Its Alive! Reports of the death of Toyota Racing Development were greatly exaggerated
11-17-05, 06:51 AM
#1
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
It's Alive ! Reports of the death of Toyota Racing Development greatly exaggerated
MARK VAUGHN
Posted Date: 11/17/05
What happened to TRD? Wasn’t it only three years ago that Toyota Racing Development was making bold moves into the aftermarket, expanding beyond its staple of fully warrantied superchargers for cars and trucks with the introduction of Kazuma race parts and a full line of L-Tuned Lexus products?
Then… nothing.
It seems making non-warrantied parts was deemed a bit beyond the Toyota ideology; finding a distribution channel was also tough. And when the TRD-authorized Toyota dealers found out they were being cut out of some business they said, “Hey, what about us?” On top of that, parts development was way behind product introductions, since TRD was never allowed advanced information about coming vehicles.
So in June 2003, TRD became a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., specifically part of the Corporate Accessory Department at TMS. That gave TRD access to better resources for engineering, distribution and sales. You can now get your TRD parts delivered overnight to your local Toyota dealer, for instance. TRD engineers have early access to coming products, too, meaning TRD parts will soon be available at the same time as a particular vehicle launches. And everything TRD sells now comes with a factory warranty.
Will this mean the dumbing down of TRD? It doesn’t appear so. The division still makes race engines for the Indy Racing League, Craftsman Truck, Grand-Am, Championship Off-Road Racing and import drag racing, and offers support for SCCA club racing. So it’s still a racing performance business at heart. And the 400-hp TRD Tacoma Concept Truck on the Toyota stand at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas bodes well for the future of performance products.
“Our focus is to maintain the performance integrity of the brand and not let the lawyers take over,” said TRD business operations manager Gary Boler.
What will that mean for TRD cars and trucks? First, it will likely mean you can get parts for current Toyota cars and trucks instead of the past models represented in the TRD parts lineup now. Best of all, it could mean an AMG/M/SVT-style vehicles.
“That’s what we’re studying right now,” said Brent Craig, TRD’s national manager. “We’re studying whether it would make sense to develop an SVT-type program. We don’t want to launch that type of a program with just one vehicle. It’s all very early with investigation and exploration.”
But don’t worry. You can still get a TRD windshield header decal for your Corolla even if all you have is a TRD shifter ****. That will never change.
SOURCE
Posted Date: 11/17/05
What happened to TRD? Wasn’t it only three years ago that Toyota Racing Development was making bold moves into the aftermarket, expanding beyond its staple of fully warrantied superchargers for cars and trucks with the introduction of Kazuma race parts and a full line of L-Tuned Lexus products?
Then… nothing.
It seems making non-warrantied parts was deemed a bit beyond the Toyota ideology; finding a distribution channel was also tough. And when the TRD-authorized Toyota dealers found out they were being cut out of some business they said, “Hey, what about us?” On top of that, parts development was way behind product introductions, since TRD was never allowed advanced information about coming vehicles.
So in June 2003, TRD became a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., specifically part of the Corporate Accessory Department at TMS. That gave TRD access to better resources for engineering, distribution and sales. You can now get your TRD parts delivered overnight to your local Toyota dealer, for instance. TRD engineers have early access to coming products, too, meaning TRD parts will soon be available at the same time as a particular vehicle launches. And everything TRD sells now comes with a factory warranty.
Will this mean the dumbing down of TRD? It doesn’t appear so. The division still makes race engines for the Indy Racing League, Craftsman Truck, Grand-Am, Championship Off-Road Racing and import drag racing, and offers support for SCCA club racing. So it’s still a racing performance business at heart. And the 400-hp TRD Tacoma Concept Truck on the Toyota stand at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas bodes well for the future of performance products.
“Our focus is to maintain the performance integrity of the brand and not let the lawyers take over,” said TRD business operations manager Gary Boler.
What will that mean for TRD cars and trucks? First, it will likely mean you can get parts for current Toyota cars and trucks instead of the past models represented in the TRD parts lineup now. Best of all, it could mean an AMG/M/SVT-style vehicles.
“That’s what we’re studying right now,” said Brent Craig, TRD’s national manager. “We’re studying whether it would make sense to develop an SVT-type program. We don’t want to launch that type of a program with just one vehicle. It’s all very early with investigation and exploration.”
But don’t worry. You can still get a TRD windshield header decal for your Corolla even if all you have is a TRD shifter ****. That will never change.
SOURCE
11-17-05, 10:27 AM
#2
Speaks French in Russian
Its Alive! Reports of the death of Toyota Racing Development were greatly exaggerated
It's Alive! Reports of the death of Toyota Racing Development were greatly exaggerated
MARK VAUGHN
Posted Date: 11/17/05
What happened to TRD? Wasn’t it only three years ago that Toyota Racing Development was making bold moves into the aftermarket, expanding beyond its staple of fully warrantied superchargers for cars and trucks with the introduction of Kazuma race parts and a full line of L-Tuned Lexus products?
Then… nothing.
It seems making non-warrantied parts was deemed a bit beyond the Toyota ideology; finding a distribution channel was also tough. And when the TRD-authorized Toyota dealers found out they were being cut out of some business they said, “Hey, what about us?” On top of that, parts development was way behind product introductions, since TRD was never allowed advanced information about coming vehicles.
So in June 2003, TRD became a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., specifically part of the Corporate Accessory Department at TMS. That gave TRD access to better resources for engineering, distribution and sales. You can now get your TRD parts delivered overnight to your local Toyota dealer, for instance. TRD engineers have early access to coming products, too, meaning TRD parts will soon be available at the same time as a particular vehicle launches. And everything TRD sells now comes with a factory warranty.
