It’s no surprise that Ford is protective of its trucks since the F-150 has dominated the market for over a century. Back in the day, the first Toyota Tundra was called the Toyota T-150 until Ford aggressively stepped in to change things. 

Ford stopped the first Toyota Tundra from being the T-150 

The first Toyota Tundra had a wild name compared to the rest of the Toyota lineup. Back in the 80s and 90s, Toyota was known for having bland names. 

For example, The Drive shared that the first Toyota truck in America was the ‘Toyota Truck’. It eventually became the Toyota Tacoma. 

Then there was a Toyota truck that was bigger than the Tacoma but smaller than a full-size option. It was called the Toyota T-100. 

Logically, the next step was to introduce the first full-size Toyota in America the Toyota T-150 in 1998. However, Ford thought that the T-150 sounded too close to the F-150 and didn’t want Toyota stepping on its profits. 

The first Ford F-150 came out in 1975, so Ford had a lead on this alphanumeric style for 23 years. Ford sprang into action and lobbied against the name.

It claimed the name met conditions for trademark infringement due to being too similar to the F-150. Ford successfully won this case. 

This could be why the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 use ‘1500’ instead of ‘150’. Both 1500 and 150 means that the truck is a light-duty, half-ton option. It also means that the trucks have a payload capacity of 1,500 lbs or more. 

In my humble opinion with marketing experience, being straight and to the point works best. The first Ford F-150 clearly meant a half-ton truck with a large towing capacity. 

The first Toyota Tundra doesn’t sound as clear, but Toyota tried! Ford has more brand recognition, aiding its sales in America. The Toyota Tundra has carved its way into the scene by building a reputation for being reliable and durable.