Our United States pickup truck market has notoriously loyal constituents and, despite high ambitions, Toyota remains unable to crack the full-size scene since the Tundra's 2007 revision. Per Toyota's targets, sales have been poor, but hope remains for fans of the ailing truck. Rumor has it Toyota will introduce a new Tundra by 2014.
It has been a tough road for the current-generation Tundra, which Toyota had hoped would top 200,000 units per year when it was first introduced. Its first year in 2007 witnessed 196,555 sold, only a few thousand units off the mark. Since then, the numbers have steadily declined: 137,249 in 2008 before plunging to 79,385 in 2009. This year, Toyota has sold 45,314 through June.
Details on the next-gen Tundra are scant, but with all automakers focusing attention on impending fuel economy regulations, you can bet the farm that wind tunnels and engine groups will be working overtime in the interest of extracting more miles per gallon. And although the Tundra looks like it'll avoid the axe, the similarly full-sized Sequoia is reportedly on its way out of the lineup when its cycle is through.
If the 2014 Tundra indeed reaches the market, the time frame would put the new truck in line with other new half-ton truck offerings from Ford, General Motors, and Nissan.