[SUPERBADD75]

well yeah, thats the slogan, but "chevy ,god and texas" are the lyrics in the theme music. my mistake. or am i hearing it wrong?

i'm pretty sure you're hearing it wrong, but i have a few other things to address here.

mr smith who wrote the article drives an s-10 and is not a "car guy" as would be required of automotive journalists. he has no idea what the FULLSIZE market is about in texas. i do, i've lived it and breathed it since i was 5 years old when i first got to steer a ford f series in the driveway. the texas fullsize truck owner is unlike that of the east coast that he mentions. they could give a fk about DOHC in fact thats probably a negative thing being that its probably more expensive to fix. they want their trucks ruggid, american and able to roll over civics. in texas the fullsize truck had mutiple uses, work, family, play.. and ford/dodge/chevy/gmc trucks hold a place of honor here in texas that cant be taken away easily with pretty chrome and and carlike interior that sissy boys use for antiquing and to get attention at starbucks.

let me just say this to you, sir. you are the type of person that makes all Texans look like ridiculous hicks! people from across the country already think that Texans are all a bunch of freaking goat ranchers or something, and that we all wear 10 gallon hats and stupid cowboy boots. i myself have owned a few trucks, and yeah, 3 out of 4 of them were domestics. the fact is a truck is a truck. a frame, a body, and an engine. nothing special, they just have to work hard. consider this.... Toyota and Nissan, who is also selling a full size, have sat back and watched what the big 3 have done for years, checking out their game, and observing the very profitable market of full size trucks from afar. Toyota had even tried once before, with the failed T-100. the difference is they have a gameplan now. they have studied American trucks, and they know what the U.S. market wants. Nissan's new Titan looks like a real domestic fighter, and the Tundra is a very nice truck as well. not everyone needs a 1-ton dually pickup with 4WD. some people need something to tow that weekend toy, or haul mulch and plants around with, and these trucks will do very well for that. however, they will also do somewhat heavy duty work as well. the Nissan, more than the Tundra, but they are both well designed, well built trucks, and they deserve respect. they will certaily get consideration by some of the not-so-country people who need pickups. they're good vehicles. don't be so closed minded and realize that the foreign companies who brought us better cars are also very capable of bringing us better trucks, too. they've done their homework...

 

[SUPERBADD75]

okay, impala, i wasn't trying to belittle you, because it's not necessary. i just think you make too much of an emphasis on Texans and their trucks this, and Texans grew up with trucks... blah blah blah.

the fact is that in today's truck market, for one, there are lots of new people buying trucks for the first time, and regardless of what you or anyone else grew up with as far as pickups go, the market is brand new, and wide open to them.

another fact is that people may tend to be brand loyal, and that has serious potential to hurt the big 3, (or 2 now, i guess. i don't know.... is Chrysler still considered one of the players? probably not... big 2) as there are a lot of Camry owners out there, many potentially needing trucks. same with Maxima, or Altima owners. there is finally a real choice in Japanese full size trucks. like i said in the last post, the Japanese make really good cars, U.S. automakers better look out for their trucks, too. i never said they would take down the domestics, but i bet they'll take a nice piece of the market away.

okay, now let's tackle some issues here.....

1. ford/dodge/chevy/gmc have a long history and a faithfull following that will be difficult to steal market from.

the faithful following is fine, but as i said before, it's not all about faithful repeat customers. some of it is about bringing in the new customers, and proving that your product is well built, tough, reliable, and most importantly to many, competitively priced. the foreigners have done very well in these categories.

