Chevy Targets Toyota Tacoma Sales in California

Recently a GM executive was quoted as saying that there are several key cities around the world where GM needs to do well and revitalize its brand. These cities include Los Angeles, CA, a region dominated by the Toyota Tacoma.

Now that GM has a more centralized product line, it is looking for the new Chevy Colorado to go head to head with the Tacoma. This new model is based on its high-selling version in Thailand, the world’s largest compact truck market.

According to numbers released in September, the Tacoma is currently ranked 12 in vehicles sold in California. It is then no surprise that Chevy is reintroducing its small pickup into that market.

The Detroit Free Press quoted Joel Ewanick, GM vice president and global chief marketing officer as saying “We need to do better in these cities. If we sell well in them, we’ll sell well in their surrounding areas.”

There is a lot of room to improve for so-called “domestic” car manufacturers in California. In the third quarter, GM, Ford and Chrysler Group combined for 27.8 percent of the market share. While the other so-called “foreign” car manufacturers (Toyota, Honda, etc.) dominate the rest of the market. It should be noted that the Toyota Tacoma is manufactured in San Antonio, TX.

The Colorado faces tough competition since the Tacoma is consistently named a EPA Best Fuel Economy Top Pick and Kelley Blue Book says it has a high resale value. It remains to be seen if Chevy can overcome its poor sales and engage a changing costumer base.

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