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]

Earlier this week we told you about a pickup truck comparison in the most recent issue of Consumer Reports that seemed a bit fishy. The comparison pitted the new 2007 Toyota Tundra against the 2007 Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram. It was clearly a fight between the Tundra and Silverado from the get-go, since both were the only two completely new trucks in the test. The Tundra, however, seemed to have an advantage in that it was ordered up with the larger of its two engines, the 5.7L V8 producing 381 hp. The Silverado, while available with a more evenly matched 6.0L Vortec MAX V8, was ordered with a less powerful 5.3L V8 producing 315 hp. Not only that, but the Tundra benefited from a 4.30 rear axle ratio that provides better towing and acceleration than the 3.73 ratio in the Silverado, which sacrifices those qualities for better fuel economy. The Silverado, however, could've been ordered with a more comparable 4.10 rear axle ratio at no extra charge.

Well, the gentlefolks at CR recently posted an answer to everyone's questions about this particular half-ton pickup comparo on their blog, which you should go read by clicking here before going on. They explain that choosing equipment for vehicles involved in a comparison is a tricky thing that involves balancing the objective of several goals.

"In general, we want to test a representative vehicle that is comparable to other vehicles in the test group (and previously tested peer vehicles). We also typically test the version--powertrain and trim level--that most regular consumers will buy. "

Read on after the jump to hear our take on CR's explanation.

While we do respect the folks over at Consumer Reports, we do not envy them. Whether the subject is vacuums, lawnmowers or half-ton pickups, nearly every test they perform is scrutinized down to the tiniest of details. We suppose it goes with the reputation of being the most reliable source of production information for consumers, but it's gotta be hell on the nerves.

In its most recent issue, CR is publishing a report on half-ton pickups that might have some crying foul and revisiting claims the publication is biased in favor of imports. Included in the test are the 2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7L V8, 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3L V8, 2007 Ford F-150 5.4L V8 and 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L V8. The report puts an emphasis on towing, and (spoiler alert) the Toyota Tundra received the best score of the four pickups. The Tundra also received the "Recommended" label from CR (as did the Dodge Ram 1500), and was awarded a predicted reliability rating of "Very Good" thanks to the past performance of all Toyota's in CR's reader survey results.

We can already hear the grumbling. The domestic half-tons are offered in such a dizzying array of configurations, why didn't CR choose to buy a Silverado with the larger 6.0L V8 and a 4.10 rear-axle ratio (a no-cost option that would have matched the Tundra's ratio)? Jake Fisher, a senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports, told Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com, "For our readers, fuel economy is more important than gaining an extra second or two faster time 0 to 60, and we tested the trucks we felt were configured as our subscribers would use them."

More after the jump...

Toyota reported its earnings today for the second quarter that ended on June 30th, and not surprisingly, profits are up. Bolstered partly by a weak Yen, Toyota's operating profits rose 31.8% to $5.48 billion USD. Revenue was up 15.7% to $52.92 billion and sales were up 7.1% to 2,365,000 (Side Note: GM sold over 2.4 million globally in Q2). In a coincidental twist of fate, Toyota sales the world over were all up except in its home market of Japan, a situation that mirrors closely what is happening to General Motors, Ford, and the Chrysler Group in the U.S. The difference, however, is that the U.S. is potentially the most profitable market in the world, and a loss in the States equates to a lot more potential sales missed.

Toyota also commented on the Tundra's performance in the market place, saying, "from the beginning, we were ready to offer incentives," and "We had some concerns about the Tundra, but the plans have been achieved." Incentives are certainly a permanent part of the game now for automakers offering full-size pickups, and Toyota is not immune. Nevertheless, as we reported yesterday, sales are doing well, with the Tundra possibly overtaking the GMC Sierra 1500 in units sold year-to-date at the end of Q2. According to Mike Levine from pickuptruck.com, while hitting the 200,000 unit/year mark may be in question, there's still a chance the Tundra could overtake the half-ton Dodge Ram in sales by the end of the year.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

The launch of Toyota's all-new 2007 half-ton Tundra pickup has had its fair share of hiccups, but despite bumps in the road, it appears that the Japanese automaker's half-ton has become the first import pickup to overtake a domestic in year-to-date sales. According to Mike Levine at pickuptruck.com, it appears the GMC Sierra 1500 lost its #4 ranking in half-ton sales to the Tundra based on projections culled from production numbers.

General Motors reports that the Sierra has sold 115,185 units year-to-date. The figure, however, includes 2006 and 2007 models of the Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500 (three-quarter ton), Sierra 3500 (one-ton) and even the 2007 Sierra "Classic" based on the older GMT800 platform. GM doesn't break down the sales numbers for the Sierra by model, so Levine got creative and used production numbers for each model from both 2005 and 2006 to extrapolate what percentage of this year's sales the Sierra 1500 model was likely to be. Assuming the Sierra 1500 represents about two-thirds of all Sierra sales, that would mean GM sold 76,700 units of the truck during the first seven months of 2007. The Tundra, meanwhile, sold 105,990 units, of which 97,290 were the all-new 2007 Tundra. Based on an "apples-to-apples" comparison in sales between half-ton models, it would then seem the 2007 Toyota Tundra easily outsold GMC Sierra 1500 to become the #4 best-selling half-ton pickup in the U.S. Based on projections through the end of the year, the Tundra will likely outsell all GMC Sierra models, as well, making it the #4 best-selling truck of any kind in the U.S. behind the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado and Dodge Ram.

