Toyota builds some of their trucks here and puts a sticker on the back "built here, lives here" or something of that nature. I wonder if I can get something similar for my Mac Pro?
Toyota doesn't even bother trying to market the Tundra outside the Americas, since cowboy cosplay isn't terribly popular abroad, so it makes sense that they are made here.
It's made sense to build Japanese and European cars in the US for a very long time. Honda has had 2 plants in Ohio for at least a couple decades now, and Toyota, BMW, and others have had plants here for a long time too. The US is the world's largest auto market, and US labor rates are lower than Japanese or German labor rates, plus there's a savings when you don't have to ship a 3-5000 pound object across an ocean, so of course it makes sense to build the highest-volume models here where they're bought (especially models that don't sell outside the US).
As for "cowboy cosplay", the Tundra doesn't make much sense elsewhere because gas prices are generally higher in other industrial countries, and in less-wealthy countries with low gas prices (like the middle east) they buy smaller trucks (and wealthy people there don't buy trucks at all), so a large pickup truck obviously isn't going to sell well there. America is just a unique place where 1) gas prices are low, incentivizing buying larger vehicles, and 2) personal wealth is high enough for middle-class people to afford a very large truck, and 3) owning a truck for use as a commuter vehicle (rather than a utilitarian vehicle) is esteemed for some odd reason.
I've owned 4 cars in my life, a crappy 1995 Dodge Neon (May She Rest In Peace), a Jeep Wrangler, an F-150, and a 3-Series BMW. By far the most enjoyable driving experiences were with the Wrangler and F-150 - because of the height of the cab. Sure, the BMW drives "better" and has tighter steering and suspension etc, but sitting at that height gave you a view of the road that not only made me feel safer while driving it also was just more comfortable (I'm tall, 6'3"). I was in the military with those middle two cars, and they obviously had other utility for me than the comfort. It isn't just "cowboy cosplay".
The Wrangler is an utterly terrible vehicle by every measure, except for one, and only one thing: going offroad. For any other use-case, it's the worst pick. It sucks for fuel economy, reliability, value for money (they're expensive), interior quality, stability (wheelbase is too short), towing (again, the wheelbase), comfort, etc.
The truck at least is good at towing and carrying stuff, but how often do you really do that stuff? For most truck owners, almost never; that's why I was talking about using them as commuter vehicles being odd. You don't see this much in other countries, and even for actual work use, they tend to use vans instead of trucks. It's mostly Americans who love trucks (and some middle easterners, who have found Toyota trucks are an inexpensive and reliable platform for mounting a machine gun).
If driving height were really important to you for a commuting vehicle, you'd get an SUV or CUV. Something like a Honda CR-V has ride/seat height along with a much more comfortable cabin for passengers, and a more sensibly-sized engine for good fuel economy, plus an overall smaller size so you aren't hogging parking spaces in lots with smaller spaces.
This is what I was referring to (and what someone else here coined as "cowboy cosplay"): Americans buy vehicles that are entirely ill-suited or excessively large for what they're actually using them for.
> owning a truck for use as a commuter vehicle (rather than a utilitarian vehicle) is esteemed for some odd reason
That seems like an odd way to put it. I drive a truck as a commuter vehicle because I can't afford to own and insure a second vehicle as a 'utility' vehicle, nor can I afford for my only vehicle to be of low utility
Thailand is a huge market for pickup trucks, though more often of the smaller variety. The HiLux is made in Thailand (and exported to places like Australia from there).
I doubt "cowboy cosplay" is a primary driver of pickup sales in the US so much as utility and affordability (the US has wider roads and cheaper fuel than Europe).
I think it's wrong to discount the strong cultural element to the ownership of pickup trucks in the US. Listen to a bit of country music and count the name-drops of pickup truck models, or drive down the road and count the lifted pickups -- there's more than just "utility and affordability" going on here.
A family member is starting the search for a new vehicle and is expressing interest in pick ups. It was surprising at first to me since he hasn't owned a truck in 20+ years, but then I was over while he had his country music on (he started listening to it almost exclusively the last few years) and I noticed how much they talk about trucks and it kind of clicked for me.
Affordability? Have you priced out F-150 sized trucks lately? The F150 starts at $28K, but you won't find one at that price. They typically average closer to $40K. Tundras start at $33K, but they too typically sell at over $40K. And both guzzle gas like it's going out of style.
