Keep on Trucking: Toyota Tacoma Sales Strong During Pandemic
Even during a time of historic uncertainty, the Toyota Tacoma still shines a sure bet for buyers.
The market for vehicles has certainly been different during the COVID-19 crisis, but like always, there are winners and losers when it comes to sales. At this point, it’s clear that the venerable Toyota Tacoma, while not the newest, most-advanced, or even cheapest option on the market, has proven an attractive bet during these dark times.
Given the uncertainly facing the world on so many levels, the Toyota’s legendary reliability likely sounds like automotive comfort food to buyers, and Bloomberg has just published a piece highlighting the impressive sales performance over the last few months:
Even in the middle of a pandemic, there’s one model that auto dealer Crown Toyota in Ontario, California, can’t keep on the lot: the Tacoma pickup. With just a 10-day supply of the truck — in an industry where 60 days is considered ideal — most are already sold before they’re unloaded from the car hauler.
That’s a problem that any automaker would love to have, but it’s important to note that the lack of supply is still a problem. Profound, necessary concern about how to keep workers safe and plant opperating have been a problem for every company. And for all of its production expertise, Toyota is no exception.
There’s lots of fun background information on the Tacoma and its market impact in the piece, even if it’s going to be mostly common knowledge to YotaTech members. But I appreciated the section about the Tundra’s trouble getting a toehold in the full-size market.
Obviously, this is an extremely tough segment to break into, and the only real arena where products from the Big Three still reign supreme. Nissan couldn’t even crack that nut when it dropped a Cummins diesel into the Titan, a move that I was sure would move some numbers. But as you might have noticed? The diesel Titan isn’t really a thing anymore.
Somehow, I’m going to guess that to Toyota Tacoma fans here on the forum, that the fact that this rugged reliable rig has proven popular during a pandemic isn’t a huge surprise. And on that note, more than a few members have certainly scored a new Taco.
So I’d like to know what your experience at the dealer was like. Were you able to get anything off MSRP? Were you able to get the color you wanted? All the options? If you’ve got a great or not-so-great tale to tell about buying an in-demand, high-dollar product during a global health crisis, shoot me a message! I’d love to share your experiences here on the blog!
Photos: Toyota