When the Tundra first came out, detractors said it was “too small to compete in the pickup truck segment.”
After Toyota sold 100,455 Tundra cars in its first year, all skepticism was dispelled. The first year sales of the Tundra were the greatest in Toyota history and quadruple those of the previous T100 model.
Since then, the Toyota Tundra’s annual sales have remained consistent, averaging around 118,879 units. Sales of the Tundra have never fallen below 100,000 units annually, with the exception of the years between 2009 and 2011. Over the duration of the Tundra’s 20-year history, Toyota has sold 2,377,571 units.
The Tundra’s annual sales are shown down below since it first became available in the United States:
In This Article...
How many Toyota Tundra vehicles are produced daily?
One out of every seven full-size pickups sold in the country is sold in Texas, which is known as the full-size pickup sales capitol of the country. It was possible to construct such a sizable facility on a sizable tract of flat, open land in the region south of San Antonio. The United States has a lot of open space, but it might be difficult to find a piece that size close to important transportation and workforce hubs.
Access to the state’s transportation infrastructure, both rail and roadway, is a significant feature provided by the San Antonio site. In order to ship out finished Tundras and bring in parts and resources, the factory needs two-way transportation. The factory is close to the east-west Interstate 10 and the north-south Interstate 35, which connect it to the country’s interstate highway network. Additionally, it is right next to two rival train lines. As a result, Toyota was able to construct docks for loading numerous train cars simultaneously and connections to each of these lines.
The availability of a sizable pool of skilled personnel was the second important aspect that led the Tundra company to select San Antonio as the location for its new production. The second-largest city in Texas and the eighth-largest city overall is San Antonio. More than 100,000 people applied for the 2,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs Toyota was hiring for. The firm tries to represent the diversity of the neighborhoods where it operates. TMMTX’s staff mirrors San Antonio’s varied population, which is around 60 percent Hispanic.
Given the 6.5 million cubic yards of soil moved, the 250,000 yards of concrete poured (enough to pave a two-lane highway 53 miles long), the 15,000 tons of steel built, and the 10 acres of railway siding installed, building the factory was a significant undertaking.
The result is a 2.2 million square foot, or 46 acres, primary plant constructed to create the 2007 Tundra from the ground up, starting with coils of steel rolling into one end of the facility and ending with shiny, potent trucks rolling out the other. The project cost a total of $1.28 billion. The facility has stamping, welding, paint, plastics, and assembly areas where members of the TMMTX team can assemble up to 750 Tundras per day.
There are distinct production and assembly facilities on-site for 21 different part and component suppliers that are seamlessly connected with the main factory. Thus, an additional 1.8 million square feet of space was built to house their operations and the 2,100 extra staff. This arrangement has several benefits, not the least of which is the reduction of logistics expenses. Traditionally, the Midwest and South have been home to car suppliers. Parts shipping expenses are decreased by having them on-site. The primary Tundra production site receives parts as they are required. Only about 80% of the new Tundra’s material is homegrown, with the remainder coming from Japan.
Co-location expedites communications as well. When issues develop, TMMTX and its local supplier partners can act rapidly to address them. Additionally, it benefits the environment by lowering pollutants caused by over-the-road trucks. Last but not least, the local suppliers made additional investments totaling $300 million at the site, substantially boosting the local economy.
Seven of the 21 on-site suppliers, including six new joint ventures with San Antonio-based companies and stalwart American and Japanese auto industry suppliers, are minority-owned. Minorities own the majority of these seven corporations. This is a novel strategy for assisting the expansion of a supplier base of minority businesses.
Tundra’s construction is a meticulously planned process. Orders are first placed by Toyota Motor Sales (TMS). They produce long-term projections so that production controllers may instruct plants on exactly what to construct and manufacturing can order parts. Each bare chassis that is put through the “sequence build” process has a paper manifest attached that, like a recipe, lists the kinds of parts the truck will need. To guarantee that components are delivered to the line to match the cars, this calls for a sophisticated parts-delivery system. For example, having the seat firm on site enables the seat company to receive a list of the precise vehicles to be manufactured that day and their construction order. Shipped to the factory, the finished seats are loaded onto the assembly line in the correct sequence. Members of the team confirm that the seat is accurate.
