trucks abroad

manzanoj · July 23, 2006

Hola! For the past two months I've been studying abroad in the Dominican Republic. I've seen a lot of trucks I've never seen in the US, for example the Toyota Hilux. How come I don't see these in the US? It looks like a kick ass truck.

Jason

R Dogg 56 · July 24, 2006

My guess is that the market or public need for trucks like the Hilux is so small that the cost of getting them here cannot be justified. But it has worked for cars like the GTO, which is a cousin of the Holden Monaro from Australia. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I would love to see the return of the El Camino (based off the Holden Ute) or the 2-door K5 Blazer/Jimmy. But I doubt that the majority of the public would want to get them back.

Tucson_02Silverado · July 24, 2006

The HiLux is the Tacoma in the US, but the styling is different for the "local" market.

The manufacturers sometimes use different names for an identical looking model in different countries. Name appeal is a big marketing element.

Cheverloet Nova in the US sounds okay......Nova in Spanish?

Body styles vary greatly as well. The four door p'up didn't really become popular in the US til about 4 years ago. Whereas South America and Africa had the four door Toyotas and even the 4 door Chev S10 long before being marketed in the US.