It may not have any bumpers, but this prototype does show a few hints of the next Tundra’s styling. The gigantic nose of the concept has been toned down, but the horizontal grille bars remain.
From this angle you can clearly see just how large the rear doors appear to be in relation to the front doors. This may just be the disguise, or Toyota is looking to make sure that the Dodge Ram Megacab doesn’t gain a lock on the market for extra-large crew cabs.
A full-length frame can be clearly seen underneath, so there’s no doubt that this Tundra will be a traditional body-on-frame pickup.
It’s no secret that Toyota is gearing up to build an all-new version of its Tundra pickup, but these are the first shots of a prototype in action. Based on the FTX concept truck that debuted in Detroit a year and a half ago, the 2007 Toyota Tundra is set to go on sale by the end of 2006.
Although the concept truck was almost cartoonish in its size and shape, this prototype looks more like a typical full-size truck. Visible styling cues up front include a horizontal bar grille and substantial bulges in the hood. The rest of the truck’s profile looks similar to the recently redesigned Tacoma midsize truck except for one notable difference. One look at the profile shot reveals what appears to be a crew cab of mammoth proportions — or should we say “megacab” proportions. It could be a result of a clever disguise, but the rear door looks as big, if not bigger than the front doors.
In order to move this mountain of a truck, Toyota is expected to up the displacement of the Tundra’s V8 to as much as 5.4 liters. Power should be comparable to current offerings from the Big Three and Nissan, so figure horsepower in the 300-350 range and similar torque numbers.
Toyota is in the process of constructing an $850 million plant right in the heart of truck country — San Antonio, Texas — in order to build the 2007 Tundra. The company is anticipating higher annual sales numbers compared to the current Tundra as it has already upped the capacity from 150,000 to 200,000 units a year since breaking ground at the facility in 2003.
^yeah thats sorta true, they boast decent HP, but then you look at the torque and laugh compared to american made trucks. it looks like the passenger compartment is too long, you can tell where the door lines end, and then there is an extra like 2 ft behind where you knew the second row seating is…i wonder if that was done with that cover on purpose to throw off spy-photographers or if its something designed for a reason, but in that case the bed of it is about as useful as the back end of an el camino
when u wanna buy a truck, u gotta look at what all the construction guys and workrmen that need to rely on thier trucks for thier livelyhood drive…Dodge Chevy and Ford all the way. u never see a nissan or a toyota on a construction site. it jsut doesnt happen. u never see a nissan titan or toyota whatever with a snowplow on it either. only thing an import pickups truck is good for is for some pussy who cant man up and get an american truck or for some rich ass prick that wants leather and navigation and all that fancy shit on the base model who also wants to take it to Home Depot once year haha
I dont know… I just couldnt see imports taking over the truck market… atleast, not anytime in the near future. People that need them, dont want all that fancy soccer mom stuff… they want something sturdy that will get the job done.
You may be correct, but I just dont see it happening. Truck guys are even more biased than car guys in my experiances
And the reason for this is that almost all construction workers in america will only buy american. They are the kind of guys who talk about bobcats all day and back-hoes and how big of holes they have dug. Their main entertainment is nascar and hunting turkeys. All of their clothing is carhart and their favorite beer is red dawg or budweiser. Their cars and homes are filled with american flags.
All of this has nothing to do with the quality of a truck.
