Toyota Tundra News

Toyota is reportedly readying a full-blown, off-road-ready rival to the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX.The Japanese carmaker has submitted a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the name TRD Hammer.It’s understood the name could be applied to a new flagship, off-road-ready version of the full-size Tundra pick-up to sit above the existing TRD Pro.This follows a survey that was sent out to Tundra owners in the US, as shared on the Tundras.com owner forum, asking them to rank a series of names for a future vehicle.The list of names included TRD Baja, TRD Iron, TRD Pro-S, TRD Hammer, TRD Bizurk and TRD Quake.In order to rank the names, survey recipients were given the following description – ”This high-performance truck package is designed for off-road enthusiasts, featuring long-travel suspension and 37” all-terrain tyres. With the truck’s unique wide fenders, high-clearance bumpers, and a powerful engine, it achieves exceptional off-road capability and performance.”We mightn’t have to wait long for this new, off-road-ready version of the Tundra to be revealed as at least one camouflaged prototype has already been spied in the US, featuring what appears to be all the above points.At this stage now other official details have been confirmed about this forthcoming off-road-ready Tundra.It’s unclear whether it will feature a different engine or if it will still receive the 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 i-Force Max hybrid engine that’s available elsewhere in the line-up. It could be tuned to produce more power and torque, though the current version already produces 326kW and 790Nm.If it does feature the same engine, this could make the Tundra TRD Hammer more of a rival to the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2.This isn’t the first time Toyota has hinted at creating a Ford F-150 Raptor or Ram 1500 TRX rival.In 2021 the Japanese carmaker showed off the TRD Desert Chase Tundra concept that was created for the SEMA show.It featured 18-inch forged aluminium wheels wrapped in 37-inch all-terrain tyres, TRD-designed long-travel suspension, a wide-body kit, as well as a number of other accessories and features to make it appear ready to be a desert racing support vehicle.If the Tundra TRD Hammer does end up being revealed, it’s unclear if it will ever come to Australia.The Toyota Tundra launched locally in 2024 and is converted from left- to right-hand drive locally by Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Melbourne, Victoria.Currently only the Limited and Platinum trims are offered. Pricing currently starts at $155,990 before on-road costs for the former and $172,990 before on-road costs for the latter.

Why do the full-sized American dual-cab pick-ups cost so much in Australia?In 2019, the price gap between the range-topping Ford Ranger Raptor mid-sized ute from $75,990 and the cheapest Ram 1500 Express from $79,950, was less than $5000.But, while today’s Raptor has jumped to $90,690, the least-expensive Ram has leaped to $141,950 in Laramie Sport and Rebel grades.The price difference between the two utes is 10 times more than what it used to be.So, what gives, especially when, back in its US home market, said Rams kick off from just over $A92,000 post-currency conversion. Even with the cost of shipping, shouldn’t the 1500 slip in at under $100K?As it turns out, not a chance.Not even with lower ex-factory pricing for third-party importers Ateco Automotive, since the Ram, like all of the full-sized American utes, must undergo highly complex and very expensive transformation processes before and after each model lands on Australian soil.One that goes well beyond swapping the steering wheel over to the proper side.To start with, even prior to launch, there are mandatory Australian compliance and Australian Design Rules certification assessments required to be conducted in conjunction with the original manufacturer and factory. This can take months or years to complete.Once the green light is given, and a suitable vehicle engineering firm such as the Walkinshaw Automotive Group is chosen (as is the case with Ram as well as General Motors Special Vehicles’ Chevrolet Silverado and the Toyota Tundra), the utes can then be shipped over to the various remanufacturing facilities in Australia.Post customs, we’re talking about traditional production-line factory processes here, complete with all the necessary specialised equipment and skills required to handle intricate conversions.It’s worth keeping in mind that all the utes are imported as complete vehicles, in original left-hand drive (LHD) configuration, from North America, before being stripped down to thousands of pieces in Melbourne, in preparation for right-hand drive (RHD) conversion. Engines, body panels, lights, axles, wheels, dashboards, seats, trim, wiring looms… the works.One of the upshots of all this is the level of Australian engineering expertise that has been kept alive since local full-vehicle manufacturing ceased here in 2017. Many of the employees are ex Holden, Ford and Toyota.Taking in management, engineering, production-line and supplier-related personnel, the headcount in Australia alone is said to exceed 3000 people between all four brands.And still the costs add up.Then the utes undergo the remanufacturing processes, using bespoke parts necessary to meet both RHD and ADR requirements.Note that these can run up to 500 or more unique pieces per vehicle, depending on model, with many sourced within Australia using local suppliers, though some original North American factory assistance does also occur at times.It’s also worth bearing in mind that some of these parts can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to tool up here.Some vehicles require over 80 man-hours to complete the conversion job. Ram says its 200-plus production-line staff can make up to 20 utes per day, or 100 per week, depending on demand.Plus, significant investment has already been undertaken to boost production capacity, in larger and more efficient production facilities at Walkinshaw Automotive Group in the lead up to the latest Ram, Silverado and Tundra.Whether these currently run at their intended capacity following the 17.5 per cent sales downturn in full-sized American utes in Australia is not known.All this has to happen before the finished, RHD utes leave their remanufacturing facilities, to be stored and then trucked to dealers right around the country. Distribution is yet another massive expense that needs to be factored in.Then there is the added cost of meeting customer expectations.While nobody will confirm this on the record, we understand that the Australian remanufacturing processes extend to significantly improving the quality compared to the original factory source, creating extra cost to the models sold here.With over 800,000 F-Series trucks (making it America’s best-selling vehicle, period), 577,000 Silverados (at number two) and 374,000 Rams (in fifth spot overall) sold in the USA last year, the market is hyper-competitive, meaning costs are cut to keep prices low and production is fast to meet demand.The step-up in quality for Australians extends to ordering higher-specification audio, display screens, seating and trim components from the manufacturer, or replacing inferior parts with better locally-supplied items. Hard plastics and fibreglass materials just won’t cut it at the retail prices required to make a profit on these utes.Furthermore, local consumers are used to a high degree of equipment and demand best-possible safety, adding tens of thousands to the bottom line.Little wonder, then, that each model now starts at well over $120,000 on the road when it finally makes it to dealer forecourts throughout Australia, extending to nearly $200,000 for luxury grades and over one-quarter of a million dollars for specialty versions like the (now discontinued but still in stock) high-performance Ram TRX.Whether the market is willing to sustain six-figure utes at profitable volumes is another matter, but at least now you know why American pick-ups are so expensive in 2026.

