Autoblog

Toyota's learning that in the case of the Tundra, American buyers won't just pick from the selection of trucks the dealer has left. It's a role reversal for the automaker used to people accepting whatever Camry they can get.

Former VP of Marketing Jim Farley said Tundra buyers "have a build-to-order mentality that we are not used to at Toyota." Whereas a Ford truck dealer often has an inventory that looks like the factory shipping yard, or has a dealer nearby who does, Toyota doesn't keep nearly as much inventory on hand. But truck buyers want what they want, and they don't want to pay for it until they see it. Toyota and its dealers are having to adjust. The company is using a vehicle pool, swapping Tundras between regions, and letting dealers modify orders. But as Toyota gets to know more of the American car buyer, it will find out just how many hurdles domestic makers often have to jump through to make a sale. It's not easy being number one -- just ask GM.

[Source: Autoweek]

R.L. Polk & Co. announced the winners of its 11th Automotive Loyalty Awards during the 2007 Automotive News World Congress a week or so ago. Some of the companies and cars that won may surprise you. First off, General Motors won the Overall Manufacturer award... for the seventh consecutive year. While GM's future is looking a little rosier right now, the past seven years were not as kind. Turns out GM faithful didn't care. Next up is the Make, or brand, with the most loyal customers. You'll not be too surprised to hear that Toyota picked up that statue. Then we get to the individual models that have the most loyal customers. You can check out the full list after the jump, but may we just bring to light the fact that the Saturn ION won for being the Small Car with the most loyal clientele, as did the Saturn VUE in the Compact SUV category. Also, the Land Rover Ranger Rover is the Prestige SUV with the most loyal customers, despite that brand's reoccuring quality issues. Most of the others winners are what you'd expect to see on such a list: the Toyota Prius, Ford Mustang, Chevy Corvette, Chrysler Town and Country, Ford F-Series, etc. Still, a few of those names caused a double-take.

FYI: According to Polk, "Loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and purchases or leases another new vehicle of the same model or make."

Thanks for the tip, Oliver!

[Source: R.L. Polk]