Operations at TMMTX gradually increased. The plant started developing the truck in prototype versions in September 2006. This stage was created to confirm
The production floor of TMMTX uses a combination of automation and labor. Robots handle a large portion of the work in the plant’s welding and painting sections. Painting and welding are handled by nearly 400 people, making them roughly 90% automated.
Numerous “assist devices” support assembly workers in lifting and moving large, clumsy objects like seats and doors even when manpower is the primary means of transportation. It takes roughly 24 hours from raw, coiled steel to finished, painted, rolling, and operating state-of-the-art pickup using this inventive combination of labor and machinery.
Environmentally advanced
Toyota’s newest production plant will be the business’ most environmentally-advanced to date, in keeping with its cutting-edge technology and procedures. For instance, TMMTX has made it a priority to use exclusively cartridge-based paint systems, which reduce emissions from paint booths. The benefit is that it does away with the requirement to clean paint lines whenever a color change is done. It is a first for Toyota in North America to use a water-born paint system in the priming paint booth, further safeguarding the environment. [Note: Chrysler and other manufacturers have long utilized similar techniques.]
In reality, water is a significant factor in this part of Texas, and TMMTX uses a variety of water-saving techniques. The plant was built to use the least amount of resources feasible. For all of its operations, TMMTX purchases recycled water from the San Antonio Water System. The kitchen and restrooms at the plant are the only areas that use fresh water.
The San Antonio plant reduces waste in a number of ways, in addition to preserving resources and avoiding emissions. It functions as a zero-landfill facility, which means that no garbage will be dumped. The facility will recycle a lot.
For example, scrap steel will go back to the steel plant, and scrap plastic will be shred and sent to a company that makes pellets. Even the amount of new part packing that would typically be discarded has been reduced. Plastic pallets will be an improvement over wooden pallets. Plastic may be reused repeatedly for a considerably longer period of time than wood, which breaks down and wears out before needing to be disposed of in a landfill.
In 2022, will there be a Toyota Tundra shortage?
Toyota Tundra 2022: Production will decrease globally, but not for the new Tundra. Supply limitations continue to have an impact on the industry even as Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) prepares for the 2022 Tundra to enter the roads. This is not the time to slow down because the Tundra has not seen a complete redesign since 2007.
Toyota sold how many trucks in 2020?
- For the 19th year in a row, the Camry is the best-selling passenger car in the United States.
- For a fourth year running, the RAV4 is the best-selling SUV in the United States.
- Tacoma is the best-selling small pickup for the 16th year in a row.
- Lexus GX reports a roughly 10% increase in annual sales.
Dallas, Texas (January 5, 2021) Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) said today that it sold 249,601 vehicles in December 2020, up 7.5 percent daily selling rate (DSR) and 20.4 percent in volume terms compared to December 2019.
TMNA announced sales of 2,112,941 automobiles for the calendar year 2020, a fall of 11.3 percent in volume and 11.9 percent in DSR terms.
Toyota division reported sales of 211,378 automobiles in December, an increase of 9.7 percent in DSR and a volume increase of 22.9 percent. Toyota reported sales of 1,837,900 vehicles for the year, down 11.9 percent in terms of volume and 12.4 percent in terms of DSR.
In December, the Lexus division sold 38,223 vehicles, an increase of 8.2 percent in volume but a decrease of 3.4 percent in DSR. For the entire year, Lexus sold 275,041 automobiles, a decrease of 8.3 percent in DSR and 7.7 percent in volume.
TMNA:
- For 21 years running, the top alternative vehicle producer in terms of sales of hybrids, electrified vehicles, and fuel cells
- A total of 50,649 hybrid automobiles were sold in December, an increase of 82.8 percent.
Are Toyota Tundras in short supply?
The business stated that it anticipates continuing shortages that will have an impact on output at its North American locations due to supply chain and COVID-related issues. Officials are making efforts to reduce the output impact.
“Although the situation is still uncertain, we anticipate a loss of between 25,000 and 30,000 vehicles in North America in February. At this time, we do not foresee any effects on employment, she continued.
In a follow-up email, Stefanich added that over the previous few months, Toyota’s had “All of its North American production facilities have experienced sporadic cutbacks and interruptions as a result of the issues.
