Author Archive for Tim Esterdahl
Associate Editor Tim Esterdahl is a married father of three who enjoys all things automotive including wrenching on his collection of old pickups. He also plays an absurd amount of golf. Like really absurd.
2014 Denver Auto Show Recap – Tundra Frame Changes?
I was recently at the 2014 Denver Auto show for the media days. Between eating and drinking too much, I learned a few things. Here is a recap.
I found this Tundra TRD PRO sitting next to the Tacoma and 4Runner. What’s interesting is this truck is the same one used in the videos and it is the same one which was unveiled in Chicago. Apparently, there really is only one Tundra TRD PRO in the world. I climbed underneath and you could see all the dirt and how much Toyota has beat this truck up testing it. I hear the testing period is over and they are making final adjustments before it goes to production. Look for it in the fall.
Toyota Manufacturing Reverses Course – More Humans, Less Robots
The big news from Toyota manufacturing lately is a pretty radical change in philosophy. Instead of adding more robots and pumping up production, Toyota says it wants to reduce the number of robots it uses and add more humans.
Why would they do this? They want to improve their product quality – profits be damned.
Toyota is rethinking its production and may use less robots.
Toyota Tundra Tops NADA Guides Best Retained Value List – Low Sales?
The National Automotive Dealers Association has published a report stating the Toyota Tundra has the best retained value among full-size trucks. NADA claims this is because of low sales. Are you buying that?
The Toyota Tundra tops the NADA guide for the best retained value. While that is great, the reason NADA gives is not. Photo Courtesy of Aaron Turpen.
2014 Lexus IS 350 Review – No F SPORT, No Problem
Our latest trip through the Lexus IS lineup is the base 350 model. While this model lacks to the F SPORT performance package, it doesn’t disappoint. During the week I spent driving it, one thought kept going through my mind. Is the F SPORT package worth it?
The Lexus IS 350 is really sharp looking.
March 2014 Truck Sales Figures – Big Month for Tundra
The sales figures are in for March and the Tundra continues to sell well. With the Tacoma slipping a bit, Toyota has to be pretty happy with the Tundra’s sales increase.
The Toyota Tundra had a good month in March with a large increase in sales.
