Autoblog

click image for more pics from our own review of the 2007 Toyota Tundra

Motor Trend awarded its 2008 Truck of the Year award, the last of its three yearly awards, to the Toyota Tundra today. New for the 2007 model year, the Tundra beat out the Chevy Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD and Ford's line of F-250, -350 and -450 Super Duty trucks. What's interesting about MT's TOTY competition is that because these trucks have such a wide range of capabilities and purposes, they are not pitted against each other, bur rather against specific criteria determined by the magazine's editors. Each is scored in the areas of "superiority", "value", and "significance". They use this strategy in both the Car OTY and SUV OTY award competitions, as well.

While we think the Tundra is the most significant truck that hit the market this season, at least in terms of how it has increased competition in this segment to new levels, we're not so sure that it stacks up as well in the other two categories. For one, it's difficult to call the Tundra "superior" when it's been saddled with a number of quality issues, including most recently its first official recall of 15,600 trucks for a driveshaft issue. And how exactly is the Tundra a better value than its competitors in the class when all can be had with a bed full of rebates and incentives?

Our money was on the F-450 for this award, as the truly super truck from Ford is rather peerless in the market. But we're not the editors of Motor Trend, and it's their award to give to whomever they choose. We're sure they're ready for the onslaught of armchair automotive journalism that's coming their way. Toyota, no doubt, is thrilled with the honor. Expect to see new commercials for the Tundra with those golden calipers on the hood any day now as the automaker attempts a last ditch effort to reach its goal of selling 200,000 units in 2007.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Earlier today we referenced Toyota disputing Edmunds.com claiming that the Tundra was sold in July with $6,861 of incentives per vehicle. That would've been the highest amount of incentives for any full-size pickup sold last month, but it turns out Edmunds made an error and last Friday printed a retraction on its AutoObserver site. Though Toyota does not release the official amount of incentives it offers for the Tundra, Edmunds is now claiming the amount offered last month is $4,625. That amount, while still high, makes it the third highest amount of incentives behind the Dodge Ram 1500 ($6,739 per vehicle) and Nissan Titan ($4,835 per vehicle). Edmunds further claims the 2007 Chevy Silverado was sold with $3,995 worth of incentives last month, and the Ford F-150 with $3,574. The Honda Ridgeline, if it can be rightly included in this group, was sold with $2,746 worth of incentives.

[Source: AutoObserver]

During the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field, New York Yankee Babe Ruth pointed to the center field bleachers while at bat during the fifth inning. He then knocked one out of the park directly where his finger was pointing. The Babe's famous called shot reminds us of recent comments made by Jim Lentz, executive vice president of Toyota's U.S. sales, about the Toyota Tundra. Last Thursday Lentz said, "We're spending the incentives necessary, given the economics, given a down market, to sell that 200,000 vehicles."

While not as glamorous or direct as Babe Ruth's pointed index finger, in our eyes Lentz effectively pointed to the center field bleachers and called it: Toyota will reach its goal of selling 200,000 Tundra's in 2007, the new full-size pickup's first year of sales. About 97,290 2007 MY Tundras were sold in the first six months of 2007, so 200,000 certainly seems reachable, but by no means in the bag. Just like the Big 3, Toyota has been laying both dealer and customer incentives on the hood of 2007 Tundras to encourage sales, and marketing for the truck has been omnipresent on TV and the web. Toyota disputes, however, the Edmunds.com estimate that incentives for the Tundra amounted to $6,861 per truck last month when 23,150 units were sold.

[Source: The Detroit News]

This one was a bit of a surprise. After being asked what impact the new 2007 Toyota Tundra would have on the full-size truck market in the U.S., the majority of Autoblog readers responded that Nissan is the only brand that needs to worry. That response received 768 votes, which is 35 percent of the 2,171 votes cast.

This was a four-way fight all the way, however, with the second most popular response being that the Tundra will steal sales from Ford and GM and create a fierce four-way sales fight in the segment. Almost 400 of you believe Toyota will own the half-ton truck segment by 2010. Behind the scenes at Autoblog we’re as divided on the topic as you are, so we’ll be watching sales of the Tundra very closely when it hits the street at the end of this year.