NewsWriter
04-10-2007, 02:02 AM
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal"> <img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/Duttyman_photos/Tundra%20Article/tundra.jpg" title="intro" alt="intro" height="350" width="600" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal">Looking for a Truck?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal">Want to save up to $3,000</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal">If you answered yes to either question, the Toyota Tundra might be the Truck for you..<!--more--></p>
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. is taking the launch of its new Tundra in stride, refusing to panic over the prospect of using higher incentives to move the fullsize pickups off dealer lots.
Toyota last week added a $1,000 trade-in allowance on top of a discount of up to $2,000, a move considered unusual for a vehicle less than two months into its launch, particularly for ToyotaBut executives say that’s just part and parcel of today’s highly competitive truck market.
“Certainly the whole segment is very incentive-driven,” Don Esmond, senior vice president-automotive operations, says during a conference call with reporters to discuss March sales. “If you look at the market, a lot of competition has been ramped up. There’s $5,000 cash, trade-in cash, dealer certificates – a lot is going on in the market.”
Esmond says Toyota’s incentive programs vary regionally, but most are focused on “transaction issues,” helping dealers close the sale by contributing to trade-in allowances or financing. “We will continue to monitor the market to stay competitive,” he says.
Toyota delivered 13,196 Tundras in March, up 7.8% on a daily-rate basis from year-ago (28 selling days vs. 27), when 11,800 were sold.
Toyota is sticking to its forecast for sales of 200,000 Tundras in this calendar year, Esmond says, and he expects demand to escalate as the auto maker finishes the production rollout that is seeing CrewMax models now beginning to dribble in to dealers.
Esmond says Toyota should begin to have the right mix over the next 60-90 days, and “we’re excited about what the market will hold.”
Toyota says it has sold 16,000 Double Cabs so far this year, triple last year. It accounts for about 83% of the Tundra’s mix to date, with regular cabs accounting for about 8% and the CrewMax 9%. Over time, Toyota expects that to shift to 6% regular cab, 64% Double Cab and 30% or more CrewMax. Initial demand for the 5.7L V-8 has been stronger than anticipated, the auto maker says.
Tundra customers mostly are Toyota owners, Esmond says, with some sales coming from buyers switching brands, new to the pickup segment or first-time vehicle buyers.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/Duttyman_photos/Tundra%20Article/07_Toyota_Tundra_5.jpg" title="mid" alt="mid" height="267" width="400" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal"><span>Toyota delivers 13,196 Tundras in March.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal"><a href="http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2007/tundra/specs.html">Specs</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal">Looking for a Truck?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal">Want to save up to $3,000</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal">If you answered yes to either question, the Toyota Tundra might be the Truck for you..<!--more--></p>
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. is taking the launch of its new Tundra in stride, refusing to panic over the prospect of using higher incentives to move the fullsize pickups off dealer lots.
Toyota last week added a $1,000 trade-in allowance on top of a discount of up to $2,000, a move considered unusual for a vehicle less than two months into its launch, particularly for ToyotaBut executives say that’s just part and parcel of today’s highly competitive truck market.
“Certainly the whole segment is very incentive-driven,” Don Esmond, senior vice president-automotive operations, says during a conference call with reporters to discuss March sales. “If you look at the market, a lot of competition has been ramped up. There’s $5,000 cash, trade-in cash, dealer certificates – a lot is going on in the market.”
Esmond says Toyota’s incentive programs vary regionally, but most are focused on “transaction issues,” helping dealers close the sale by contributing to trade-in allowances or financing. “We will continue to monitor the market to stay competitive,” he says.
Toyota delivered 13,196 Tundras in March, up 7.8% on a daily-rate basis from year-ago (28 selling days vs. 27), when 11,800 were sold.
Toyota is sticking to its forecast for sales of 200,000 Tundras in this calendar year, Esmond says, and he expects demand to escalate as the auto maker finishes the production rollout that is seeing CrewMax models now beginning to dribble in to dealers.
Esmond says Toyota should begin to have the right mix over the next 60-90 days, and “we’re excited about what the market will hold.”
Toyota says it has sold 16,000 Double Cabs so far this year, triple last year. It accounts for about 83% of the Tundra’s mix to date, with regular cabs accounting for about 8% and the CrewMax 9%. Over time, Toyota expects that to shift to 6% regular cab, 64% Double Cab and 30% or more CrewMax. Initial demand for the 5.7L V-8 has been stronger than anticipated, the auto maker says.
Tundra customers mostly are Toyota owners, Esmond says, with some sales coming from buyers switching brands, new to the pickup segment or first-time vehicle buyers.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/Duttyman_photos/Tundra%20Article/07_Toyota_Tundra_5.jpg" title="mid" alt="mid" height="267" width="400" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal"><span>Toyota delivers 13,196 Tundras in March.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal"><a href="http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2007/tundra/specs.html">Specs</a></p>