Toyota unveils long-bed 2007 Tundra (towing over 10,000lbs)
09-18-06, 08:29 AM
#1
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
Toyota unveils long-bed 2007 Tundra (towing over 10,000lbs)
Toyota Unveils Longbed Versions Of All-New 2007 Tundra Full-Size Pickup Truck
09/18/2006 Ann Arbor, Michigan
http://pressroom.toyota.com/Releases...T2006091543618
09/18/2006 Ann Arbor, Michigan
September 18, 2006 - Ann Arbor, Michigan - Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A, Inc., today unveiled long bed versions of the all-new 2007 Tundra full-size pickup truck at a press conference here at the Toyota Technical Center-Calty Design Studio. The unveiling took place as part of Toyota's participation in the annual National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) product conference being held in Dearborn, Michigan. The NTEA is a trade association for companies that develop, manufacture and market parts, accessories and systems dedicated to the work truck market.
"The NTEA Product Conference is an ideal forum to debut the long bed Tundra work truck," said Brian Smith, Toyota corporate manager for truck operations. "Toyota recognizes the importance of commercial business customers to Tundra’s long term success. Working with NTEA will allow their members time to develop a wide variety of Tundra compatible work equipment and have those products to market by the time the new Tundra launches in February."
The NTEA supports the manufacturers and installers of equipment like lift gates, ladder racks and tool boxes, all products that bring additional utility to pickups like the new Tundra. A primary function of the NTEA in general and this week’s Product Conference in particular is to bring its members together with OEM truck-makers like Toyota.
For the first time ever, aftermarket equipment manufacturers will have the opportunity to obtain technical data and examine the Tundra Long Bed work truck in detail five months prior to the vehicle’s launch.
In private sessions closed to the public, and closed to other truck manufacturers, NTEA members will be afforded an early first-look at new, yet-to-be-launched pickup trucks. On Wednesday, September 20, Toyota will participate in an NTEA measuring session, where it will show, for the first time, two truck configurations developed specifically for work truck customers who consider their full-size pickup truck the most important tool in their bag.
The new Tundra long bed will be available in Regular- and Double Cab versions. With a 165-inch wheelbase, the Tundra Double Cab Long Bed will be the longest pickup in the Toyota truck lineup. It will be suitable for carrying a crew of six plus maximum cargo. The Tundra Regular Cab Long Bed will provide extra storage capacity behind the driver’s seat and the largest interior volume in its class.
Both long bed configurations will come with a choice of three engines, including a 5.7 liter V8 that offers maximum towing of well over 10,000 pounds, and a payload capacity to compete with the best in the half ton class.
With an eight-foot one-inch bed and a substantial bed depth, the Tundra Long Bed will have the deepest box in its class below the rails. To maximize flexibility, the bed will be equipped with the expected six standard size stake pockets, four corner tie-down hooks, as well as an optional deck rail system.
Even the tailgate has commercial customers in mind, because it’s both lockable and easily removable in the event that a utility cap is installed by a tradesperson. Tundra’s extensive color palette will include three popular non-metallic work truck colors: White, Red and Black.
All Tundras will be equipped with oversized door handles and controls, designed so that work crews can jump in and out of the truck to move around a job site without taking off their work gloves. The cab is designed to function as a mobile office with a center console capable of holding a laptop or hanging file folders. On bench seat models the center seat section folds down to create a flat surface for use as a mobile desk. The glove box is big enough to hold a standard Thermos, and to aid safe hands-free communication, Bluetooth capability is available.
The SR5 grade Tundra Long Beds will be a popular configuration for foremen, supervisors or owner-operator tradespeople. The SR5 will offer a wide variety of functional options, appearance accessories, and upgraded fabrics and trim.
Regular Cab models will also feature a standard grade featuring heavy-duty vinyl flooring and basic equipment targeted specifically for work applications and commercial use.
The new Tundra will be, by far, the most-American new product in Toyota’s history.
* The entire engineering development program was led by TTC engineering, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
* Tundra styling was initiated at Calty Design Center in Newport Beach, Calif. and finalized at the new Calty studio in Ann Arbor, Mich.
* Tundra’s engines will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.,
* and its transmissions at a Toyota supplier production facility in North Carolina.
* Finally, the all-new Tundra will be manufactured at two U.S.-based full-size truck production facilities, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana in Princeton, Ind., and the new Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, located in San Antonio.
"The new Tundra is ready for work like no Toyota before it," said Smith. "When the new Tundra rolls into dealer showrooms this February, we are confident that full-size truck buyers will see Tundra as the most capable, best built, and best value half-ton pickup in America."
"The NTEA Product Conference is an ideal forum to debut the long bed Tundra work truck," said Brian Smith, Toyota corporate manager for truck operations. "Toyota recognizes the importance of commercial business customers to Tundra’s long term success. Working with NTEA will allow their members time to develop a wide variety of Tundra compatible work equipment and have those products to market by the time the new Tundra launches in February."
