They're building products that consumers want, and they're also well-managed, so they don't have any turmoil or anything like that. From a business standpoint, there really isn't much stopping Toyota at this point.
It doesn't seem to me that now is the time to play around with product names.
The incremental sales will come from people who want a pickup for the weekend. I don't think the hard-core pickup buyer is going to abandon Ford, Chevy and Dodge.
The improvements are great, but to change the name on a vehicle that has just came out, I have a lot of concerns about that.
As people live with them and maybe do some math, and if prices stay at the premium stage, you're just going to see sales slow.
I think it's indicative of the market. Consumer Reports has a very high standard for consumer research the gold standard really and for the list of top picks to not have any domestic cars on it really says something.
Whether it will steer people into a GM vehicle is hard to say. It all depends on the cost. People all say they want run-flat tires, but when they find out how much they cost, they do without them.
Young people like big, aggressive trucks. Toyota did a good job of making the Tundra stylish without being feminine.
This is definitely stronger than we expected. Maybe consumers feel like it's a good time to buy since interest rates are only going to get higher.
Sometimes you say a new year can bring a clean slate and refreshment, but that's not the case for 2006. 2005 was a tough year, and 2006 will be another tough year. In the U.S. market, I don't see a let-up of the pressure on GM and Ford from the Asian car makers.