Is Australia’s fascination with XXL utes waning?Ten years on from the introduction of the first Ram full-sized pick-up series converted from left-hand drive (LHD) to right-hand drive (RHD) in Melbourne, what was shaping up as a growing segment with massive promise has instead floundered in recent times.In 2025, despite recent introductions of new and/or improved models from Ram, Ford, General Motors and Toyota, sales in the Pick-Up/CC Utes above $100,000 category in Australia tumbled by 17.5 per cent compared to the year before.This has resulted in just 8763 registrations – down from 10,611 units the year before – between four main players: Ram 1500/2500/3500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Heavy Duty, Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra.A very small pool for such big fish to hunt in. And yet there are further pitfalls that lay ahead for the not-so-humble American pick-up as we know it.There are currently other, smaller firms importing and converting specific models from the USA vying for largely the same market.One of the higher-profile ones is Brisbane-based AusEV, that has specialised in distributing and even exporting locally-remanufactured RHD versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric vehicle (EV) since 2024. Its main buyers are commercial, mining and agriculture based.Now representing somewhat of a bargain amongst full-sized utes, AUEEV’s Lightning in base Pro 98kWh guise has just had its price slashed by an almost unbelievable $60,000, from $169,990 to $109,990, before on-road costs.This makes it the least-expensive big ute currently offered in Australia, undercutting the cheapest, which happens to be the turbo V6-petrol powered F-150 that Ford Australia also has remanufactured from LHD but by a different entity, by about $5000.With last month’s announcement that global Lightning production has already ceased due to a lack of sales and steep losses, AusEV says that the F-150 Lightning pricing reflects its run-out mode status, ahead of a petrol-electric hybrid replacement – dubbed F-150 Lightning EREV (Extended Range EV) – taking over from 2027.Whatever the case, it’s another thorn in Ford Australia’s side, with its own F-150 finding just 792 buyers last year, due in part to stop-sale actions as a result of technical issues, that are said to have since been resolved with the recently-launched Series II models.Now, whether the F-150 can also fend off further internal competition in the form of the high-profile Ranger Super Duty, which offers some of its towing capabilities but for much less money, remains to be seen.The F-150’s 2025 sales tally was even beaten by the Tundra’s disappointing 837 units, even though it costs substantially more, though whether the Toyota is profitable as a result is not known.Finally, the big ute market in Australia has also come under pressure from Chinese utes like the BYD Shark 6 PHEV (plug-in hybrid EV) and GWM Cannon Alpha, which are slightly larger than most traditional mid-sized utes.At the Cannon’s 2024 local debut, a spokesperson even referred to it as straddling the two ute size classes, though the tape measure suggests this is optimistic.So, what’s changed in the market to cause the big-ute sales decline? Runaway pricing must surely factor strongly.Back in 2018, Ram had enjoyed surprisingly strong sales in a specialist market largely all to its own, thanks to the DS-series 1500 being successfully touted as “Eating Utes for Breakfast” from around $80,000. To put that into context, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak only cost about $5K less.Whilst lacking the latter’s sophistication, safety and finesse, the 1500 boasted both impressive girth and an evocative V8 Hemi gurgle, capturing an enthusiastic outer-suburban and rural niche where size and bulk are assets, not liabilities.But by 2024, the DS-series 1500 had been superseded by the far-more high-tech DT-series, starting from $142K. While the Ram has remained the most popular big ute in its class for eight years running, at 2674 units last year, its share slid by over 17 per cent.Exacerbating the situation is the decision to drop the old Hemi V8 for a high-tech six-cylinder turbo-petrol powertrain which, on paper, is better in every major metric, including performance and economy.But while hardcore fans have complained loud enough worldwide for Ram to reintroduce the V8 in America this year, Australians may have to wait much longer for its return.That said, there are still plenty of unsold 2024 model-year DT 1500 V8s available at dealers around Australia at the time of writing, so maybe the market for such pick-ups has been satiated anyway.Either way, with the high cost of remanufacturing today’s far-more highly-specified utes from LHD to RHD in Australia, it seems almost certain that the days of sub-$100K pricing for these big utes are gone – along with the consumers who bought these in the first place.Will American pick-up sales turn around? Don’t hold your breath.

