AlexJet
Explorer
cruiseroutfit said:We could argue this all day... but I'll let this be my final post on the subject.
1. ARB does NOT own Safari Snorkel, they are their own company. ARB-USA is however the sole distributor of the products in the US, so they do have alot of "weight" in the decision to produce said snorkels. In this case ARB-USA made the decision NOT to have a snorkel made for the 05-07, and according to higher-ups within ARB, they never willThe tooling alone costs nearly $30k, when the are making ~$50 per snorkel, they would have to sell roughly 600 units even to consider it being worth it. The same ARB rep told me that even if they had an order for 100 pre-paid units, they still wouldn't do it. He actually mentioned that the previous generation Tacoma/4Runner snorkels didn't sell as they had hoped, even to this day. In hindsite they might not have produced that unit.
2. ARB did have a 2nd gen Taco in Aussie, however it is back in the US (not sure if could stay in Aussie due to DOT issues???). At that time they made the decision not to have a snorkel prototyped, and due to the fact the vehicle is North-American ONLY, Safari Snorkel had likely less interest in it. Why would they, they won't sell any except through ARB in the US. If their word was no go, they took it as such.
3. I still don't think there is the market you guys are imagining. YES, there are a bunch of die-hards like yourselves that would buy one today if available, but are there 600? That the "break-even" point... And that alot of money just to "break even" if you see where I'm going with this. ARB is very keen to the market demands for products, a fraction (10%?) of the customers that would/have buy a ARB bullbar and suspension, might also buy a snorkel, I find this true for 40's, 60's, 80's, 100's, FJC's, etc... and 10% is generous, more like 5% at best overall as I'm more likel to "push" a snorkel as we stock them and run them on all of our personal rigs here. When the FJC bumpers are outselling the late model 4Runner/Taco bumpers 10:1, they get the picture. I have no doubt I will sell 5x's the amount of 200 bumpers as I will the 4Runner/Taco setups in the next couple years. (These are my guestimates, not verified nor compared to ARB's experience, though I'd bet they have a similar stance
4. Do you have to accept defeat? Of course not, and neither would I. Using another snorkel (as noted in this thread) is WELL documented and should work just fine. Afraid of the "complexity's" of the install? Well, you'll be surprise to know I think it looks easier than alot of the LC installs we do. Many of the LC Safari kits we are using were always intended for diesel rigs, with airboxes on the opposite side of the motor, modifying the system to work is nothing new and not a major issue IMO. Buy the snorkel that works... and install it...
I don't want to agree with you, because I'm one of those die-hards. Sorry, but I think you perfectly understand me, because you're one of us too.
Unfortunately for all of us, North American off-road enthusiasts, I have to agree with you.
Marketing for big companies sometimes can't be understood. Some companies do want to produce specific vehicles only for NA. Others don't want to accessories such vehicle for the reason of local market.
If I can, I'd rather bought Prado then 4Runner and had full aftermarket support, but they are not for sale in NA. This is suck and I think Tacoma guys feel the same vs. Hilux.
