Toyota unveils new 2022 Tundra pickup truck with new hybrid engine

Toyota Motor on Sunday unveiled its new 2022 Tundra pickup with a bolder look, new applied sciences and extra energy. However what could shock many truck homeowners is the extra energy is not going to be from a V-8 engine.

As an alternative of completely providing the pickup with a V-8 engine, the Japanese automaker will supply two variations of a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine, together with a hybrid that may produce as much as 437 horsepower – 56 greater than the present V-8 – and 583 foot-pounds of torque, a forty five% improve than the 2021 Tundra.

“We took a contemporary, transformational strategy to our truck improvement and needed to rethink many issues we might beforehand completed,” Mike Sweers, senior vp of Toyota’s product improvement workplace, mentioned in a press release.

Utilizing twin-turbo V-6 engines has confirmed profitable in pickup vans. Ford Motor surprised many by introducing equivalent to engine, which it calls EcoBoost, into its best-selling F-150 pickup in 2011. The engine was a shock hit, with Ford including different Ecoboost engines to its truck lineup.

Automakers have more and more began to supply various powertrain choices forward of an influx of all-electric pickups out there within the coming years. Ford presents a hybrid F-150 and an ordinary hybrid on its new small Maverick pickup, whereas Ram Vans presents a gentle hybrid on its 1500.

“Patrons typically have gotten a bit of bit extra accepting of different, powertrains” mentioned IHS Markit principal automotive analyst Stephanie Brinley. “If the engine and the propulsion system provides you what that you must function your truck, and do what that you must do with that truck. they’re accepting options to V-8s.”

Apart from the brand new engine, the Tundra presents a much more rugged design than the present pickup. Most notably, an enormous entrance grille that takes up a majority of the entrance of the automobile. It additionally options sleeker headlights and a boxier design.

On the inside, the Tundra has an obtainable 14-inch touchscreen and elevated security and comfort options, together with a brand new infotainment system.

Whereas the Detroit automakers dominate the full-size pickup truck market within the U.S., Toyota has achieved some success, constantly promoting greater than 100,000 of the automobiles annually. That compares with gross sales of Ford’s F-Collection, which incorporates the F-150 and bigger variations, at round 800,000-900,000 pickups lately.

“The Tundra can do properly, however it will be No. 3 [in the market]. They do not essentially have the capability to essentially go after Ram or Chevrolet volumes,” Brinley mentioned.

Toyota didn’t launch gasoline economic system or pricing for the 2022 Tundra, which is anticipated to go on sale later this yr. The automobile’s beginning pricing at the moment ranges from about $34,000 for a base mannequin to $50,000 for an off-road TRD PRO. Gasoline economic system is 13 miles per gallon within the metropolis and 17 mpg freeway.

Toyota produces the Tundra alongside the Tacoma midsize pickup at a plant in San Antonio, Texas.