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Ford trucks work behind the scenes in Tundra commercial
Toyota challenges pickup brand loyalty

By Robert Schoenberger
rschoenberger@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

It's one of the most dramatic commercials for Toyota Motor Co.'s redesigned Tundra pickup. A truck drives up a steep seesaw, towing a heavy load and is able to stop on the way down, despite the extra weight.

Toyota is so proud of the commercial that it posted behind-the-scenes footage on its Web site.



That's where eagle-eyed Ford Motor Co. fans noticed something.

Trucks seen in the background of the job site, used by workers to build the massive commercial set, are Fords.

The first truck visible in the video is a Ranger pickup with a camper shell on it. The next is a Louisville-built F-Series Super Duty truck.

As the video's director watches to see if the Tundra will be able to stop, the truck in the background is another Super Duty.

"It doesn't surprise us," Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said. "It's another example of how Ford trucks are ingrained into every work site in America."

Toyota officials did not return calls seeking comment.

The background issues underscore the challenge that Toyota faces in launching a truck in a market dominated by Ford and General Motors.

The new Toyota truck has power and features similar to Ford and GM models, but analysts said buyers of full-size pickups are extremely brand loyal, and Toyota will have a tough time getting them to switch.

Last year, Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, underscored that issue by driving by the San Antonio, Texas, site where, at the time, Toyota was finishing the plant that builds the new Tundra.

As Fields pointed out on a video at a Ford-run Web site, many of the trucks on the job site were Fords.

Toyota also makes the Tundra at its plant in Princeton, Ind.

Reporter Robert Schoenberger can be reached at (502) 582-4669.

Video: http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/minis...undra_tv1.html

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