A few updates from my dealer on the halos, allotments, and markups

[North]

I reached out to one of the dealers I have a Trailhunter deposit with (that was initially quoting a $5k markup last Spring) today to let him know I had found another dealer that was not charging a markup. He responded with some interesting info: This dealer is no longer charging markups (I did not ask about TRD Pro, but I sort of assume the same there). This dealer was initially charging markups on other Tacos they had on the lot as well. He also said that they were originally expecting to get 2-3 Trailhunters but are now expecting many more will be available to them, like 10. This is a dealership in a small/medium city in Wisconsin, not a major metro area. They have historically only been allotted 2 TRD Pro Tacomas a year, so 10 Trailhunters (again, not sure on TRD Pros) would be a big bump in allotments of halos.

I know a lot of people are discouraged by the pricing, 90% of the comments you read are people flabbergasted at a $65k mid-size truck. However, perhaps a silver lining here is that (based on what this dealer is telling me, anyway) dealers are realizing that people are balking at the price and they wont be able to squeeze them any more than the MSRP and accessories already are. Also, if Toyota is really cranking these things out, which it sounds like they are, there may actually be a chance for guys and gals that haven't had a deposit down for a year to get their hands on one. It's also maybe possible (although I'd guess unlikely, this year anyway) that a few of these could even see discounts, although I'm definitely not suggesting anyone hold out for that if they need a truck this year. This dealer did claim there are a dozen people on their list for a Trailhunter.

I'd encourage people to contact dealers who had previously quoted markups over MSRP and see if now that pricing has been announced they are changing their tunes. I'm also guessing people will be dropping from lists so you may be able to jockey a better position in line, and with these higher production numbers you might be able to get your hands on one sooner than you'd think.

Again, all based on one conversation and some speculation on my part, but I know a lot of people who were excited about these trucks were crushed when pricing was announced. I hope if one of these trucks is what you really want this info can offer a little hope.

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[av8r]

The 3 big dealers here have no deposits taken on TH or Pros. With the pricing released I believe demand for the lower priced trucks will be a little better and the higher trims are going to sit. I don't understand why Toyota thought this strategy would be useful given the state of the economy and predicted used and new vehicle market crash that is likely inbound. I guess time will tell us who is correct.

 

[North]

The 3 big dealers here have no deposits taken on TH or Pros. With the pricing released I believe demand for the lower priced trucks will be a little better and the higher trims are going to sit. I don't understand why Toyota thought this strategy would be useful given the state of the economy and predicted used and new vehicle market crash that is likely inbound. I guess time will tell us who is correct.

I'm surprised that my dealer in a city with a population of 70k people has 12 deposits down on Trailhunters a day after they went live on the configurator but there are still dealers without any. I expect that more orders will start to come in as the general population of people who are not overlanding enthusiasts/Toyota nuts/off-road junkies find out about these trucks. Not everyone understands the concept of putting down a deposit on a truck that isn't even on the manufacturer's website yet. Time will tell. The top trim trucks have never moved a ton of volume. I see about 100 TRD Off Roads for every Pro around here, although maybe that's because I don't live in the desert.

 

[Moundman]

Yeah one of the dealers I've been talking to for a bit said they didn't charge a markup for the Pro or the TH. I messaged him yesterday about the price when it was released. He called today asking me where I saw the price, so I told him. He laughed at me and said every dealer in the area will be charging $75 to $80k for these. I politely told him to eat sand and that I have a deposit with another dealer for MSRP. So Michael Black at Scott Clark Toyota in Charlotte can take a hike.

 

[crepr12]

80K...lmmfao..yeah they are on meth

 

[av8r]

The pro is what I'll buy, but I'm not happy about the cost. Even at dealer cost, which is what I'll pay, it doesn't seem like good value for money. It's a toy for me. Hopefully they'll be incentives for financing otherwise I'll pay cash.

