12 Reasons why Toyota Dealerships’ $3 Billion Bet is Enough for the Tundra to Succeed

Toyota is already poised to become the number one seller of passenger cars.

Now, the company is going after GM and Ford's pickup truck leadership…with the Tundra.

Toyota will succeed.

Here are five reasons:

1. Toyota has been planning their Tundra marketing/sales for more than five years.

2. $3 billion has been spent on 600 of Toyota's 1,200 dealerships redoing their facilities for the Tundra.

3. The other 600 have been preparing the operational side of the dealership.

4. Toyota took a competitor's heavy duty truck to every Toyota dealer in the country to see how/if it would fit and what changes needed to be made.

5. Turning circles were widened, lifts were raised, service bay doors were widened

6. Toyota hired 'rural dealers' for rural representation – satellit dealerships 50-100 miles from a main dealership.

7. Every dealer has its own Tundra marketing champion doing grassroots marketing.

8. All 1,200 dealerships have 'hands-on tool boxes with drawers' for a whole new point-of-sale material package.

9. Toyota spent $20 million on training 30,000 people, receptionists, service writers and technicians for this launch – double those trained for launching the Camry.

10. Toyota sent 150 HAND-BUILT trucks to the dealerships for the training.

11. Toyota provided a menu of ad choices to let dealers pick and choose the ads that will work for them.

12. Toyota's dealers are as excited about the new Tundra as Toyota manufacturing is.

Toyota has the resources to train dealerships, get them involved in ads and design. Car and truck makers that are deep in the hole do not have that luxury.

It will not be easy to make inroads on Ford and Chevy in the pickup truck arena…but if anyone can do it, Toyota can.

And the dealerships are betting $3 billion that Toyota will supply them with a truck that can do it.

What do you think?