points by jcomp 14 hours ago | 0 comments
Mexico is more broadly a showroom for all sorts of vehicles you can't buy in the US, namely those that don't meet US safety or emissions requirements. The Hilux being the notable example, though not covered in the below link.
https://www.jalopnik.com/the-coolest-non-us-cars-americans-c...
[–] culi 13 hours ago
[–] jcomp 12 hours ago
I don't disagree, I only mention it to clarify that "available in Mexico but not the US" isn't limited to Chinese EVs. The article's tone in my opinion implies some kind of conspiracy to deprive the US of cool EVs, when in fact there is a much broader conspiracy to deprive us of Hiluxes (Hiluxi?)!
[–] stetrain 10 hours ago
One big reason the Hilux is not imported to the US, and instead we have a separate domestically built Tacoma, is due to the longstanding Chicken Tax tariff on imported light trucks.
[–] ctmlr 13 hours ago
Yeah safety, that's what it's all about
[–] MaxHoppersGhost 11 hours ago
Protecting domestic manufacturing capability is extremely important.
[–] defterGoose 10 hours ago
Tell that to gestures broadly at American capital in the last 4 decades.
[–] queenkjuul 1 hour ago
Lmao yeah and how's that going?
[–] eldaisfish 13 hours ago
it is deeply ironic that a toyota hilux pickup truck - an actually practical pickup truck - does not meet US "standards" but the pedestrian killing, inefficient, wasteful, and expensive "pickups" from US auto companies somehow do.
[–] jcomp 13 hours ago
The Hilux issue is a bit more complicated as a result of the "chicken tax" of 25% on imported light-duty trucks. Toyota made the Tacoma for the US market and built it here to avoid that tax, and now the economics of the Hilux don't make sense for them to import even if it met safety/emissions standards. It would certainly kill the market for the Tacoma.
Edit: My poor phrasing certainly did read that way though, I should have been more clear.
[–] petcat 13 hours ago
Toyota has not attempted to certify the Hilux in USA because they already sell the Tacoma, which occupies the similar market.
Nobody has said the Hilux can't be sold in USA. Toyota simply hasn't tried.
[–] agiacalone 9 hours ago
My beloved 4Runner was made in Japan, as is the rest of them (from what I understand). One of the few models still to be made exclusively in Tahara, Aichi, that you can get in the US.
And to echo others...blame the chicken tax.
Any vehicles with GPS or cellular modules made in Russia or China are explicitly banned. There's also a pending law to ban any automakers that have 15% or greater ownership by people from China, Russia, or Iran.
They are just outright banned. Has nothing to do with safety or emissions.