Author Archive for Jason Lancaster
Jason Lancaster is the editor and founder of TundraHeadquarters.com. He has nearly a decade of experience on the retail side of the auto industry, and another decade of experience of the part and accessory side of the industry.
Toyota Closes NUMMI – Get Ready For A Backlash
It’s official – Toyota is going to close NUMMI. Toyota has a list of good reasons for closing the plant – it’s unprofitable, it’s in a bad location, building cars in California is only going to get harder with environmental regulations and increasing taxes, etc. A couple of weeks ago we came up with a list of reasons Toyota wouldn’t close NUMMI (we were wrong).
NUMMI closes 25 years after GM's Roger Smith and Eiji Toyoda created their joint venture.
First and foremost on our list was the PR nightmare that comes with closing a plant. While “nightmare” might be a little over the top, there’s no denying this decision will negatively impact Toyota’s image. Here’s why:
Total Chaos Toyota Tundra Long Travel Suspension Kit
There are a number of people who buy a Toyota Tundra because they want a truck that combines excellent day to day utility and driving comfort with the ability to head off-road on the weekends and have some fun. As with all types of motor sports, after you have been off-road more than a few times you start to get a hankering for some extra performance from your pickup. This can mean picking up bigger tires, installing a lift kit or maybe an additional skid plate to keep things protected down below.
Long travel suspension for 2007 and up Toyota Tundras from Total Chaos
Sometimes, however, you get bitten hard by the rock climbing or desert racing bug and you want to make a more extreme modification to your pickup that will not only help you stand out from the crowd but will also give you a healthy dollop of extra abilities out on the trail. This is where Total Chaos Fabrication steps in.
Toyota Working To Cut Costs, Establish A Hybrid Standard
Since the very first Toyota Prius went on sale in the USA back in 2001, Toyota has been working carefully to establish their hybrid synergy drive as the de facto hybrid standard. Ford and Nissan licensed certain aspects of Toyota’s hybrid systems in 2004 and 2006 respectively, and just last week it was reported that Mazda will begin licensing Toyota’s hybrid technology in the near future.
Toyota works to create a hybrid design standard and cut costs.
It’s also been rumored that Toyota has discussed hybrid technology licensing deals with Subaru and GM. Generally, these moves are viewed with skepticism. On one side, some Toyota fans object to sharing technology. On the other side, jealous auto manufacturers (and their fans) view Toyota’s offer to share as arrogant greed. However, the real reason that Toyota is looking to license their hybrid technology is to cut costs by creating a standard.
Tug-A-Truck Is For Dumb Fools
De gustibus non est disputandum is a latin expression that’s survived nearly 2500 years because it’s very, very wise: It means that “there’s no accounting for taste.” Many motor sports are a question of personal taste. While it has a huge number of fans, there are those out there who have no interest in NASCAR due to its relative lack of road courses. Likewise, IndyCar racing is often passed over by race fans thanks to the perception that it is missing the hardcore, door-to-door racing that is largely impossible due to its open-wheel format.
Tug a Truck is the sport of fools.
There are some types of vehicular competition, however, that would seem to be a universally bad idea – ‘Tug-a-truck’ is a perfect example.
Toyota Tundra vs F150 Video Comparison Kinda Weak
Toyota has published some comparison videos on their ToyotaUSA YouTube channel. While it’s great to see Toyota embracing YouTube, this effort (this F150 vs Tundra video) leaves a lot to be desired.
Check it out:
