The 2016 Toyota Tacoma officially came out to the dealerships in the US late in August and based on its sales over the last two months, it has obviously fortified the brand’s hold as the No. 1 selling mid-size pickup truck in America.
According to Torque News, Toyota has sold 15,232 Tacomas last month, 86% of which are 2016 models and the remaining 14% are 2015 variants. The brand’s sales figure is actually double that of the second-running Chevrolet Colorado which sold 7,060 units in October.
Toyota’s sales for the Tacoma in October this year is actually 17% higher compared to the same month last year.
Pickup enthusiasts and experts believe that Toyota’s advantage over Chevrolet on the pickup truck market is its much stronger buyer preference. However, it is possible also that it could be because Toyota had the foresight to plan for the production of the 2016 Tacoma to meet the market demand better than GM did for its 2016 Chevrolet Colorado.
Reports have it that GM is now looking for a location where it can add production capacity for its Colorado and Canyon pickup trucks. The Canyon sold 2,416 units in October this year. Even if it combines its sales with the Colorado, the total is more than 33% short when matched up against the sales of the Tacoma in the same month.
Running third in the pickup truck sales in the US is the Nissan Frontier, which sold a respectable 4,765 units in October, which is a 28% decline from its sales figure in the same month last year.
Apparently, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma and the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado had something to do with the drop in the sales of the Nissan Frontier.
Major savings from a hidden package
There is a hidden package being offered to consumers for the 2016 Toyota Tacoma which would enable them to get as much as $1,700 off on the retail price of the base model of the pickup truck, reports Your Single Source for News.
The base model of the 2016 Toyota Tacoma is currently being retailed for $23,000, but there is actually another model which comes with a utility package. That model is the least bare bone version of the Tacoma, which can be used to simply deliver goods from one place to another.
This utility package is being sold for $21,585, which is $1,715 cheaper than the base variant of the 2016 Toyota Tacoma.
However, Toyota is reportedly keeping such version of the Tacoma out for mainstream pickup truck enthusiasts, lest it eats up on the sales of the other variants of the brand.
Accordingly, the utility package is the base model minus some more basic features including seat belts, cup holder, and headrests. In other words, the price cut is actually commensurate to the accessories or features that would be removed as well. So if consumers are really tight on the budget, they can opt for this hidden package.
Car-like features
When the interiors of the 2016 Toyota Tacoma was featured at the New York International Auto Show early this year, pickup truck enthusiasts were impressed with its car-like features and the great amount of technology that it has taken on for its infotainment system.
Everybody knows that in North America, a pickup truck is always an ideal work vehicle. Very seldom that it is being used as a city vehicle to go to work or do personal and official errands with.
Toyota already has the Tundra to compete with the big-name pickup truck makers in the full-size pickup truck category and the Tacoma is its bet in the mid-size segment, even though it is actually smaller compared to other entries of other carmakers in the category.
American have been so used to seeing today’s pickup trucks going bigger and meaner, but Toyota deviated from the norm by launching the 2016 Tacoma, some 10 years after it rolled out the last iteration of the brand in 2005.