ANCAP turns gaze to big American pick-ups on Australian roads.

The newest automotive engineering facility in the country is Walkinshaw’s huge south-east Melbourne ‘super site’, which has just been completed, according to the company.The facility will house production lines set to continue the company's work converting full-size American pick-ups like the Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra to Australian-spec right-hand drive.“Our new Walkinshaw Automotive Group super site is finally finished and we have begun slowly moving in!” said Ryan Walkinshaw in a post on Facebook.Ryan Walkinshaw, whose father Tom Walkinshaw was a key architect in creating fast Holdens wearing his own name and the HSV badge, has continued leading what is now Walkinshaw Group in the automotive engineering and development space.Walkinshaw says the 100,000 square metre facility will “house up to 1500 employees”, and be “capable of manufacturing 20,000+ vehicles a year for Australia”. “It’s one of the top-five largest manufacturing facilities in all of Australia, home to the most advanced engineering centre in the country, six-plus production lines and our Supercars championship racing team Walkinshaw Andretti United.“Proud to be investing and committing our business to a long future here in Melbourne.”This morning, Ram Trucks Australia confirmed it is moving into its new home, securing “the jobs of more than 270 factory workers, warehouse staff, quality inspectors and engineers”.Production is due to kick off in November for the Ram 1500 at the new site, though neither Walkinshaw nor Ram confirmed how many production lines will be set for the American brand.Toyota and Chevrolet are yet to confirm the move into the new Walkinshaw facility at time of publication.

Toyota currently doesn’t offer a heavy-duty version of its Tundra full-size pick-up globally but that could soon change thanks to the handywork of an Australian second-stage vehicle manufacturer.

Ryan Walkinshaw himself explains how one of the brand's most controversial HSV models was the springboard for local re-manufacturing.

Toyota Australia has recalled 831 examples of its Tundra pick up built between 2022 and 2024 over concerns the reverse lights may not function correctly.A recall notice published by Australia’s vehicle recall regulator reads: “Due to a manufacturing defect, moisture may enter the internal circuit board of the reverse lamps over time. As a result, the reverse lamps may not illuminate as intended. Also, the rear-view camera may become activated whilst driving.”In extreme cases, the notice said: “If the traffic behind is unable to identify if the vehicle is reversing, it could increase the risk of an accident causing serious injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users.”Once parts become available, owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by Toyota to book an appointment to have this issue rectified, free of charge.The issue is impacting all Tundras sold globally, with more than 440,000 cars in the US – where the Tundra is built – also recalled.Australians have bought 769 examples of the Toyota Tundra since it was first officially launched in Australia in November 2024, with all models presumed to be affected. The remaining impacted vehicles are likely to be individual imports purchased prior to its official release.

