[waiseristy]

I think you overestimate this pent up demand. The Santa Cruz sells like shit. The Ridgeline is right there by it

New players don’t come into the US truck market with mini-trucks because they simply don’t sell

[Ancapistani]

Both the Santa Cruz and the Ridgeline are unibody. The 1st gen Tacoma was body-on-frame. HUGE difference.

[waiseristy]

What? How? They have strikingly similar towing and payload. There’s nothing wrong or different about a unibody. It’s actually preferable in a lot of ways for small trucks

[Ancapistani]

Similar towing a payload? A quick search shows a 2017 Ridgeline as having a rated 5,000 pound towing capacity compared to 6,800 for a Toyota Tacoma and 7,700 for a Chevy Colorado. I wouldn’t call that similar. Plus, unless you get the AWD version, it’s front wheel drive! I certainly wouldn’t want to pull a heavy trailer up a hill in the snow with a front wheel drive vehicle.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a unibody - but it is absolutely different. People who buy trucks in the US typical don’t want a unibody vehicle. As a result, the Ridgeline and Santa Fe are seen more as “big cars with an open cargo area” than as trucks.

[waiseristy]

You were talking about the 1st gen tacoma... And now you bring up the 3rd gen...