The NTEA supports the manufacturers and installers of equipment like lift gates, ladder racks and tool boxes, all products that bring additional utility to pickups like the new Tundra. A primary function of the NTEA in general and this week’s Product Conference in particular is to bring its members together with OEM truck-makers like Toyota.
For the first time ever, aftermarket equipment manufacturers will have the opportunity to obtain technical data and examine the Tundra Long Bed work truck in detail five months prior to the vehicle’s launch.
In private sessions closed to the public, and closed to other truck manufacturers, NTEA members will be afforded an early first-look at new, yet-to-be-launched pickup trucks. On Wednesday, September 20, Toyota will participate in an NTEA measuring session, where it will show, for the first time, two truck configurations developed specifically for work truck customers who consider their full-size pickup truck the most important tool in their bag.
The new Tundra long bed will be available in Regular- and Double Cab versions. With a 165-inch wheelbase, the Tundra Double Cab Long Bed will be the longest pickup in the Toyota truck lineup. It will be suitable for carrying a crew of six plus maximum cargo. The Tundra Regular Cab Long Bed will provide extra storage capacity behind the driver’s seat and the largest interior volume in its class.
Both long bed configurations will come with a choice of three engines, including a 5.7 liter V8 that offers maximum towing of well over 10,000 pounds, and a payload capacity to compete with the best in the half ton class.
With an eight-foot one-inch bed and a substantial bed depth, the Tundra Long Bed will have the deepest box in its class below the rails. To maximize flexibility, the bed will be equipped with the expected six standard size stake pockets, four corner tie-down hooks, as well as an optional deck rail system.
Even the tailgate has commercial customers in mind, because it’s both lockable and easily removable in the event that a utility cap is installed by a tradesperson. Tundra’s extensive color palette will include three popular non-metallic work truck colors: White, Red and Black.
All Tundras will be equipped with oversized door handles and controls, designed so that work crews can jump in and out of the truck to move around a job site without taking off their work gloves. The cab is designed to function as a mobile office with a center console capable of holding a laptop or hanging file folders. On bench seat models the center seat section folds down to create a flat surface for use as a mobile desk. The glove box is big enough to hold a standard Thermos, and to aid safe hands-free communication, Bluetooth capability is available.
The SR5 grade Tundra Long Beds will be a popular configuration for foremen, supervisors or owner-operator tradespeople. The SR5 will offer a wide variety of functional options, appearance accessories, and upgraded fabrics and trim.
Regular Cab models will also feature a standard grade featuring heavy-duty vinyl flooring and basic equipment targeted specifically for work applications and commercial use.
The new Tundra will be, by far, the most-American new product in Toyota’s history.
* The entire engineering development program was led by TTC engineering, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
* Tundra styling was initiated at Calty Design Center in Newport Beach, Calif. and finalized at the new Calty studio in Ann Arbor, Mich.
* Tundra’s engines will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.,
* and its transmissions at a Toyota supplier production facility in North Carolina.
* Finally, the all-new Tundra will be manufactured at two U.S.-based full-size truck production facilities, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana in Princeton, Ind., and the new Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, located in San Antonio.
"The new Tundra is ready for work like no Toyota before it," said Smith. "When the new Tundra rolls into dealer showrooms this February, we are confident that full-size truck buyers will see Tundra as the most capable, best built, and best value half-ton pickup in America."
09-18-06, 09:46 AM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
I wonder how well the touch screen nav will work for those with work gloves on? 
09-18-06, 11:14 AM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
While I will withhold final comments until I see this new truck ( I'll review it if there is enough interest in it ) , from the story it seems that Toyota, after more than 12 years of numerous truck marketing goofs, may have FINALLY gotten it right.
Case in point. First there was the original " full-size " T-100 / T-150 in 1994 that was actually a mid-3/4 size truck with a big four or a 190 HP (
) V6. Then, when that model flopped, a few years later they brought out the Tundra.....ANOTHER 3/4 size truck ( about the size of the mid-sized Dodge Dakota ) that was again ( falsely ) marketed as a full-size truck, although this time it, at least, like the Dakota, had an ALMOST full-size engine.....an optional 4.6L V8 that was one of the smoothest, quietest truck engines in the industry.
Then, when THAT model also flopped ( although not as badly as the T-100 / 150 had ) and the Nissan Titan debuted.....a REAL full-size truck, though with quality problems ......Toyota responded by simply adding two more auto-type swing-open rear doors, a slightly longer bed, and a rear bench seat to the existing Tundra, which STILL didn't make it a real full-size truck....simply another modified mid-size one.