Will this mean the dumbing down of TRD? It doesn’t appear so. The division still makes race engines for the Indy Racing League, Craftsman Truck, Grand-Am, Championship Off-Road Racing and import drag racing, and offers support for SCCA club racing. So it’s still a racing performance business at heart. And the 400-hp TRD Tacoma Concept Truck on the Toyota stand at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas bodes well for the future of performance products.
“Our focus is to maintain the performance integrity of the brand and not let the lawyers take over,” said TRD business operations manager Gary Boler.
What will that mean for TRD cars and trucks? First, it will likely mean you can get parts for current Toyota cars and trucks instead of the past models represented in the TRD parts lineup now. Best of all, it could mean an AMG/M/SVT-style vehicles.
“That’s what we’re studying right now,” said Brent Craig, TRD’s national manager. “We’re studying whether it would make sense to develop an SVT-type program. We don’t want to launch that type of a program with just one vehicle. It’s all very early with investigation and exploration.”
But don’t worry. You can still get a TRD windshield header decal for your Corolla even if all you have is a TRD shifter ****. That will never change.
MARK VAUGHN
Posted Date: 11/17/05
What happened to TRD? Wasn’t it only three years ago that Toyota Racing Development was making bold moves into the aftermarket, expanding beyond its staple of fully warrantied superchargers for cars and trucks with the introduction of Kazuma race parts and a full line of L-Tuned Lexus products?
Then… nothing.
It seems making non-warrantied parts was deemed a bit beyond the Toyota ideology; finding a distribution channel was also tough. And when the TRD-authorized Toyota dealers found out they were being cut out of some business they said, “Hey, what about us?” On top of that, parts development was way behind product introductions, since TRD was never allowed advanced information about coming vehicles.
So in June 2003, TRD became a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., specifically part of the Corporate Accessory Department at TMS. That gave TRD access to better resources for engineering, distribution and sales. You can now get your TRD parts delivered overnight to your local Toyota dealer, for instance. TRD engineers have early access to coming products, too, meaning TRD parts will soon be available at the same time as a particular vehicle launches. And everything TRD sells now comes with a factory warranty.
Will this mean the dumbing down of TRD? It doesn’t appear so. The division still makes race engines for the Indy Racing League, Craftsman Truck, Grand-Am, Championship Off-Road Racing and import drag racing, and offers support for SCCA club racing. So it’s still a racing performance business at heart. And the 400-hp TRD Tacoma Concept Truck on the Toyota stand at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas bodes well for the future of performance products.
“Our focus is to maintain the performance integrity of the brand and not let the lawyers take over,” said TRD business operations manager Gary Boler.
What will that mean for TRD cars and trucks? First, it will likely mean you can get parts for current Toyota cars and trucks instead of the past models represented in the TRD parts lineup now. Best of all, it could mean an AMG/M/SVT-style vehicles.
“That’s what we’re studying right now,” said Brent Craig, TRD’s national manager. “We’re studying whether it would make sense to develop an SVT-type program. We don’t want to launch that type of a program with just one vehicle. It’s all very early with investigation and exploration.”
But don’t worry. You can still get a TRD windshield header decal for your Corolla even if all you have is a TRD shifter ****. That will never change.
11-17-05, 10:34 AM
#3
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
11-17-05, 10:41 AM
#5
Lexus Champion
In terms of retail aftermarket components, TRD is a shell of what it used to be. Since Toyota Motor Sales took it over many of the quality people at TRD were laid off or have subsequently left in search or greener pastures. New product development is virtually nonexistent. And they've killed any support for older cars, like the AE86 Corolla or AW11 & SW20/21 MR2s.
Too bad.
Too bad.
11-17-05, 10:51 AM
#6
Originally Posted by SoCalSC4
In terms of retail aftermarket components, TRD is a shell of what it used to be. Since Toyota Motor Sales took it over many of the quality people at TRD were laid off or have subsequently left in search or greener pastures. New product development is virtually nonexistent. And they've killed any support for older cars, like the AE86 Corolla or AW11 & SW20/21 MR2s.
Too bad.
Too bad.
Toysport and a handful of other private companies cover my RA Celica.
11-17-05, 11:10 PM
#9
Lexus Connoisseur
Both TRD USA buildings are within 10 mins of my work. The TRD USA facility in Costa Mesa (5 mins from my work) is still alive and well. This is the location where the race engines are built/tested and etc. The TRD USA sales division of parts left the Tustin location to be housed at HQ in Torrance. I will try to take pics of these facilities tomorrow morning (since it gets dark at 5pm when I get out) if traffic isn't bad. The Tustin facility is now empty..but the sign is still up. This was the same place you got your TRD/L-Tuned parts orders from.
TRD Japan (still alive and well) > TRD USA
TRD Japan (still alive and well) > TRD USA
11-18-05, 12:20 AM
#10
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: so. cal
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Originally Posted by flipside909
Both TRD USA buildings are within 10 mins of my work. The TRD USA facility in Costa Mesa (5 mins from my work) is still alive and well. This is the location where the race engines are built/tested and etc. The TRD USA sales division of parts left the Tustin location to be housed at HQ in Torrance. I will try to take pics of these facilities tomorrow morning (since it gets dark at 5pm when I get out) if traffic isn't bad. The Tustin facility is now empty..but the sign is still up. This was the same place you got your TRD/L-Tuned parts orders from.
TRD Japan (still alive and well) > TRD USA
TRD Japan (still alive and well) > TRD USA
11-18-05, 06:57 AM
#11
Lexus Connoisseur
Originally Posted by xioix
what is the toyota building near ontario
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