Toyota Trail Hunter Line up

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper

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Neat idea and all. But, I can't help but wonder if they'll be missing the boat by the time they get to market.

With rising inflation and interest rates, people tightening up their spending, plus with restrictions loosening and camping interest seeming to wane, could it be this would have been a great package.... 2 years ago?
 

chadwicksavage

Adventurer
camping interest is waning? tell me more. I didn't know there were any restrictions left? on travel due to covid? are those the restrictions you're referencing? I mean there's a lot that goes into this - my household income has frankly doubled since the start of the pandemic. It depends what field you're in. I don't think those things you mentioned will play a big role in the success of this endeavor long term and I don't think this is a short term play.
 

nickw

Adventurer

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Neat idea and all. But, I can't help but wonder if they'll be missing the boat by the time they get to market.

With rising inflation and interest rates, people tightening up their spending, plus with restrictions loosening and camping interest seeming to wane, could it be this would have been a great package.... 2 years ago?
100% agree and first thing I thought too...they are late to the game, but that seems to be how Toyota rolls...always conservative. Maybe they know something we don't but my hunch is right there with yours.
 

Tex68w

Beach Bum
From what I understand, this is more of a concept than what they plan to bring to market. I hope that I am wrong, but I don't foresee aftermarket bumpers from the manufacturer making it to a production vehicle and still maintaining their crash safety ratings. And yes, like always, they are late to market, this could have done well had it debuted 2-3 years ago.
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
camping interest is waning? tell me more. I didn't know there were any restrictions left? on travel due to covid? are those the restrictions you're referencing? I mean there's a lot that goes into this - my household income has frankly doubled since the start of the pandemic. It depends what field you're in. I don't think those things you mentioned will play a big role in the success of this endeavor long term and I don't think this is a short term play.
It is here. It was def less crowded this summer compared to a couple years ago. There is now an over abundance of RV's sitting on dealer lots. Where as a couple years ago you had to compete to get your hands on one.

Yes. I am referring to travel restrictions being lifted due to covid.

Household income doubling is only relevant here if you intend on buying something like this.

A lot of people who's income may have double may be using their extra funds to travel commercially, or on a different interest or simply bumping up their investments. Who knows.

I think it's already a small market and I think a lot of people would just build their own rig. There might be a few takers, I just wonder if it would be a high enough number to be sustainable. I think the better play would have been to have these components available a la carte as Toyota Accessories.
 

SDDiver5

Expedition Leader
camping interest is waning? tell me more. I didn't know there were any restrictions left? on travel due to covid? are those the restrictions you're referencing? I mean there's a lot that goes into this - my household income has frankly doubled since the start of the pandemic. It depends what field you're in. I don't think those things you mentioned will play a big role in the success of this endeavor long term and I don't think this is a short term play.
Camping interest for the COVID Campers is waning. The OG pre covid campers will continue to camp.
 

nickw

Adventurer
I think the Toyota die hards are gonna love this.
I'd say the new age diehards....I honestly see some of the older Toyota crew kinda losing interest in Toyota products these days and stepping up to the more interesting domestic options.....especially with the newer rigs like the Bronco's that have a bit of that old school Toyota flair akin to the FJ40's
 

SDDiver5

Expedition Leader
I'd say the new age diehards....I honestly see some of the older Toyota crew kinda losing interest in Toyota products these days and stepping up to the more interesting domestic options.....especially with the newer rigs like the Bronco's that have a bit of that old school Toyota flair akin to the FJ40's
Good point!
 

Tex68w

Beach Bum
I'd say the new age diehards....I honestly see some of the older Toyota crew kinda losing interest in Toyota products these days and stepping up to the more interesting domestic options.....especially with the newer rigs like the Bronco's that have a bit of that old school Toyota flair akin to the FJ40's

This ^
 

chadwicksavage

Adventurer
I think the better play would have been to have these components available a la carte as Toyota Accessories.

That is the plan as I understand it from Scott Brady - https://expeditionportal.com/toyota...ple-overland-vehicles-land-cruisers-and-more/ skip to 4:38 in the video.

And yes Toyota is always late to the market. Sort, Sweep, Straighten, Standardize, Sustain. The Toyota Manufacturing Process that's been adopted across industries is about incremental, sustainable growth. Last for apple carplay, last for 8-10 speed transmissions, last for everything.

While the bronco may have some old school flair, that 5s process that makes sure things are buttoned up ensures that this doesn't happen -> https://www.motor1.com/news/564915/ford-bronco-snow-interior-blizzard/

I don't think this will touch the old toyota guys but the people who put their social media on the side of their truck are going to eat this up. They'll all leave the GXOR facebook group and start a trailhunter facebook group and buy trucks their wallets can't afford to look super cool in the mall parking lot. I think it'll do way better than we think, only time will tell though.
 

Larry72

New member
New kid to the forum/first comments here...I'm an old school Toyota driver. Had a 99 Taco PreRunner, wife drives an 08 4Runner, and I currently have a 11 Rock Warrior Crew Cab that I'm building out. Drove a bunch of Land Cruisers and Hiluxes overseas, mostly in pretty austere areas. I use my RW for camping, hauling surf gear and kids around, and getting into surf spots that most other people can't get to. My personal opinion is that Toyota trucks seem to appeal to two basic groups of people: Those who appreciate the longevity, ability to procure parts anywhere in the world, and solid basic off-road platform to build on that Toyota offers, and those who want a truck that looks good in their driveway. This 100% caught my eye when I saw the ad, because who wouldn't want to have all the stuff we do to our trucks (aftermarket suspension, brakes, exhaust, oversized tires, bumpers with winches, etc) to be covered by a warranty? Smart move by Toyota to (finally) get in on the "actually using your truck for something other than commuting" market. And although I like the older (2007-2013) body style and the V8 engine, the new TRD Pro trucks look pretty ************. But once I started thinking about it, I realized that probably like most people who actually use their trucks, I want what I want/need/have tried out on my truck, not what somebody at Toyota marketing thinks will work well for overland adventures. And I certainly don't feel like trading in a paid-off beast of a truck that has at least ⅔ of it's engine life left in it for something brand new, far more expensive, with a bunch of off-road gear that may look cool, but might not be exactly what I want for my own use. Sure, the idea of buying a built-out overlander with a warranty is attractive, and it's probably decent gear, but let's be honest...the warranty may cover the parts, but could very likely be voided by doing exactly what the trucks are made to do. I'm definitely interested in seeing what this line looks like when it actually makes it to a dealer, but I'm probably going to stick with my (paid off) V8 beast and keep adding in gear that I want, and leave this line to the influencers.
 

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