Full-size pickup-truck usage is truly the most diverse and demanding of any segment in North America. For the 2007 Toyota Tundra, we focused our efforts on satisfying the "True Truckers," people who are knowledgeable about truck specifications and use trucks to the limits--and beyond. Their knowledge and experience also make them the "go-to" experts for friends and family members seeking truck recommendations. Many "True Truckers" are Truck Trend readers, which is why I'm happy for the opportunity to share with you some of our development experiences.
To fully understand the requirements of full-size pickup users, our team first examined our own personal experiences. Mine began when I was growing up in Montana. Our family used a pickup for daily driving, carrying construction materials, and recreation--towing snowmobiles and a boat.
But personal use was just a starting point. The Tundra development team traveled throughout North America visiting full-size pickup owners. We visited people who needed their trucks for work (construction, ranching, farming, and logging) and recreation (boating, racing, snowmobiling, and camping). Each of these truck owners had unique expectations and ideas, and yet all had common characteristics: They were hard-working, self-reliant, and eager to help others. We came to understand their technical requirements, and were inspired.
We realized a true "full-size truck" means big towing capacity and a large V-8. But we also wanted to go beyond a normal truck definition. For example, the truck users we met never seemed to have enough interior storage. We saw tools in the back seat, papers and files spread across the dashboard, and magazines and maps falling between the seats. We decided to dramatically increase the amount and flexibility of the interior storage. Our solutions ranged from sliding and reclining rear seats in the CrewMax to hanging file folders and laptop storage in the center console.
Our next step was getting management to sign off. Several years before, we broadly promoted our long-term vision for the next Tundra by explaining the magnitude of the market (trucks outsell the Camry) and the variations of cabs, beds, and powertrains these customers needed. In the end, we won and got the resources we needed to develop the vehicle we have today. Approval included everything from a new 5.7-liter V-8 and platform (contributing to a 50-percent-higher towing capacity than the previous Tundra's) to new door handles (for large hands in work gloves). Further, a new plant in Texas was built, in addition to the current Indiana plant. The scope of development was greater than I thought would be approved. We certainly were grateful for top management's long-term vision and commitment to the market.
We used the resources of Toyota Technical Center in the U.S. and Toyota Motor Company and Hino Motors in Japan. However, it was critical that the key leadership and decisions were centered in the U.S., so the chief engineer lived in the U.S. where he directed the overall development.A wide range of models was needed to meet the many needs of this diverse truck market, each designed to cover a wide variety of usage for each customer. We offer 31 model configurations, which includes three cabs, three bed lengths, three engines, two drivetrains, and three trim levels.
Since most customers have to make do with only one truck, we challenged ourselves to make each truck broadly functional. For example, the most popular engine is the all-new 5.7-liter V-8, which produces 401 pound feet of torque and 381 horsepower. It has technology such as the Acoustic Control Induction System and dual VVT-i, both of which contribute to the broad, flat torque curve. Also, the 5.7-liter comes standard with a six-speed automatic transmission, which provides plenty of torque in first gear for starting heavy loads or driving off-road, yet the high gears improve fuel economy.
Over the course of the Tundra's development, we used our proven systems for producing rugged high-quality vehicles. We also created new evaluation methods based on the use of pickups in North America. After extensive bench and road tests, we asked actual truck owners to use the new Tundra in everyday work activities. In the end, we passed every one of their tests.
Once the development was completed, I received an interesting call from our advertising agency. They wanted to know how steep uphill the new Tundra could pull a trailer and then stop it while on the same steep downhill. They next asked how long a teeter-totter needed to be to allow all of this to happen. After I stopped laughing, they said they really were going to build such a ramp for a TV commercial, but needed to know if we could estimate the length and height. We ran some simulations and a few months later actually saw the commercial during the Super Bowl. We knew truck customers had diverse and demanding needs, but towing up and down a teeter-totter had never come up in any of our customer clinics. But I knew our truck could do it.