Right, now in the article it says this
"best-selling full-size half-ton pickup "

Does this mean it only holds 500kg's. Sorry I'm in Australia and am not sure of what half a ton means in imperial.

Now if thats it only 500Kg's thats pafetic. A Veichle that big should be holding 2000kg's +.

Lucky in Austalia we get the Toyota Hilux which are unbreakable and actually hold 1000kg even though to your standards they are small.

Hilux is the Tacoma here in Freedomland and Khanadastan. By half ton they mean 1,000 pounds American Standard, NOT Imperial.

Originally, 1/2 ton meant exactly that - the max payload of the vehicle, but newer trucks almost exclusively exceed that payload rating. It all depends on vehicles, but a Ford or GM modern 1/2 ton pickup is rated to carry upwards of 3,000lbs in the bed.

One thing to consider is that its a new model off a fresh revamp. I would expect sales numbers to be higher in the initial year. Also, if I was looking to buy a truck, I don't know about you, but I would go with the far more reliable, trustworthy, and proven GMC product over a year one product thats already had two serious issues.

Not to mention the little video of a Tundra vs. a Chevy truck in going into and out of a ditch where one of the rear wheels looses contact with the ground. The Chevy makes it out fine. The Tundra gets stuck.

Anyone who truly utilizes a truck as a truck will likely buy the Chevy, Ford, Dodge, or GMC. Anyone who buys a truck because they want a truck since its cool to have a big vehicle you don't need, will consider the Toyota. Motor Trend did a comparison of the 5.7L Tundra vs. a 5.3L Chevy 1500 extended cab. While the Tundra was better for acceleration, they gave the win to Chevy because its quality was just as good as the Tundras, their towing ability was pretty much the same, and it was $5-6,000 cheaper.

I gotta hand it to them, the Tudra ad campaign is pretty impressive. Way cooler than Ford's "bigger stronger bolts" commercials.

I'll second the payload rating mentioned above. I don't know why they still use the 1/2, 3/4, and full ton designations. 1/2 ton trucks are hauling more than 2000 lbs. Full ton trucks are hauling ... more than 4000 lbs.

How is this breaking news that they're in 4th? I actually half expected them to do better. They're getting popular, although all the trucks have been selling slowly. The new model isn't without problems, as noted in the article. They rushed their larger V8 out the door, and they weren't as attentive as they normally are with regards to crash performance. Maybe that's whats holding them back from doing better.

the 1ton pick up is about 900kg for you people outside america. that doesnt mean a 1/2 pickup only can carry 1000lb (500kg) they can carry far more than that. In fact, a 1/2ton model truck can carry nearly a ton. good truck probably near 1700lb. even more, the 3/4 ton (1500lb/~680kg) will hold nearly 3500lbs. even MORE the 1 ton dually can hold ~5000. the only reason they keep the 1/2 3/4 and 1 ton names around was the specify the different models. the weight cap. ratings just stuck after many years.

Historically, sales of the Sierra and the Silverado are often lumped together, because they are essentially the same truck with different facades. In that case, GM still has a comfortable lead, so I'm not impressed with the Tundra numbers. I also think the Tundra's faulty crankshaft is going to put a ceiling on their numbers this year, as well. No real news in these numbers...

This one thing that confuses me about GMC. Why? It is a Chevy with a GMC logo in the grill. Or is a Chevy a GMC with a Chevy logo in the grill? Who knows?

This is one of my biggest irritants about GM. They have all these brands that were long ago unique, and they just make them all the same freakin' car with little or know differentiation. They are all ChevrOldsmoBuiacs. Why have all these different brands that are the same thing?

What if Coca-Cola had twenty different brands of soda into which they pumped the same exact soda, just put a different label on the bottle? Just kind of stupid.

I don't buy GM cars (or trucks) because I think that they design disposable cars and trucks that aren't very reliable.

"Toyota quality is slipping, Big 3 are catching up, American trucks are superior.....blah, blah, blah."

Meanwhile, in the REAL WORLD, Toyota records best quarter EVER.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070803/earns_japan_toyota.html?.v=9

hmmm: You realize that just because they're raking in dough and keeping a lid on their own problems, doesn't mean they don't exist. They're doing quite well, but they have their own issues.

Jake: Back in the day they could afford to differentiate a LOT more, and appeal to different audiences, and develop different engines, transmissions, entirely different vehicles. Now they have to share chassis/drivetrain amongst different vehicles to keep prices reasonable. They're been doing a good job (trucks aside) making their cars look and feel different even though they are based on the same chassis with the same engine.

Example: Grand Prix and Impala styling and looks are halfway distinct, considering they're using the same drivetrain and body. So for the most part they manage to modify look and feel pretty well while still sharing basically all the same mechanical and chassis parts. They don't have a choice if they want to be price-competitive and keep up with model refreshes too.

Also, I think you'd find that most GM vehicles are fairly reliable today. Perhaps not as reliable as Honda, but they're good. At my work all the delivery trucks are el cheapo lowly Colorados. They're complete dogs, but they get abused to hell and never complain.

Don't forget the Toyota was doing poorly before they heaped a US style $3000 incentive on it.