The Toyota Tundra, the company’s full-size pickup truck, is currently being modernized when the interruptions at the San Antonio facility occurred. The manufacturer anticipated boosting sales in the booming truck industry.
Toyota Motor Corp., which will once again be the world’s best-selling automaker in 2021, said last month that COVID-19 restrictions caused the supply of semiconductors and other components built in China to be disrupted, forcing it to close 11 different assembly factories in Tokyo. The COVID-19 spread is being halted by some of the strictest regulations in the world in China.
How long does it take Toyota to produce a Tundra?
If you haven’t already reserved your 2022 Toyota Tundra, hold off on getting too enthusiastic about its impending arrival at dealerships.
Toyota has been promoting the third generation of its full-size pickup truck, but dealers anticipate a four to 1.5 year wait for a new model, and nine to 18 months for the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in 2022.
What factory produces Toyota Tundras?
The Tundra was the first ever full-size pickup truck produced in North America by a Japanese automaker. Prior to shifting to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas (TMMTX) facility in San Antonio in 2008, production began in May 1999 at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TMMI). The only full-size pickup truck built in Texas is still put together there today.
Indian Territory
Although the Tundra was created at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Indiana, it is now produced there. In fact, the first Tundra to ever come off the manufacturing line can be seen at TMMI. It’s in the lobby, parked!
Toyota held loyal to the truck’s Indiana roots when introducing the Tundra to the world in 1998: It was launched at the Indiana State Fair. “In the 41 years that we have sold cars and trucks in America, one of the most significant vehicles has just begun to be released, according to Don Esmond, who at the time was serving as Toyota Motor Sales group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division. “Because it required to provide better value, it had to be constructed in America.
Master of the Pack Twenty years ago, Toyota pushed the limits of the sector with the introduction of the Tundra. Tundra distinguished itself from other full-size pickup trucks with its industry-leading towing capability and fuel efficiency.
Tundra pushed limits and increased expectations for what full-size pickup trucks could do when manufacture started 20 years ago. It was equipped with the most advanced powertrain ever made available in its class, featuring the first 32-valve double-overhead cam V8 in the market. Additionally, it was the first V8 engine to receive the EPA’s L.E.V. (low emission vehicle) emissions designation. Depending on the model and amount of equipment, its engine generated enough power to draw a maximum towing capability of 7,200 pounds and transport a maximum payload of over one ton.
A standard Tundra CrewMax 44 towing the Endeavour Space Shuttle through Los Angeles in 2012 gave rise to the bumper sticker that is shown below.
Naturally, all of that was necessary a few years later when the space shuttle Endeavour required a ride across the busiest freeway in the country. In 2012, the Endeavour and a specially constructed dolly were towed across a bridge spanning the 405 by a stock Tundra CrewMax 44 without any additional modifications. It took roughly five minutes and 292,000 pounds to set it. The 12-mile drive from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center included the trip.
Build to Last Victor Sheppard stands in front of the 2007 Tundra he had constructed at the San Antonio-based TMMTX. He drove his truck for work and put more than a million miles on the odometer. In order to allow experts to examine the truck’s longevity and durability, Toyota traded it in for a new one in 2016.
The tundra is made to last. Ask Victor Sheppard, please. He drove an average of 125,000 miles each year in his 2007 Tundra, one of the first of its sort produced at TMMTX. It had logged more than a million kilometers by the year 2016. Toyota gave Sheppard a new Tundra in return for his old ones after they learned of the achievement so engineers could examine the engine and see how the car had held up after traveling such a long distance. Find out more about what they discovered here.
Nurse Close Call Photographed is Allyn Pierce’s 2018 Toyota Tundra. When Pierce narrowly escaped the devastating Camp Fire in California, he was operating the truck. Pierce sped through flames to reach a hospital nearby where several people were confined.
In 2018, a brave ICU nurse drove his Tundra through a horrific wildfire in California to transport many people to safety. Allyn Pierce had left the Camp Fire safely. When he learned that patients and staff at the hospital where he works were trapped, it was the worst wildfire in the history of the state. As soon as possible, Pierce turned his vehicle around, eventually making several loops to get as many people out as he could. Even though it had considerable body damage, his Tundra lived. In appreciation for Pierce’s heroic actions that saved lives, Toyota replaced his Tundra. Here is more information on the rescues.