Toyota Tundra Customization: Beyond Gembutsu
August 07, 2007

Gembutsu. Translated from Japanese it means “go and see.” For Toyota, it is the part of the product development process during which Toyota designers and engineers go to their customers to see how they use their Toyotas.

With the new full-size Tundra pickup truck, Toyota product developers went beyond gembutsu, adding “do” to “go and see,” Michael O’Brien, Toyota corporate manager of product planning told attendees of a seminar on designing vehicles for customization at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars being held this week in Traverse City, Michigan.

Two-week, 1,000-mile long trips took Toyota engineers and designers from Japan and the U.S. to ranches, farms, mines, construction sites, recreational vehicle areas and snowplow factories to experience the kinds of equipment they add to their Toyotas when or after they buy them.

“We were often served coffee by big-haired waitresses who called us ‘hon,’” O’Brien quipped.

Planning for Customization From the Start

From the start, Toyota planned for Tundras to be customized with accessories to be installed by Toyota, its dealers and the owners, said O’Brien.

The Tundra was ripe for massive customization. Pickup trucks represent half of the total market for vehicle sales and the largest segment of customization.

Offering factory- and dealer-installed accessories increases profits for the dealer and Toyota and allows dealers to more aggressively negotiate price if the truck is customized the way the customer wants to buy it, O’Brien said.

Picking the Right Parts

Once Toyota designers and engineers did their on-the-road research, they came up with a list of accessories Toyota would offer to customers in showrooms -– and ones they would leave to aftermarket companies to develop.

Among the 50-plus items Toyota decided to offer -- that’s about double what Toyota offered on the previous-generation Tundra -- include a rear backup camera, larger wheels, running boards and side step tubes.

Delivering Results

O’Brien believes Toyota’s offering of more factory-installed features has contributed to the Tundra’s success. Toyota is aiming for 200,000 sales annually of Tundra models. It’s been a slow go but Toyota achieved the monthly sales rate it needs to accomplish its annual goal in June and July.

O’Brien said Toyota has found having the right customized Tundra on the dealer lot has generated increased showroom traffic and increased closing rates on sales by 25 percent.

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