Toyota Racing Development, Toyota’s branch that manufactures aftermarket performance accessories, has announced that it will be manufacturing a performance package that will be available in stock versions of the Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, and 4Runner. TRD states that these vehicles will be completely off-road ready.
This is big news to Ford, who have for the most part been the only OEM in the off-road capable truck segment of the industry. Their Raptor has been hailed as a truck that can take anything conditions it is put in, a statement that for the most part is very true.
The new TRD Pro vehicles will be equipped with many features not standard in any of the previous stock version of their respective vehicles. As reported by AutoNews the new features include:
— Bilstein monotube shocks with remote reservoirs add 1 to 2 inches of wheel travel, depending on the vehicle. The shocks’ 60-millimeter pistons are substantially larger than the stock units, providing better damping capabilities.
— Dual cat-back exhaust systems provide up to an additional 10 hp and a throatier exhaust note, just on the border of the 95-decibel legal limit.
— Higher ride-height Eibach front springs add 1 to 2 inches of ground clearance, depending on the vehicle, and smoother off-road response.
— Larger alloy wheels, some with knobbier tires for off-road use.
Pricing for the vehicles with this package have not been announced, but are stated to be available soon. One thing is for sure; Ford will have its eyes peeled for this announcement. The 2014 Ford SVT Raptor has a base price of nearly $45,000. If Toyota can offer a lower price for their TRD Pro vehicles, this is sure to undermine Ford’s market share in the performance truck market. It will be interesting to see if a price war will emerge from this new player in the market and if this will spur other OEMs to begin their own models of these vehicles.
Source: http://www.autonews.com/article/20140511/OEM03/305129969/toyotas-trd-pro-editions-will-be-ready-for-off-roading
The only way I can see the new Toyota truck competing with the Raptor is if it offers extremely different/new add on features that the Raptor does not possess. Also, the pricing will play a huge role in how the vehicle sells. If it becomes more cost effective for farmers or other businesses who use the Raptor for purposes that coincide their work, I can see a lot of businessmen switching to the new Toyota truck to cut costs. Also, it’ll be interesting to see how the two trucks compare on fuel economy. If the Toyota truck is much more fuel efficient then the Raptor it could definitely be a higher seller as consumers look to save money on gasoline as well as the average consumer being more environmentally conscious.
I agree with Peter I think it will take a lot for the Toyota trucks to outsell the Raptor, largely depending on fuel economy and pricing. However, the Toyota has definitely stepped up their truck game and will no doubt affect the market share of Ford.
It may also be difficult for consumers to switch to a Toyota truck after many years of being a Ford supporter.
I think it might be easier for Toyota to gain market share than you think. I’m not personally involved with trucks and off-roading much, but almost everybody I know who is say that they prefer standard Toyota trucks for their high quality parts and durability. I would not be surprised to see truck junkies show a lot of excitement about a toyota actually built to go off road.
I honestly do not see this vehicle posing much of a threat to the market share of Ford’s SVT Raptor. I say this for several reasons one of them being the customer loyalty that Ford maintains, the other being that these vehicles are in a very niche market and I do not see Toyota being able to outdo Ford. Also, these cars are for very specific uses and for the most part if the SVT can’t do it then there may be a need for an entirely different sector or vehicle type. I eagerly await the publics response to this new development from Toyota, but personally I do not see it having a stellar opening.
I have also heard about the quality concerns for Ford. Look at the consumer reports reliability ratings, Toyota is the second out of 28. And Ford is the 26th. The Tundra might not perform as great as the Raptor, it will be a more reliable choice however.
Take CR quality reports with a grain of salt – they are not based on a random sample.