# Is 'Toyota' a generic term for a Japanese/Asian import car in Texas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 24, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380 "2014-08-24T16:11:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/1 "2014-08-24T16:11:45Z")
[Mom, kids pulled from car at gunpoint](http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/08/24/dnt-texas-mom-kids-pulled-from-car.wfaa.html) (video link) A woman calls the cops in Forney, TX to report someone possibly waving a gun out of the window of a speeding car. Her call: > [@911 Caller](#): > > It is going to be a beige or tan colored Toyota occupied by four Black males. What do the police do? They pull over a burgundy Nissan Maxima occupied by a mother and her young children and order them out of the car at gunpoint. I’ve only stayed in Texas once, overnight. Could be a regional thing, but does ‘beige’ or ‘tan’ mean ‘dark reddish’ there? Does ‘Toyota’ mean any Japanese car (or any Asian import)? ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/2 "2014-08-24T16:24:53Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/3 "2014-08-24T16:39:42Z")
You focused on the wrong half of the sentence. ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/4 "2014-08-24T16:45:03Z")
What, the part where male means female and kids? ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/5 "2014-08-24T17:01:10Z")
**Agent Johnson:** This is Agent Johnson from the FBI. Be on the lookout for a 1936 maroon Stutz Bearcat! _[beat](http://babysimpson.co.uk/gallery/frames/9/5f14/282.jpg)_ **Chief Wiggum:** Ehh, that was really more of a burgundy. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/6 "2014-08-24T17:03:58Z")
At 1:38 in the video, the officers lied when they said they were looking for a vehicle with those plates. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/7 "2014-08-24T17:11:00Z")
To answer the OP title Q: No IME, anyways. Now, that’s not to say that some ONE person may do that, because ignorant people exist in all areas, but as a regular Texas thing? Nope. And now, we await all the anecdotal posts stating that “I heard it, yeah, totally a thing.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/8 "2014-08-24T17:19:29Z")
[Demographics of Forney](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forney,_Texas#Demographics) might have more to do with who got pulled over rather than some car description. I haven’t been there in 20 years, tho… ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/9 "2014-08-25T04:29:42Z")
It used to be “Calling all cars – calling all cars – Be on the lookout for a blue late-model sedan.” ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/10 "2014-08-25T04:35:57Z")
In Texas we distinguish between three types of vehicle…three types of vehicle, Pickups, Toyotas, and…ummm…uhh…ooops. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/11 "2014-08-25T13:28:37Z")
Can’t say I’ve ever heard “Toyota” used as the generic name for Japanese cars. My guess is that the woman knew it was a japanese import, but didn’t actually know whether the Maxima in question was a Nissan or a Toyota. Still, I’m guessing that if you’re a licensed peace officer in the DFW area, that Forney isn’t exactly where the best choose to work. I’d bet low pay and a mostly rural area make it fairly unattractive to all but the actual local yokel cops. Hence the stupidity of pulling over a burgundy Maxima with a white mother and child, instead of a tan Toyota with 4 black males. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/12 "2014-08-25T15:17:53Z")
The linked video shows a Black woman. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/13 "2014-08-25T16:16:35Z")
> [@syncrolecyne](#): > > In Texas we distinguish between three types of vehicle…three types of vehicle, Pickups, Toyotas, and…ummm…uhh…ooops. In south or west Texas, you always slow down when you see a sedan. Only the police drive sedans, everyone else drives a pickup. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/14 "2014-08-25T16:45:35Z")
Remember, the police officer is getting a description of the suspect second hand and there’s the possibility that the eyewitness’s statements don’t match with reality. I don’t know about the rest of you, but depending on the lighting I sometimes have difficulty being absolutely sure what color a vehicle is at night. I’m not going to argue that the actions of the officer in this case was correct. But I don’t think he was an idiot for taking interest in the car. And, no, Toyota is not a generic term for a Japanese/Asian car in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/15 "2014-08-25T16:53:30Z")
Excluding the color of the car, I don’t think I would fault any witness from confusing the manufacturer of [this car](http://tokocar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Toyota-Corolla-2012-Photo.jpg) with [this one.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/2010_Nissan_Maxima_SV_Sport_--_05-03-2010.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/16 "2014-08-25T16:57:37Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Remember, the police officer is getting a description of the suspect second hand and there’s the possibility that the eyewitness’s statements don’t match with reality. I don’t know about the rest of you, but depending on the lighting I sometimes have difficulty being absolutely sure what color a vehicle is at night. I’m not going to argue that the actions of the officer in this case was correct. But I don’t think he was an idiot for taking interest in the car. If a witness or police officer cannot differentiate between a light shade like tan or beige, and a dark shade like burgundy or maroon, is it useful to include a colour at all? Why not just look for ‘a car’? Possibly with people in it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/17 "2014-08-25T17:07:18Z")
Was it a “mistake” when they lied about the matching license plate number? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/18 "2014-08-25T17:30:04Z")
Sure, it was a verbal typo. I often matching your license number make the same exact mismatching your license numbertake when I’m typing something. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/19 "2014-08-25T17:47:17Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Was it a “mistake” when they lied about the matching license plate number? Nope. That’s obviously a lie. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380/20 "2014-08-25T18:14:40Z")
I think it’s pronounced “tie-ota” in Texas. As in: that’s one a’ them Tie-otas." [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-toyota-a-generic-term-for-a-japanese-asian-import-car-in-texas/696380.md?page=2)