NEW TOYOTA TRUCK

North_by_Northwest · February 2, 2003

UPDATED FEBRUARY 1, 2003 8:06 PM ET

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Toyota to Reach New Foriegn Market

By AARON CLIPBOARD

Staff reporter

Toyota announced the release of a new four-wheel drive pickup truck late yesterday morning. The new truck, an offshoot of the popular Tacoma line, will only be available in the countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and North Korea. Toyota is marketing the new model as a response to the Afghan war, in which Toyota trucks were featured hauling troops and supplies for Al Queda forces.

The new Terror ISM can carry as many as eight passengers in its military grade bed.

The truck, dubbed the Terror will be available in two distinct packages. The IST package will include an I-Force V8 engine and a standard cab and truck bed. The ISM package is also based around the I-Force V8 engine but offers a standard cab with military side bench seating in the bed. A popular option available with both models is a roof mounted .50 caliber machine gun.

Toyota trucks are valued in remote parts of the world for their durability and long life, Afghan leaders were quick to recognize this and have been major consumers of Toyota vehicles since the early 1990s. The new Terror models are, in part, a response to faithful brand consumership from the Afghans.

"We don't see Toyotas getting used like this in America," said Yosukia Haramoto, Marketing CEO of Toyota's Middle East Block, "in the U.S. a truck might go two-hundred thousand miles without a problem, in Afghanistan and other terrorist nations they're ordering new trucks every other year."

Haramoto explained that the volume of four-wheel drive trucks shipped to Afghanistan and Pakistan increased sharply after the Gulf War. Toyota sales in the region responded well to the preparations for terrorist activity. The corporation hopes that sales in Iraq and North Korea will pick up due to the fact that they are similar markets.

Photos such as this, from the Afghan war, prompted Toyota engineers to develop a truck more suitable to the rigors of terrorism.

Toyotas team of engineers was introduced to the problem of transportation in Afghanistan on a one month research and development retreat. According to Haramoto, they quickly discovered that the trucks already in the region were often heavily loaded when carrying troops and weapons, making escape from U.S. forces more difficult. The team went to work quickly, adapting Toyota's new I-Force V8 to the more nimble Tacoma platform. Expanded seating and weapons options came second in the Terror upgrade. A paint shade of gray that reflects a minimal amount of light and blends in well with most Afghan territory was chosen, the shade is also known for its lack of visibility from the air. In the final production models the radios were removed and Afghan print cloth seating was made available. Afghan forces were immediately pleased with the result. Haramoto is confident that the new Terror will be "Toyota's big seller number one" in remote parts of Afghanistan, and will quickly beat out the competition in the other "Axis of Evil" countries it is being offered in.

All Terror models will feature an interior based around traditional Afghan prints and materials.

It is unlikely that the Terror will be seen on America's car lots; Toyota has no plans to market the vehicle on U.S. soil. The Terror may see competition from the United States however, as both Ford and GM are currently developing their own terrorist edition trucks for export.

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glacierdog · February 2, 2003

Optional .50 cal?? I'll take one. It'll make moving down I-5 a heck of a lot more fun.

Scott_J · February 2, 2003

Hell, Glacierdog, since I have one already all we have to do is retro it. I also want to be able to spray oil out the back to discourage tailgaters the chewing tobacco just does not cut here in the rain.