Toyota Becomes Guerrilla's Choice When It Comes To Trucks

As the war in Afghanistan escalated several years ago, counterinsurgency expert David Kilcullen, a member of the team that designed the Iraq surge for Gen. David Petraeus, began to notice a new tattoo on some insurgent Afghan fighters. It wasn’t a Taliban tattoo. It wasn’t even Afghan. It was a Canadian maple leaf.

When a perplexed Kilcullen began to investigate, he says, he discovered that the incongruous flags were linked to what he says is one of the most important, and unnoticed, weapons of guerrilla war in Afghanistan and across the world: the lightweight, virtually indestructible Toyota Hilux truck.

2011 BMW X3 Gallery

2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo and Hybrid Photo Gallery

2010 Paris Motor Show Photo Gallery

Saab Factory Photo Gallery

2011 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

AutoSpies.com Photo Galleries

If you want to see your photos running on our homepage photo ticker, be sure to upload your photos on the go by sending them to Mobile@AutoSpies.com

Share on Facebook

Read Article

WorldofLuxury - 10/14/2010 4:15:30 PM

+6 Boost

I always wonder how much went into developing these trucks. Would it be easy to replicate the trucks' reliability? Not do better but simply copy.

Joe_Limon - 10/14/2010 5:06:39 PM

-9 Boost

I doubt it has so much to do with the reliability of the trucks, and more with the fact that the competition Toyota Trucks face in the middle east is virtually non existent.

dl767captain - 10/14/2010 6:06:24 PM

+5 Boost

See I knew we should have put in little self destruct buttons in every toyota truck that way we could just press a button right now and be rid of all of them.

Agent63 - 10/14/2010 7:09:16 PM

+13 Boost

I'm not shocked. Why else do you think Toyota's truck division is so well established in so many country's in the Middle East and also in Africa?.

Also, the Toyota Hilux is a tank just like many old Toyota trucks. Their build quality may not be the best but their durability will definitely live through the ages. Watch Top Gear's episode from 2 seasons ago (i believe)...and what they did to a Toyota truck.

Joe_Limon - 10/14/2010 8:07:12 PM

-5 Boost

I hope you take what you see on top gear with a grain of salt. There may be some truth to what they have to offer, but when they want to tell a story, they'll do anything in their power to tell it that way.

Lexus - 10/14/2010 10:13:56 PM

+8 Boost

@Joe_limon,

just to let you know that Top Gear is NOT Toyota and Lexus Biggest Fan. Toyota use to make really good cars and trucks but they get to big to fast and greedy and then have all this recall issue. And now they're trying to built their repetition back which will take them a very long time.

Joe_Limon - 10/14/2010 10:36:48 PM

-5 Boost

I fully realize this their biases. But think if you were in their shoes. What sells better? A truck that you beat the heck out of and keep fixing which allows for the drama to continue, or a truck that breaks and nobody fixes?

Joe_Limon - 10/14/2010 10:37:03 PM

-5 Boost

realize their*

nguyenvuminh - 10/15/2010 12:31:54 AM

+5 Boost

This story reminds me of countless stories of the Russian made AK-47 vs the US made M-16. One represents durability, ruggedness, simple to operate and easy to maintain/repair. They're not high tech and are ugly but they do their job. Guerillas tend to look upon these characteristics favourably whereas the super sleek high-tech organised armies with 10 support staff tend to look down on them, at a personal cost. For the same reason, I don't see the X5 will ever replace these "old faithful dogs".

deepwater - 10/15/2010 2:24:20 AM

+3 Boost

Watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVkedyQZfwQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEeAIW-1aEE

Whelan - 10/15/2010 9:06:09 AM

+2 Boost

internationalmanofmystery - 10/15/2010 9:30:29 AM

+1 Boost

Ahhh, a match made in....

carguy68 - 10/15/2010 10:59:05 AM

-1 Boost

They both have something in common......they both kill people!!!