Gecko, please let this reply be as this is very relevant to the Tundra.
And the SRT brand was just disbanded by Stellantis. The fact a brand with such a high carbon footprint could last so long and have so much popularity is a shame to the American auto industry. Ford and GM are transforming their image to be more eco-conscious while FCA had close to zero investment on more efficient ICE and electrification technology, and it will bite them in the very near future. The RAM TRX and Wranger 392 are very irresponsible products released to irresponsible consumers; at some point people need to change their consumption habits. What FCA has been doing before should not be encouraged.
What a strange, strange post. What exactly are you getting at here?
- First, yes SRT was disbanded
but Stellantis also said high performance vehicles with high performance engines are absolutely not going away for Stellantis. So either SRT will be resurrected or they will simply be branded something else. This really doesn't mean much overall.
- A shame to the American auto industry? Are you kidding? According to your logic, is it a 'shame' then that GM and Ford also offer a variety of V8 engines still? Is it a 'shame' that Toyota still offers V8 engines? What about all of the grey market vehicles with V8 engines that China allows into their country? Do you think that is also a 'shame'? By offering V8s, Stellantis has simply been making what North American customers want (instead of compliance or emission specials that other automakers are overly focused on). V8 engines (and large, powerful engines in general) have been a part of North American culture for over 100 years.
- Stellantis already has hybrids on the market, and is working on a future electrification strategy. There simply isn't much worldwide demand for EVs. Currently, EVs are mostly hype driven by politicians and various private special interests like venture capitalists. EVs are nowhere close to being suitable for most average consumers in many markets. Stellantis knows this, as does Toyota (among other automakers). Toyota has been more focused on hybrids and hydrogen, and only recently has increased its focus on EVs a little bit mainly for future coming government compliance reasons.
- Ford, as in the same Ford that introduced a
7.3L V8 engine for trucks in 2019 and is strongly rumored to be developing another new V8 engine of 6.8L displacement? Also is this the same Ford we're taking about that's due to introduce a V8-powered Ford Raptor R within the next year or so? Not sure what image you're taking about, but the reality is that Ford of America is still
heavily focused on V8 engines. Is that also a 'shame' to you?
- Speaking of carbon footprints, currently the entire life cycle (from mining raw materials to production) of EV batteries and electric motors requires a very high carbon footprint. Are you going to talk about that, or is that given a free pass just because it's EV technology? What about the difficulty of recycling EV batteries? That is looking as a likely future environmental catastrophe, just like the plastics recycling lie that the oil and gas industries came up with and the world is now suffering with.
- You cannot force consumer change in North America overnight. If you think it's "irresponsible" to be catering to consumers, then you know very little about business and you're going to be in for a shock especially with regards to the North American market. If the Biden administration or any other administrations try to ban V8 engines or internal combustion engines overnight, there's going to be a huge consumer backlash in North America. New vehicle sales will drop, and used vehicle prices will greatly increase in price. Consumers will simply keep their used vehicles longer. If any administration is then foolish enough to take used internal combustion vehicles off the road, that will have huge political and social consequences in terms of voter anger.
- The fact is, EVs are nowhere close to being suitable for most average consumers in the auto market. In some cases, like extreme heavy duty scenarios or extreme off-roading, EVs will likely never be suitable for that. Hydrogen is also not mature enough yet to replace internal combustion engines. Various governments that are in a state of hysteria with pushing EVs need to be very careful in certain countries, as this enthusiastic EV push by governments could easily cause huge voter backlash in different parts of the world.
- It's also ironic that you made this post, given you've previously praised different V8-powered vehicles that you've driven.
Overall your post is hypocritical at best, and at worst it shows a complete lack of understanding of the North American auto market.
At the end of the day it comes down to who is making bank. Big V8s with torque and power is nothing new in North America trucks and I don't think it will stop anytime soon. However that hasn't stop Toyota from being competitive in the truck market obviously torque and power is not everything to the consumers in this market.
Interesting you say that because for many years now Toyota has left money on the table here. Toyota could be making
a lot more money in North America if they still offered a V6 in the Rav4, a V8 in the 4Runner and Tacoma, etc. If Toyota had the courage to enter the heavy duty truck market in North America with a heavy duty Tundra, then they also would have been making A LOT more money than they are now.
So I kind of disagree here. At the end of the day, it comes down to Toyota's ego or pride, strange internal disagreements, and likely some political considerations of why Toyota has left money on the table here. The Tacoma is very competitive in terms of market share yes, but the Tundra has never been considered a major player in the North American truck segment marketshare-wise.
Toyota as recently as a couple of years ago was complaining that their North American operations were losing money at one point. Really makes you wonder doesn't it?
Does that mean we're getting an electric Tundra?
PLANO, Texas (April 18, 2021) – Toyota envisions a future in which carbon neutrality is achieved through the practical marketization of a portfolio of products with advanced, alternative-fuel and zero-emission powertrain technologies. Already a leader in electrification, the company took a major...
pressroom.toyota.com
An important clarification. In Toyota terminology, electrification does NOT simply mean EVs. It could mean hybrid, hydrogen, or EV technology.
