TRUCKS

Why Is Hawaii Called Toyota Tacoma Capital of the U.S.?

The Hawaiian Islands combined are larger than Rhode Island but smaller than Vermont. The population is difficult to identify as most of them are tourists. We bring this up because Hawaii calls itself the capital of Toyota. While she’s there, could she be DC?

Toyota Tacoma Ticket | Louie Kitt Wong/Tacoma News-Tribune/MCT

But the reference isn’t because the Tacoma sells better in Hawaii than, say, California. indicates that the Tacoma is the best-selling vehicle in Hawaii. Like 16 years in a row a bestseller. This is confirmed by Popular Mechanics who say the Tacoma sells there eight times faster than the entire United States. Hawaii is also the only state where Tacoma is a best seller.

, who’s doing a huge business in Hawaii, thinks she knows why. Presumably, 37.64 percent of the island’s population is Asian American. Overall, they make up seven percent of the United States, and they tend to favor Asian vehicles, in part because of their proximity to Asian Pacific nations.

What do Hawaiians say about the Toyota Tacoma?

Tacoma
Toyota Tacoma and Camry cars in the Port of Los Angeles | Bing Juan/Bloomberg

While this may or may not be true, Toyota has always been the largest automaker in the world. So why aren’t the Camry or Nissan Sentra top sellers, if that’s the case?

I decided to do a non-scientific study, and asked the locals along with the Tacomas to explain why they liked off-road trucks. One comment was “With strong 4×4 proportions and lots of custom parts.” “The Tacomas has all the functionality of a pickup truck and great fuel economy,” and “The truck is powerful yet small enough to fit in the small parking spaces that Hawaii is famous for.”

Are there better reasons why?

Tacoma
2012 Toyota Tacoma TRO Sport 4×4 | Jim Mahoney

On many of the islands, access to homes is via dirt roads. 4×4 is a necessary convenience. Even the paved roads can sometimes be less than best due to the Hawaiian weather. Also, many of the islanders are self-employed in construction, or otherwise need a truck for their professions.

And its popularity means it has a higher resale value. So, looking ahead, buyers know they’ll be getting more for their Tacomas in due course. Then there are all the reasons any truck buyer looks at it, including good gas mileage, low repair costs, reliability, extensive dealer network, and are relatively easy to work with.

Tacoma
2012 Toyota Tacoma | Jim Mahoney
Related

Toyota does not segment sales by state to the public. Total sales in 2022 exceeded a quarter of a million sales. Although it is far from F-150 sales, which were 640,000, it still is. But regardless of the reasons it was talked about, it is quite an achievement. Of all the vehicles, the Toyota Tacoma is the best-selling vehicle in any state.

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