 

[maxx075]

I would be pulling my deposit if they told me they would be charging a markup. I'm not doing business with any dealer that charges a markup.

 

[TacomaTrdPro]

This thread just lit a bulb in my head.

This feels like the whole GPU scalping story a year or two ago. Nvidias gaming cpus prices just keep rocketing each generation.

Toyota is pricing the halos so high because they know there will be a markup and they want in on it.

Dealers are basically scalpers.

I think Toyota priced it just right so that buyers won’t accept markups but still peak interest in high marquee customers. Hopefully people aren’t accepting any markups.

 

[maxx075]

Half of the population are on the left side of the bell curve, and I'm sure that one of those is a Tacoma buyer that will pay markup.

 

[av8r]

Half of the population are on the left side of the bell curve, and I'm sure that one of those is a Tacoma buyer that will pay markup.

I just checked the online inventory thingy from toyota. Within 20 miles of me there are 40 tacomas. 32 are not sold and have been here for at least 2 weeks. Most have been here about 3 weeks. CNY. These same dealers have boatloads of Tundras that they cannot give away. I hope this turns around, but I think Toyota has made a grave error here.

 

[JustPassingBy]

I suspect Toyota plans to produce a lot of the halo Tacomas, along with 4Runners and Land Cruisers that share the platform.

My reasoning goes as follows - There seems to be significant margin built into the new Tacoma pricing, especially on the halos. Toyota seems likely to use those margins to help offset competitive price pressures on their other product lines, particularly entry level and mid-range product lines where they face much stiffer competition in WW markets; especially from the S. Koreans and increasingly China, not forgetting the other Japanese brands.

Time will tell how successful they are but they can start at the current high pricing and introduce financing and/or rebates later if people don't buy the numbers Toyota wants. They might also choose to break down expensive package options like TRD Off Road Upgrade (~$4k) and TRD Off Road Premium (~$8k) into more reasonable price increments that don't cause people to have to buy options they don't want, if too many customers either walk away, or balk at the significant step up in price associated with these bundles.

Tracking days of inventory on Toyota models may give some indications of trends. Toyota has the lowest days of inventory in the industry across their entire range at around 40 days, as of end of 1st quarter. For context, the Toyota dealer network currently has ~6k 2024 Tundras and ~1,600 2024 Tacomas at 60 days or greater. Data from Car Edge.

 

[maxx075]

I suspect Toyota plans to produce a lot of the halo Tacomas, along with 4Runners and Land Cruisers that share the platform.

My reasoning goes as follows - There seems to be significant margin built into the new Tacoma pricing, especially on the halos. Toyota seems likely to use those margins to help offset competitive price pressures on their other product lines, particularly entry level and mid-range product lines where they face much stiffer competition in WW markets; especially from the S. Koreans and increasingly China, not forgetting the other Japanese brands.

Time will tell how successful they are but they can start at the current high pricing and introduce financing and/or rebates later if people don't buy the numbers Toyota wants. They might also choose to break down expensive package options like TRD Off Road Upgrade (~$4k) and TRD Off Road Premium (~$8k) into more reasonable price increments that don't cause people to have to buy options they don't want, if too many customers either walk away, or balk at the significant step up in price associated with these bundles.

Tracking days of inventory on Toyota models may give some indications of trends. Toyota has the lowest days of inventory in the industry across their entire range at around 40 days, as of end of 1st quarter. For context, the Toyota dealer network currently has ~6k 2024 Tundras and ~1,600 2024 Tacomas at 60 days or greater. Data from Car Edge.

Fellow car edge user that negotiated my deal using their info lol

 

[DG_TRDPro]

Hello. I am new to the forum. I placed a deposit on a TRD Pro yesterday.

for what it’s worth. The sales manager promised there would be no mark-ups on the Pro and TrailHunter as they are already optioned out. There is nothing else to add to them other than accessories like racks, refrigerators, compressors and such.

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