Thanks to Mike for doing the legwork and crunching the numbers.

[Source: pickuptruck.com]

A few weeks back, the top brass at GM stated that they intended to remain competitive in the hyper-competitive full-size truck market, and now we know just how serious the General is about protecting its truck turf. Beginning last Saturday, all 2007 extended and crew cab Silverados will have zero-percent financing for up to 60 months. GM spokesman John McDonald was quoted by Automotive News as saying that GM wanted to remain competitive with challengers that have been using "increasingly heavy spending" to move pickups.

While this news isn't exactly great for GM, there won't be many truck buyers complaining. It'll be interesting to see if Ford and Toyota further escalate the prodigious cash giveaway in a truck market that is more competitive than ever.

[Source: Automotive News (subscription req'd)]

The 2007 SEMA Show in Las Vegas is not for another three and a half months, but Toyota is getting its ducks in a row preparing for what promises to be a big week in Sin City for the Japanese automaker. It's unveiling not one, not two, but three vehicles at SEMA, including the all-new 2009 Corolla. The current Corolla has been around the block a few more times than Toyota had planned, but still remains a popular vehicle for the company. The new model will include the familiar sedan body type, but also mark the return of a coupe/hatchback. We'll no doubt see a TRD version customized to the nines at SEMA, as well. If the fates are on our side, perhaps they'll show something rear-wheel drive (fingers crossed).

Also present at SEMA will reportedly be a heavy duty diesel dually Tundra pickup designed to be a monster tow machine. It's only a concept and yet to be named, but the HD Tundra will be there to gauge crowd reaction to a dedicated heavy hauler from Toyota. The diesel will likely come from Hino, Toyota's commercial truck division, but Popular Mechancs reports that most of its engines are just too big for the Tundra's bay. The size issue could force Toyota to debut a new, smaller 4.5L diesel V8 that it's been working on. We'll have to wait and see what powers the Tundra concept, but we'd bet our last slot token that this particular Toyota will most certainly not be a hybrid.

Finally, Toyota plans to introduce an FJ Cruiser Convertible concept at SEMA. Reportedly sporting a removable hardtop, sources say that the concept is likely a production prototype in disguise since going to all that trouble engineering a removable hardtop for one vehicle would be silly. To get an idea of what the FJ Cruiser Convertible will look like, take a peek at the aftermarket version.

So there you have it – Toyota's 2008 SEMA lineup. Now that the information's out there, hopefully Toyota will start releasing official pics soon, as well.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

The slumping housing market and gas prices have hurt truck sales, so automakers are going to have to step up on givebacks to keep metal moving. Toyota has taken the first shot with thier five month old Tundra, with 0% financing and buckets of cash. Edmunds tallied final Tundra incentives at $5,083 per unit last month, which is second to only the much older Dodge Ram. The new Silverado, which currently carries only $1,500 to $2,000 on the hood, is set for a bump in incentives to help level the playing field vs. the fierce competition, and older offerings from Ford and Dodge will have to follow suit. With Toyota's deep pockets, there may be no end to how far the folks from Aichi will go to reach their stated sales goal of 200,000 units in 2007, so $5,000 may just be the beginning.

If you've been waiting on your truck purchase, we have a feeling your patience is about to be rewarded. Everybody's pickup offerings are stronger than they've ever been, and with more competition comes more money in your pocket.

[Source: Detroit News]

Toyota stole GM's thunder, but The General isn't going to let Toyota take its lunch money. The Japanese company is offering grand slam incentives for the '06 and '07 Tundras that include $3,000 and interest-free loans for five years. That kind of honey moved Tundras off dealer lots with a quickness, allowing the Tundra to improve its June 2007 sales by 146.3 percent over June 2006, with 21,727 trucks sold. GM didn't expect Toyota to be offering such a sweet deal on a truck that had an all-new version introduced this year, but Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of global market analysis said, "We're evaluating our options right now."

GM does offer incentives on the '06 and '07 Silverado and Sierra, and even though sales for those two pickups declined in June, the Silverado still moved 44,955 units and the Sierra 15,187. With Yukon Denali sales up as well, GM has a mix that it believes can maintain profits, so it's not out "to match dollar for dollar," but still, it's "not going to concede ground in a category we feel we're best in class in." Ballew's final words for Toyota: "The game's on."

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

Few vehicles have received more negative press in such a short period of time as the 2007 Toyota Tundra. Plant cost overruns, four star crash ratings, camshaft issues, and a series of rebates have shown that the mighty Toyota is fallible after all. Well, it seems the bad news just keeps-a-coming, as vastly improved May sales weren't enough to stop even more rebates.

Now if you want to get your hands on a new Tundra, depending on the model, you can get up to $3,500 off the sticker or zero-percent financing for up to five years, or $500 off the down payment on a three-year lease. There is no more competitive segment in the automotive world than full-size pickups, and we're seeing evidence pile up that the Tundra just isn't up to the challenge. While the Tundra's new engine is second to none, the rest of the truck has a way to go.

[Source: AOL Money]

Thanks for the tip, Voss!