For the last few years, the American public has embraced Toyota's products as clean, durable and efficient. Exhibit A: the demure Camry, which has maintained its position as America’s favorite automobile. Exhibit also A: the Hybrid Synergy Driven Prius; the poster child for environmentally and foreign policy-conscious consumers. No surprise, then, that Toyota's been held up as America's responsible automaker, the one who doesn't bitch and moan about federal regulations, but just puts its head down and does the right thing. And makes money doing it! And then Toyota released the new Tundra.

According to Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com, the all-new Toyota Tundra has surpassed the new(ish) GMT900 GMC Sierra 1500 in year-to-date sales. Officially, GM claims to have sold 115,185 Sierras. However, there's a bit of cloak and dagger math here. This figure includes 2006 models, and 'Sierra Classics', both built on the GMT800 platform, as well as heavy duty models. After peeling back these layers of confusion and misdirection, Mr. Levine reckons GM has sold only 76,700 brand new(ish) GMT900 Sierras. Toyota on the other hand has sold 97,290 (not quite fully) box(ed) fresh Tundras. This puts the Tundra at number four in full sized truck sales, and marks the first time a foreign automaker has sold more trucks than a domestic— in the history of the world, ever. If current sales trends continue, the Tundra will pass the Sierra in gross sales (i.e. with GM's gorilla math) by October. Currently GM gives up to $2000 in rebates to its new Sierra customers and Toyota offers up to $2,500. May you tow in interesting times.

There comes a time in many a life when an individual must prove to the world they are no longer the student, they have become the master. The transition usually arrives on the field of battle, whether it’s a real battlefield, competitive sports, academia, entertainment or business. In the case of Toyota, their moment of ascension arrived when their products outsold General Motors’ in the first quarter of 2007. Toyota bested The General by a score of 2,348,000 to 2,260,000. Toyota is the new numero uno. But it still has much to learn, if it is to avoid following its old, corpulent mentor's footsteps off the high tower of greatness.