2. lack of engine choices, mutiple wheel bases/cab configerations, and fleet vehicles leaves the foreign competitors with a major disadvantage.

with the Tundra there are 2 engine choices; a V6 and a V8. this will suit most people looking for a truck. you don't need a myriad of choices in engines, it's not brain surgery. do you just want a nice truck to pick up landscaping supplies? a V6 will do plenty well. need to tow a boat or some jet skis... the V8 is the best choice. the Titan, on the other hand, just offers one engine, but it's a good one. a 305 horse, 379 lb. ft. V8. that should handle most tasks quite handily.... especially when it'll tow 9,500 lbs.

as far as cab configurations go, the Japanese trucks offer extended cab, and crew cab configurations. these are the most popular, and why offer a regular cab truck when it's not popular?

3.styling of the foreign competitors isn't to the tastes of MOST texans, as can be proven with what most think of as a dull styled f150 that still is leading sales with its rugged personality. and as you said about the competition,"they will certainly get consideration by SOME", but that small market share isn't going to put the big 3 againts the ropes by any means. maybe someday, but that is in the distant future and i think the big 3 have learned their lesson with cars about not keeping up with market demands.

well, in that statement, you kind of made a point, and then countered it. it seems like you said that the styling is bad and will keep sales down, but the F-150's bad styling doesn't hold its sales back. huh? correct me if i'm wrong, but that's how it reads... i will, however, give my 2 cents on that, too. the Tundra, to me looks a lot like the last gen F-150, which was the best selling truck in the world. hmm... not to the tastes of most Texans? most Texans, including myself, liked the last F-150.

the Titan, although somewhat controversial, is a nice looking truck, and the interior is nicely styled as well, and somewhat carlike. people today buying trucks aren't like the farmers and laborers of the old days, they want something they can use for working, and something they can be comfortable driving everyday, all in the same single vehicle. look at the new F-150, and then look at the competition. it's moving toward a more carlike interior, and the Titan has a few similarities to the new F-150 inside. styling is, of course, a subjective thing, and everyone's taste is different. i don't think that any one person can say that styling is going to turn people away if they like the rest of the truck. people hated the current 7 Series Bimmer when it first hit, but it's selling pretty well.

i think overall that the Japanese brands are moving toward the current (and future) truck market, and i'm not saying that the Tundra or Titan are going to knock the domestics down, but i think they'd better keep their eyes open, because they're up against the toughest competition they've ever had... the Japanese trucks are actually pretty good.

 

[SUPERBADD75]

im going to let you jabber on with your insults, it just shows how petty you are.

where did i insult you, in either of my posts? i swear, you really need to be less sensitive. i'm not being ugly here.....

as for engines and cab configurations. lots of people still buy single cabs, people on a budget, as well as fleets/commercial vehicles... for example: tow trucks, delivery trucks, are almost always in single cabs, they are hauling things, not people.

back to engines, i said it before, titan needs a v6 (in single cab) to be able to offer something around 18k-20k. they also need diesel for industrial use.

these trucks are obviously not trying to tie up the market, they want the high end of it. that is why they offer only 2 cabs and limited engine choices. besides, some people like simplicity. for people on a true budget, both companies sell very nice, very capable midsize trucks, and Nissan's Frontier is actually about to grow to the size of a Dakota. as far as commercial uses, once again, they don't want the whole market, just a nice little slice of it.

as far as a diesel goes, what full size, half ton pickup has a diesel? i know not DCX or Ford.... does GM? honestly,i don't know, and i'm not trying to offend you, but i don't think they do either. the Titan and Tundra are both half ton trucks, and they don't need a diesel to compete in that marketplace.

 

[SUPERBADD75]

ford/dodge/gmc all have heady duty or super duty versions of their trucks with 4x4 and diesel engines. maybe its a different segment of the market, but its still means they offer something nissan/toyota dont.

that is why i specified the half-ton models. the Toyota and Nissan are not going after the HD trucks, they are going for the higher sales of the light duty. you are right, the heavy duty crowd will never consider the Japanese brands. who knows, though, if the current ones do well, they just may build HDs as well.

by the way, i'm not saying that i am going to buy a Japanese truck.... my next truck will be a domestic for sure, but don't pass the Japanese ones off as a minor threat. they may prove to be tough competition.