Then, to top it off, last year the compact Tacoma truck was redesigned and enlarged......like the Tundra, to roughly about the size of the Dakota, so now, in effect, instead of having one compact and one true full-sized one, Toyota actually had TWO mid-sized trucks selling side-by-side ( Tundra and Tacoma )....one of them, the Tundra, actually mid-3/4 size.
Obviously, Toyota truck marketers have never understood the American market, the need for real full-size frames, large V8 engines, and the fanatical loyalty of the Ford F-150 / Chevy Silverado / Dodge Ram crowd, even with the Nissan Titan competition of the last few years. They have deceptively tried to hide the mid and 3/4 size nature of their trucks with " full-size " marketing and advertising, but the public was not fooled...it just didn't work. Now, perhaps, it may finally work....IF this truck is a real full-size one like the Titan, without the Titan's quality problems.
Case in point. First there was the original " full-size " T-100 / T-150 in 1994 that was actually a mid-3/4 size truck with a big four or a 190 HP (
) V6. Then, when that model flopped, a few years later they brought out the Tundra.....ANOTHER 3/4 size truck ( about the size of the mid-sized Dodge Dakota ) that was again ( falsely ) marketed as a full-size truck, although this time it, at least, like the Dakota, had an ALMOST full-size engine.....an optional 4.6L V8 that was one of the smoothest, quietest truck engines in the industry. Then, when THAT model also flopped ( although not as badly as the T-100 / 150 had ) and the Nissan Titan debuted.....a REAL full-size truck, though with quality problems ......Toyota responded by simply adding two more auto-type swing-open rear doors, a slightly longer bed, and a rear bench seat to the existing Tundra, which STILL didn't make it a real full-size truck....simply another modified mid-size one.
Then, to top it off, last year the compact Tacoma truck was redesigned and enlarged......like the Tundra, to roughly about the size of the Dakota, so now, in effect, instead of having one compact and one true full-sized one, Toyota actually had TWO mid-sized trucks selling side-by-side ( Tundra and Tacoma )....one of them, the Tundra, actually mid-3/4 size.
Obviously, Toyota truck marketers have never understood the American market, the need for real full-size frames, large V8 engines, and the fanatical loyalty of the Ford F-150 / Chevy Silverado / Dodge Ram crowd, even with the Nissan Titan competition of the last few years. They have deceptively tried to hide the mid and 3/4 size nature of their trucks with " full-size " marketing and advertising, but the public was not fooled...it just didn't work. Now, perhaps, it may finally work....IF this truck is a real full-size one like the Titan, without the Titan's quality problems.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-18-06 at 11:20 AM.
09-18-06, 04:24 PM
#6
Out of Warranty
Obviously, Toyota truck marketers have never understood the American market, the need for real full-size frames, large V8 engines, and the fanatical loyalty of the Ford F-150 / Chevy Silverado / Dodge Ram crowd, even with the Nissan Titan competition of the last few years. They have deceptively tried to hide the mid and 3/4 size nature of their trucks with " full-size " marketing and advertising, but the public was not fooled...it just didn't work. Now, perhaps, it may finally work....IF this truck is a real full-size one like the Titan, without the Titan's quality problems.
If you send your marketing research people nosing around parking lots, they will find 95% of truck beds empty - except for a bolted-down tool box. That's because the pickup owner wants to A. be ABLE to haul a load, whether he actually does very often or not, and B. project an image of a rugged individualist. That's the part that totally flummoxes researchers - they simply see the empty bed and decide Americans dont NEED full size trucks. What they fail to understand is that we WANT them - regardless of the logic.
Anyone who wants to portray himself as the "Marlborough Man" isn't going to be caught dead in a sissy little toy truck with a 4-banger or a six. A 350 CID (forget liters) engine with a 4 or 5-speed manual gearbox, big ground clearance, big wheels, and at least one shade of bright red are the starting point for an American pickup. Niceties like leather trim, an automatic, advanced telematics, multiple doors and bigger cabs can come later. Image is built on the basics.
I know it's ridiculous, but it's an old rule of marketing: you give the customer what he wants to buy, not what he needs. Maybe Toyota is finally listening.
Trending Topics
09-18-06, 07:22 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
I'm sure it's a nice truck with excellent build quality and materials, but I have to say from those pictures I like neither the exterior or interior.
09-19-06, 10:39 AM
#13
Super Moderator
Toyota truck fleet goals modest
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Automaker unveils two new versions of Tundra pickup
Christine Tierney / The Detroit News
Automaker unveils two new versions of Tundra pickup
Christine Tierney / The Detroit News
ANN ARBOR -- Toyota Motor Corp. aims to sharply increase its share of the U.S. full-size pickup market after launching a new Tundra next year, but it is targeting only a small rise in sales to fleet customers such as construction firms.
