Toyota Motor Sales’ new 2007 Tundra full-size pickup line will include a long-bed version aimed at work truck users.
The new Tundra long bed, available in both Regular and Double cab, will feature a 165-in. wheelbase and an eight-ft. one-in. bed length. It will be the longest pickup in Toyota’s truck lineup, said Brian Smith, Toyota’s corporate manager for truck operations, at a special National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) product conference held recently in Dearborn, MI.
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, noted Smith. Both long-beds will offer a choice of three engines, including a 5.7-liter V8 that can tow over 10,000 lbs and provide payload capacity to compete with the best in the half-ton class, he said.
“Toyota recognizes the importance of commercial business customers to Tundra’s long-term success,” Smith stated. “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.” He also noted all Tundras will be equipped with oversized door handles and controls so that work crews can operate them without taking off their work gloves.
According to Smith, the new Tundra will be the most-American new product in Toyota's history:
- The entire engineering development program was led by Toyota engineering, in Ann Arbor, MI.
- Tundra styling was initiated at Toyota’s Calty Design Center in Newport Beach, CA and finalized at the new Calty studio in Ann Arbor.
- Tundra's engines will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama in Huntsville, AL., 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, IN, 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."
