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Toyota's most expensive ute – and vehicle – has failed to take flight so far in Australia, with the HiLux-dwarfing Tundra shifting just 60 units in January.
That positions it in last place in its segment, behind the Ford F-150 (230 units), the Ram 1500 (212 units) and the Chevrolet Silverado (171 units). Only the even larger version of Ram's American pickup truck sold less units, with the 2500 moving 34 units.
It's a far cry from the strong start Toyota expected, with the brand in celebrating the model's start-of-sale in November by declaring the Tundra would "hold its own".
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“This car, for its market, is very healthy and it’s going to have a good start. No problem,” Senior Toyota executive Sean Hanley told CarsGuide in November. .
“Whether that’s sustainable, we’ll have to see. Whether that market segment keeps growing is interesting."
“But I think Tundra will hold its own.”
The executive went on to flag the Tundra's "good, strong demand", before saying the Walkinshaw team behind the remanufacturing program "have got good employment prospects.”
Walkinshaw, Toyota's remanufacturing partner in Australia, felt just as bullish, with executives telling media production was being ramped up to five vehicles per day, or up to 110 per month. That would put annual production at around 1300 vehicles, where as January's demand would put the annual result at more like 720 units.
In fact, as of November last year, a reported 600 Tundras had already been converted.
Sales, however, haven't matched that target, making it a rarity in Toyota world – a vehicle in which supply outstrips demand.
It's worth pointing out that some 300 vehicles were delivered to customer and staff as part of the testing and validation phase, and the brand recorded some 89 units in November, 136 in December, and 60 in January. That's a total 585 vehicles, which won't have exhausted the 600 vehicles converted by mid-November, without considering any that have been converted since.
It's early days for the Tundra in Australia, but only time will tell if the model reaches the heights of other Toyota models in our market.
Toyota Australia said: "It’s very early days, but we are pleased with the response to Tundra since its official launch in the middle of November. Our forward orders are in line with our forecasts and we look forward to expanding the line up with the introduction of a new premium grade in Q2 2025."
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