"Our initial fleet sales goals are actually quite modest, in the range of approximately 5,000 to 6,000 units for 2007," Brian Smith, manager of Toyota Motor Sales USA's truck operations, said Monday at the unveiling of two versions of the truck: the 2007 Regular Cab Tundra and the Double Cab version with a longer, eight-foot truck bed. Toyota showed the Double Cab with standard six-and-a-half-foot bed in Chicago earlier this year.
Current Tundra's fleet sales are just under 5,000 a year.
With the new Tundra coming out in February, Toyota will offer a full-size pickup with a competitive range of towing and other capabilities for the first time.
"In the past, they produced a good truck but it was undersized for what a lot of people wanted from a full-size truck," said analyst Jim Hall at AutoPacific.
Toyota says the new Tundra, which it will build at two U.S. plants, has more North American input than any other Toyota vehicle. The Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor oversaw its development, and it was designed at Toyota's U.S. studios.
Toyota expects to sell about 200,000 Tundras next year, or about 10 percent of the pickup segment, and it aims eventually to double its current 7 percent share. Through August, Toyota has sold 79,000 Tundras.
It will offer several body styles and three different engines, but Toyota has not announced plans to build Tundra trucks above the half-ton category.
Fleet customers account for 18 percent of U.S. pickup sales, but a smaller proportion of sales of half-ton pickups.
As in the passenger car market, sales of trucks to fleets tend to be less lucrative than retail sales through dealers, said Joe Phillippi, president of consulting group AutoTrends in Short Hills, N.J.
But among retail pickup buyers, a substantial number purchase a truck for personal and business use -- a group that some Toyota executives term "fleet-tail."
Toyota will bring the trucks it displayed Monday to the National Truck Equipment Association's annual product conference in Dearborn this week to allow so-called "up-fitters," such as makers of ladder racks, to measure dimensions.
"For the first time ever, our engineers will work with equipment manufacturers during the pre-launch of the two trucks," Smith said. "To permit them time to develop a wide variety of compatible work equipment, and to have those products to market by the time the new Tundra launches this coming February."
"Our initial fleet sales goals are actually quite modest, in the range of approximately 5,000 to 6,000 units for 2007," Brian Smith, manager of Toyota Motor Sales USA's truck operations, said Monday at the unveiling of two versions of the truck: the 2007 Regular Cab Tundra and the Double Cab version with a longer, eight-foot truck bed. Toyota showed the Double Cab with standard six-and-a-half-foot bed in Chicago earlier this year.
Current Tundra's fleet sales are just under 5,000 a year.
With the new Tundra coming out in February, Toyota will offer a full-size pickup with a competitive range of towing and other capabilities for the first time.
"In the past, they produced a good truck but it was undersized for what a lot of people wanted from a full-size truck," said analyst Jim Hall at AutoPacific.
Toyota says the new Tundra, which it will build at two U.S. plants, has more North American input than any other Toyota vehicle. The Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor oversaw its development, and it was designed at Toyota's U.S. studios.
Toyota expects to sell about 200,000 Tundras next year, or about 10 percent of the pickup segment, and it aims eventually to double its current 7 percent share. Through August, Toyota has sold 79,000 Tundras.
It will offer several body styles and three different engines, but Toyota has not announced plans to build Tundra trucks above the half-ton category.
Fleet customers account for 18 percent of U.S. pickup sales, but a smaller proportion of sales of half-ton pickups.
As in the passenger car market, sales of trucks to fleets tend to be less lucrative than retail sales through dealers, said Joe Phillippi, president of consulting group AutoTrends in Short Hills, N.J.
But among retail pickup buyers, a substantial number purchase a truck for personal and business use -- a group that some Toyota executives term "fleet-tail."
Toyota will bring the trucks it displayed Monday to the National Truck Equipment Association's annual product conference in Dearborn this week to allow so-called "up-fitters," such as makers of ladder racks, to measure dimensions.
"For the first time ever, our engineers will work with equipment manufacturers during the pre-launch of the two trucks," Smith said. "To permit them time to develop a wide variety of compatible work equipment, and to have those products to market by the time the new Tundra launches this coming February."
09-19-06, 03:02 PM
#15
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
The proportions of this LWB model looks very wrong. I think the rear wheel well is set to far back. Im envisioning the truck caving in at where the cab meets the bed when loaded up.
But then again, I really do not see many long bed models up here in the Northeast anyway. IMO all LWB trucks look horrible to me espcially the F-150.
The styling was starting to grow on me after I saw the blue one they unveiled earlier this year. But after seeing these pics...
But then again, I really do not see many long bed models up here in the Northeast anyway. IMO all LWB trucks look horrible to me espcially the F-150.
The styling was starting to grow on me after I saw the blue one they unveiled earlier this year. But after seeing these pics...
