6 chapters across the catalog
Toyota Hilux Champ, $10,000 Basic Truck and Analog Skills
Toyota is releasing a stripped-down truck for approximately $10,000 in international markets, featuring manual windows and no radio. The discussion transitions into a tangent about the inability of younger generations to operate manual window cranks or read analog clocks.
Toyota Hilux as "Force Enabler" in Syria and Afghanistan
An NPR report from 2014 confirms that the US State Department delivered 43 Toyota Hilux pickups to "moderate" Syrian rebels as "force enablers." The hosts contrast this with recent news stories where US officials expressed confusion over how ISIS obtained so many Toyota vehicles. They suggest the trucks were intentionally provided by the US government and are now being used as mobile weapon platforms.
Toyota Trucks in ISIS Propaganda and US Treasury Inquiry
The US Treasury Department has asked Toyota to help explain how ISIS acquired hundreds of brand-new Hilux pickups and Land Cruisers seen in propaganda videos. ABC News' Brian Ross reported on the "truck of choice" for terrorists, while Toyota claimed it cannot control indirect or black-market sales. The hosts suggest the sudden media focus on Toyota is a coordinated effort to protect the American auto industry or exert economic pressure on the Japanese automaker.
Birthday Tributes and Anonymous Donations from Ho Chi Minh City
Patrick Seymour celebrates his daughter Emma Grace's first birthday with a donation, while an anonymous donor from "Ho Chi Minh City, Florida" contributes $333.33 for her 33rd birthday. The segment includes a brief discussion on the duty-free status of handmade art and antiques brought from Vietnam to the U.S. The anonymous donor also mentions her husband's interest in purchasing a Toyota Hilux, jokingly referred to as the "vehicle of ISIS."
Birthday Donations, Toyota Hilux and Peerage Updates
The hosts read a final round of donations, including a $222.22 birthday contribution from Donald Winkler in Berlin. A listener shares his experience rebuilding a 1993 Toyota Hilux, noting its reputation as the "terrorist vehicle of choice" due to its durability. The segment concludes with various "karma" requests for jobs and health.
An NPR report highlights the ubiquity of Toyota pickup trucks among rebel groups and militias in Libya and Iraq. The hosts joke that Toyota should use "the choice of terrorists" as a slogan, noting the trucks are often modified to carry heavy anti-aircraft weapons and rocket launchers.
