Top 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles of 2011

[Jacket]

I specifically didn't include the 79 because I think the US market is saturated with trucks. That's one of the few things the big 3 do well at, and so for fleet/commercial needs I see them owning that market. :shrug:

What about a SWB cruiser (like Wes') to compete more directly with the Jeep crowd?

As far as the 76 goes, most foreign markets have the Fortuner (4Runner) and the Prado, yet Toyota still produces (and sells) the Land Cruiser wagon. What the foreign markets don't have are the Highlander and Sequoia.

 

[black95]

The visibility in the FJC and 5th Gen 4runner are horrible and while they want you to believe they are competitors for that market space they just don;t compare the practicality (SFA) and visibility of a Jeep Rubicon.

I wasn't going to say it because I didn't want to get flogged... But I just have to laugh when they say the FJ Cruiser competes with the wrangler. If you've ever wheeled with a JK there is clearly NO comparison. The stock JK is pretty dang amazing, even without the Rubiqueen package.

So frustrating the options we're offered. The Tacoma has grown way oversized too, and all the auto makers seem to have forgotten the whole purpose of a small pickup is good mileage. Who wants to buy a Tacoma that gets 15 MPG's??? I look at Tacomas now and they remind me of the dimensions of a 90's Chevy truck.

Curious the visibility is bad in the new 4 runner, Haven't ridden in one of those yet. Rode in an FJ Cruiser, and even being 6'4" I could hardly see over that monster dash...

 

[theboomboom]

I specifically didn't include the 79 because I think the US market is saturated with trucks. That's one of the few things the big 3 do well at, and so for fleet/commercial needs I see them owning that market.

This is true, fleet/commercial buyers do have more options than they need to choose from when it comes to full size trucks. But with Ford discontinuing the Ranger and Chevy bringing a new Colorado to the US market, there will not be any true compact pickup for sale in the US. Toyota really ought to consider the gap this leaves in the market. Heck, if an unknown company from India can stir up a ton of buzz by teasing the US market with a compact pickup, think about how receptive the market would be to a quality Toyota compact pickup...

 

[subzali]

The rest of the world was all ULSD probably 10 years before us. Europeans couldn't sell the latest cars here because of it. Just about every modern country was ULSD before us.

Thanks for straightening me out Wes, I shouldn't rely on my memory so much...

 

[DaveInDenver]

The Federal CAFE standards forced the Ranger off the market. The new Ranger with the diesel available in other countries would be high on my list to replace my Hilux. But it did not get good enough mileage and would drag Ford's CAFE rating down. There was no way Ford was going to think of messing with the F150 sales.

I don't think the current Tacoma is too big, it's really not all that much larger than the Hilux and first gen Taco. A few inches here and there. My truck in 1991 was rated to get 20/17 and the equivalent Tacoma (4WD, Access Cab, 4 cylinder, 5 speed) is rated ironically 20/18 but is bigger and more powerful.

I've a couple of times thought a base Tacoma if we won the lottery. We are always knocking elbows on road trips, so the little extra space to me is a selling point.

 

[subzali]

Yeah, at first I didn't like the Tacos because I thought they were too big. But then I think about how it's almost as big as my 1st gen Tundra but has a more fuel efficient V6 that has more hp than my 2UZ, plus I like the looks of the 4 doors, and at that point all I'm waiting for is the price to come down some...

 

[Caribou Sandstorm]

I was at the gas station earlier today and a guy pulled up in a new 200 series.. Holy cow it seems so much smaller then the 100 series.

Then today a guy stopped by to pick up my 4runner rack in a nearly identical 4runner to mine.. I had to sit in it.. I fit in the 4runner like an old favorite shoe compared to the Land Cruiser but I would not trade the LC visibility now for anything except maybe a 70 series wagon..

 

[wesintl]

I specifically didn't include the 79 because I think the US market is saturated with trucks. That's one of the few things the big 3 do well at, and so for fleet/commercial needs I see them owning that market. :shrug:

That probably the perception. The reality is there are companies that use the tundra in the oil fields of texas and else where because it holds up better than the domestics. No surprise there. A 79 would kill in that market just like it does in the mining industry.

 

[sleeoffroad]

Personally I think there are so many external factors involved that Toyota would not even consider it. Imagine the research they have to do and $ spent to lower their average fuel mileage for the vehicles they sell. Now imagine how much that 79 series will drag it down. That alone probably does not make it worth it.

Then there is crash ratings. Watch the news. Seems like every 3 weeks there is another report on some crash testing that the insurance people do to prove what is good and what is not. How would that 70's technology fare in the crash testing and roll-over statistics? Not to talk about traction control they have to add. As well as tire pressure monitoring etc.

Unfortunately it is the demand of society that we have to live in bubbles and anything that can possibly hurt us should be avoided, or better yet develop a system that can avoid all the possible hurt and then mandate it for every car, that is obsoleting old vehicles.

I believe that Toyota would have a much better change by introducing a 25mpg diesel 4Runner & Tacoma. The Hilux in SA gets a rating of 9.7l/100km that is about 23mpg if I worked it out right.

There is also the issue of technician training, dealer support, parts and all the other internal issues with rolling out a new model.