t make it.

 

There are three large distributors in the country who do place orders.

 

Who?

 

^Gulf States, South East, and Servco (serving just Hawaii but they sell disproportionate number of Tacomas)

 

You can’t place a custom customer order through Gulf States. If you can, it’s news to me and would love a contact.

 

so would my Mexican assembled AC auto TRD off-road 3rd gen

 

Lol of course not, but the distributors do place orders with Toyota based on what they think their respective regions want. The distributors have pull. For example, Servco got Toyota to produce X-Runners just for them in 2014.

 

along with the profit margins they can make on thoses vehicles ordered, regardless of customer desires

 

^If the trucks are selling in those regions, then their business strategy is sound. Remember you always have the choice of buying a competitor's product, Nissan, Ford, etc.

 

and the choice to purchase what type of Tacoma build you want anywhere in the nation.. as I did

Plus unless one has access to their (dealerships) financials, it is all hypothetic or assumptions