What IS the deal with Toyota Inc?

OK. I get the whole Covid thing, chip shortages and probable end of 5th gen. 4Runner with next gen. coming up. What I really don't get is how you can "build" the 4Runner of your dreams on the website but are limited to "allocations" from the dealership. I built a 2020 Mustang GT/CS to my exact specifications and got it. Why on earth can't (won't?) Toyota do the same?
Thoughts?
My ideal 4Runner from the factory would be a white ORP with KDSS, moon roof, sliding cargo deck and MTM. This is impossible with Toyota's "allocation" system.
WTF!

 

You may have to order it. 4Runners have long shipping times. They have to put on a boat from Japan, so they ship a bunch at a time to save on costs and mass produce options most people want so they dont have their money tied up in a truck that sits, unless a special order has a buyer.

 

So this has always been a thing.

I special ordered a '96 Probe GT from Ford. Easy peasy.

A few years later around 2000, my ex and I floated an idea to a couple different TOYOTA dealers to do a special order...we were willing to wait however long...and had a significant down payment. The TOYOTA dealers looked at us like we made a personal attack on their manhood.

I think it comes down to the fact that TOYOTAs are historically made in Japan. They have to have their dealer's make orders early and changes and one-offs are just not possible.

I would be curious to know too if there are any TOYOTA salesman or dealers on here.

I do think if you were serious, you may have to be looking at ordering a 2022! I bet you've missed the 2021 order window.

 

I'm wanting a MY '22.
I have yet to find a dealer who will take an order. They all say "we are limited to our allocations, Toyota doesn't do special orders". I have contacted many, many dealerships at this point and all have refused a special order. I have absolutely no problem waiting for a special order.
Perhaps I'm paranoid or at least suspicious. Back in the day Harley pulled a similar stunt. Limited production to increase sales with dealers saying "we got them, you want them and this is the price". Also a way Harley dumped old stock and parts before introducing new years and models.

 

That odd, Ive seen people on here order all the time.

 

I was always told that DEALER'S make their own orders. Sure TOYOTA may trim them due to availability but it's the dealer that ultimately creates their allocation.

So it sounds to me like the TOYOTA dealers don't want to give you a slot in their order.

Or they don't understand that you want one. Maybe ask them when is it that they order their next allocation. Ask to see who you could talk to about getting in on the next one.

 

From extensive talks with a few dealerships in 2016 when I bought my Pro, this is the information I got.

(These numbers are all made up but will get the point across)

A specific dealership (Let's call it Smith's Toyota) will get an allotment of say 50 4Runners for that year. They are based on previous years, sell rates per trim, ect.

Smiths Toyota will get say 3 Pro's, 15 Limiteds, 12 Offroads, and 20 SR5's, with various premiums and options mixed in there. Once specific trims are gone they are gone. The 3 Pro's for example will not be restocked with more Pro's, that's it.

A dealership can however do an allocation trade, where say one dealership has customers that want limiteds but has exhausted their supply, can trade another dealership that really needs Offroads.

Basically what this means is that while yes, a dealership will "order" you a vehicle, what they are actually doing is looking at their future allocations, and checking other dealerships to get you the vehicle you want. Toyota does not take a customer order and build a 4Runner to those specs and ship it. Ever.

Moral of the story is you may have to drive a bit to get what you want. I had multiple dealerships working to get me a pro and straight up said no we can't get that.

 

So Toyota does NOT allow a custom Dealer order? Dealer's just get whatever Toyota is offering them? There is no avenue for even a Dealer to get something they want (except via horse trading)?

 

There is a very tiny minority of car manufacturers, mostly Italian and German, who will build you a car exactly to your specifications, down to the color of the seatbelts and whether or not you want color matched center caps.

Every other manufacturer, you have to get what is the most popular packages being sold in your area and hope one matches your needs.

I will tell you that you used to be able to get what you want from Toyota, you just had to wait very long for it.

With everything going on, their job is to sell cars, not make one picky customer happy. Sorry.

