Archive for December, 2008
Is Toyota Wrong To Cancel All Executive Bonuses?
Few automakers are managed as carefully and thoughtfully as Toyota Motor Company – after all, Toyota didn’t become the world’s largest and most profitable car company by making bad decisions. This year, astronomical gas prices followed by a global financial crisis have conspired to make 2008 one of the worst years ever for the global auto market (especially the US market).
Sunday, Toyota announced a decision to eliminate all executive bonuses for the current year. While this decision will save Toyota more than 1 billion yen (about $11 million dollars), it’s not really about cutting costs. The truth is that $11 million is a drop in the bucket for a company of Toyota’s size – paying out these bonuses (or not paying them) will have a nearly insignificant impact on the bottom line.
Many companies, faced with the realization that executive bonuses won’t amount to much, would likely pay them out anyways. After all, Toyota is losing $1.1 billion in the last half of the year, so what’s another $11 million? Many would argue that Toyota executives don’t deserve to lose their bonuses – they’ve done nothing wrong. Why should anyone, executive or otherwise, lose his or her bonus due to circumstances beyond their control?
Popularity: 1%
2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year
It’s that time of year when we look back on all the great Toyota Tundra news and events of 2008 and get excited about what’s to come. There’s no better place to start here on Tundra Headquarters than with one of our most loved sports: angling.
Kevin VanDam claimed the 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title again this year for the fourth straight year.
This program looks at those anglers who fish during the Elite Series season and awards those that work hard at their sport. The winner of each event in the Elite Series is awarded a certain number of points based on how they finish. Then, in August at the Champions Choice angling competition, those points are totaled and the award is assigned.
The 2008 Champions Choice event was held in Syracuse, New York, on Lake Oneida.
To see participating anglers, point totals and other event details visit ESPN’s Toyota Tundra Bassmaster’s Angler of the Year site.
Toyota does quite a bit to sponsor and promote the sport of fishing. In fact, Tundra Headquarters wrote about its Toyota Trucks Bonus Bucks program early in 08′ and we anticipate more angler events in 2009. Visit Toyota’s very own Fishing site for details.
Popularity: 2%
New Coil-Over Tundra Lift Kit From ToyTec
ToyTec lift kits recently announced a brand-new coil-over lift kit for the Tundra. Here are the highlights:
Popularity: 8%
Low Range Off-Road Updates Tundra 3″ Lift Kit
A few months ago we reviewed a Tundra lift kit offered by Low Range Off-Road, and we gave it very high marks. The Low Range kit is made using rust-proof, light weight CNC machined aluminum (far superior to powder-coated steel kits offered by many others), the instructions are excellent (the best we’ve ever seen), and the design is well conceived. Unlike many kit manufacturers, Low Range took the extra steps (using metric bolts just like Toyota does, maching a very slight 3.5 degree taper on the rear blocks, etc.) to make this kit stand out.
In fact, we recommend the Low Range kit right alongside the Tundra lift kit from ToyTec. The only difference between the two kits is their basic design – ToyTec favors an in-coil spacer lift design, and Low Range favors an above-coil lift design.
Low Range recently made a couple of updates to their lift kit for the 2007-and-up Tundra, further demonstrating their commitment to providing a top-notch kit. Here’s what they’ve done:
Popularity: 7%
Toyota Tundra Bed Bounce Data Indicates Shocks To Blame
Many 2007 and up Toyota Tundra owners have experienced something we like to call “bed bounce.” Our best post on the subject explains the Toyota Tundra bed bounce problem quite well, and you can read about a couple of suggested fixes for bed bounce – “possible bed bounce cure” and the “Willybar Bed Bounce treatment“.
Still, the fact is that neither of the above fixes is ideal or 100% effective. The truck shouldn’t have this issue in the first place. We’re disappointed that Toyota hasn’t fixed this issue to date, but perhaps the trouble is the fix isn’t that easy. In the interests of generating a bed bounce fix, and helping Tundra owners nationwide get Toyota’s attention on this issue, we’ve been talking about this problem for a while now.
One of our readers, Jeff, works for a company specializing in measuring and analyzing frequency data. In a previous career, Jeff worked as an engineer with a Nascar team. Between all of his knowledge and experience, Jeff (a Tundra owner who has experienced bed bounce first hand) decided to measure the difference in suspension response between his old 2003 Tundra and his new 2008. Here are some graphs of the results and some conclusions:
Popularity: 9%
