How does Toyota come up with such goofy model names?

My understanding is that companies that have can afford big advertising budgets prefer a name that is made up. It avoids a situation where that name over time can come to have a negative connotation. GM generally prefers to make up a name. In a rare instance they named one of their mid-size cars the "Celebrity" a name that had some positive connotations at the time. But over a period of time we came to see the word applied to second rank personalities as seen on Hollywood Squares. The title "Celebrity" came to have a negative connotation over time and GM eventually felt obliged to abandon the word as a car brand.

Ford, for instance has a big investment in the Mustang brand. But it is a real word that could become slang for "Hooker"

Because people like yourself are attractive to nonsense. have you ever thought of not complaining

Well - a Pre-Runner is a semi race truck that "pre-runs" an off road course before the actual race. Toyota just borrowed that name and stuck it on a truck. The other names you site are just made up combinations of letters that don't mean ANYTHING - in any language. why call a car a "Focus" or a Mustang or a Camaro Or a "Jetta"! How about "Rabbit". "i just Love my Rabbit". (VW a few years ago). how about "Vega". Civic, Accord, Pelude? Rambler, Dart, Valiant, Viper, Ram - need i go on?

Thomas has it in regards to the runner. but many manufacturers have a census campaign. like toys tacoma, they pre released possible names to see what the public likes.

ford for instance, ferd amde up a name and marketed/targeted the "probe" to single prefesional women. didn't work. a friend of mine worked for ferd at that time. ferd said, (not a quote) women did not like driving a vehicle with the name "probe". had something to do with their sexuality(?).

that lesson was not lost on auto makers in general. let alone ferd.

Ohh yes they could come up with much dumber names. Thank you for asking.

Toyota Copulus, Toyota Cowpie, Toyota Assbackward, etc.

because of the fact they are goofy? (no longer all of them, yet maximum are from the south) it could have something to do with the warmth down there. i think of its humorous how they purposely misspell words on each and every thing now.. somebody's hating.....

Lol Im with you, Im waiting for them to release the FourLander and HighRunner.

You are just jealous because you can't afford one.

They ask weird al