 

Yes and no. It was my impression that dealers cannot order something special from Japan, they only have access to what is coming into their region so options like sunroofs/KDSS/special port add on packages may or may not be available. Bolt on options though, can be added state side so a dealer can add/remove those before the vehicle is processed though the regional distribution center and "build" what they want. If the dealer wants something that is uncommon in their region (like KDSS) then yes, they will have to trade with some other dealer that has access to those options.

When I "ordered" my SR5 the dealer had access to anything in the system coming into their region that wasn't spoken for by other dealers. (Allocated models like the Pro are a different deal.) We sat down at the computer and one by one he sorted the list by the options I wanted/didn't want. In the end there were two available like I wanted and after we reached an agreement on price, he grabbed one. Super simple.

That being said, even in mid 2020 the pickins' were slim so I can only imagine how hard it would be today to get exactly what you want. Due to limited inventory, it wouldn't surprise me if Toyota is allocating everything so what dealers are telling the OP may very well be true.

 

I'm running into the same thing on a '22 4Runner. 2 dealerships telling me the same thing...from people I have a past relationship with. No can do on a special order.

Back in 2016, I was able to custom order a Tundra, but Tundras are made in Texas. As someone else already said, 4Runners are made in Japan. My guess is that country of origin has something to do with it and/or the current supply chain issues? I dunno.

 

We're on our way to a new normal in the automotive world. As is said here who knows what it will look like? Which is not unlike everything else that we're facing. Normal is history and history isn't appreciated anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S2WDot9Igk
.

 

If only politicians would ease regulations and allow the manufacture of cars that don’t require any microprocessors, and stop taxing the hell out of oil because “mother nature is angry.”

You can build a fully functioning ICE vehicle right now that requires absolutely no microprocessors.

 

Ehhh, idk chip manufacturers like samsung, intel, and whoever AMD sources out to, are building factories to produce more chips. However, those take some tome to build and we still have labor shortages. Many ships with goods are still sitting the port waiting to dock to be unloaded. I feel like once labor normalizes and those factories are in production we should be back to more of the normal we are use to

 

This is how I understood things when I requested my 2017 Tacoma. That I got exactly as requested.

-Dealerships get x number of allocations a year, based on sales numbers.
-Factories produce certain colors/trims of vehicles in production cycles.
-If you request something specific, you need to hope the dealership has allocations still left.
-The dealership will request their allocation of your specific request for that particular production cycle. Or trade an allocation of vehicle in their possession for the specific model.
-While at port, non factory options are added.
-Ships to dealership
-Dealership takes one more, or a few more swings at your wallet.
-You drive away with your requested vehicle.

 

Yeah.....OK.....
So why does Toyota even have a "build" option on their website. BS.
I will say that I muscled through to the sales manager and right now I am reportedly three months out on what I want. I also will be notified of "similar builds" with less than what I ideally want. Will see how it shakes out.
I'm eight months and waiting for a can for my .300 BLK Honey Badger. Guess I'm getting multiple "learning opportunities" on patience building.
☠️☠️☠️

I think the other element is the current market seller feeding frenzy and a higher level of lies just to sell a vehicle.

 

I put a deposit on a build about month and half ago, haven’t heard anything back at all yet, thinking I may need to go out of state to open up options. I’m not in a hurry, in fact next spring is fine, just want to know I will get what I’m looking for.

 

Boy, do I hear you

 

So you can get interested and excited before you go to the soul sucking dealership and get told that there are three vehicles in a 100 mile radius, none have the features you want, and all are marked up by $5000.

 

If ya'll thank it's bad now.......give it some time. We ain't seen nothing yet.

 

Agreed on high end vehicles. You can order elements down to the gnat's ass. Disagree that it's limited to Italian and German as I purchased a 2020 Mustang the way I wanted.
"Picky", yes and no and not the point. (See thread above). I only want to order white paint, KDSS, moon roof and sliding cargo deck. Still considering MTM. My point is why are the items I'm interested in essentially not available through a dealer with their "allotment" system? AND, seems like a case of false advertising as Toyota uses the word "build" on their website.