Where on earth is the Toyota Tacoma for Australia?Designed and developed expressly for the North American market, the series has served for over 30 years as the slightly larger and more comfortable cousin to the venerable Toyota HiLux.In fact, the two medium-sized utes were closely related until very recently, even as the Tacoma grew larger and more sophisticated over three generations, where it became the best-selling vehicle in its pick-up segment in the United States – a position held since 2004.Unveiled in 2023, the latest version prompted a high level of anticipation from industry analysts, since it was also expected to become the replacement for the eighth-gen HiLux, which celebrates its 10 anniversary this month.After all, the Tacoma’s timing was spot-on, with the newly-redesigned Ford Ranger ending the Toyota ute’s seven-year reign at the top of the Australian sales charts that same year (and hit number one again in 2024).It doesn’t take too much to figure out why people remain excited about the prospect of a HiLux-badged Tacoma for our market.Key attributes include a formidable presence brought about by its chunky styling, a vast array of grades including a Raptor-aping TRD Pro, huge interior space, sizeable load area, massive step up in safety technology and the availability of a hybrid powertrain option.The Tacoma trails Australia’s 3500kg braked towing capacity maximum yardstick by around 500kg, based on corresponding Canadian figures.That would probably change for our market, especially when you consider that today’s Tacoma is based on the same Toyota New Global Architecture – Frame (TNGA-F) body-on-frame “truck” platform that also underpins the J300 LandCruiser and J250 Prado 4WD SUVs.It is that connection that prompted much speculation over when – rather than if – the Tacoma would arrive in Australia, albeit wearing HiLux badges and possibly having Thai sourcing. After all, if they’re that closely related, wouldn’t they have interchangeable parts with models already offered in this market?As it turns out, Toyota will instead offer three distinctly different medium-sized utes – and it seems Australia will again miss out on the Tacoma after all… or at least, for now.Though unconfirmed officially, we hear from an internal source that a facelifted version of the existing, decade-old Mk8 HiLux will spearhead Toyota’s fight against the Ranger, BYD Shark 6 and co. from next year in Australia.About the only part of the Tacoma – which will remain North American only for the time being – we may see is a variation of its 2.4-litre i-Force turbo-petrol/electric hybrid powertrain, as it has been rumoured to be added to the HiLux facelift, as Toyota Australia starts its move away from diesel.Finally, as outlined previously, Europe, Japan and other lower-carbon regions are set to score the production version of the EPU (Electric Pick-Up) Concept Ute electric vehicle from the 2023 Tokyo Mobility show, though that’s also mooted for Australia too, as a flagship HiLux EV.So, what’s holding the Tacoma back for us?Mainly, it is only produced in Mexico, with annual capacity of around 250,000. And that’s about how many are soaked up in North America alone.Secondly – and this is a major reason – the Tacoma is only currently manufactured in left-hand drive (LHD) guise. And changing that makes no business sense.Typically, engineering for right-hand drive (RHD) in any vehicle program can add hundreds of millions of dollars to costs, and that appears not to have happened in this case. And it's not likely to in the future.Why? Even if Toyota could sell over 50,000 utes annually to match HiLux’s efforts last year in Australia – and that would possibly make us the fictional RHD Tacoma's largest market globally – that’s not nearly enough production volume to recoup development costs.That was reportedly one of the driving forces behind General Motors killing Holden barely two years after local manufacturing ceased in 2017, as there just wasn’t enough volume to justify the expense of changing LHD vehicles over to RHD for Australia. Even for a colossus like Toyota.Additionally, while the UK is another big RHD ute market for the brand, shifting around 30,000 HiLuxes last year, that's still not enough volume, while the vast majority of South African and Thai ute sales - the two remaining big RHD countries – are for more-affordable and lower-spec models. And cheap is not what any TNGA-F vehicle is designed to be.That’s probably the reason why the Tacoma is not earmarked to be built in Thailand, for now anyway. The existing HiLux fills that role far better.Thirdly, should it be green lit for RHD, the Tacoma would also be too expensive even in Australia, anyway, given its Mexican sourcing.This means the cheapest grade would probably cost a lot more than the current most expensive HiLux out of Thailand does. Which, by the way, is also where the Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton also hail from, while the Shark 6, GWM Cannon, LDV Terron 9 and others from China cost even less for what they offer.Tacoma would have no hope matching their prices. The upshot here is that achieving something close to the current HiLux's 50,000 sales annually in Australia would be wildly optimistic as a result.Lastly, with Tacoma sales in the first quarter of 2025 up nearly 180 per cent year-on-year in the USA, there is no incentive for Toyota to compromise production capacity to accommodate the relatively small volume required for Australia.Of course, this could change with the US federal government’s tariffs on non-US made products, that might lead to big price increases for the Tacoma in its main market.While still highly unlikely, that might open the door for RHD exports should US Tacoma sales consequently collapse, though these are still early days.That’s a long shot, and it’s fair to assume that the only way Australians might be able to buy a reasonably-priced Tacoma is if Toyota decides to add production to Thailand, or some other lower-cost base than Mexico. Or follow the larger Tundra ute’s example by having it remanufactured from LHD to RHD in Melbourne.So, no Tacoma-based HiLux, then.Which is a shame, as a ute version of the latest Prado – which what the latest, N400 model essentially is, complete with an i-Force petrol-electric hybrid powertrain – would sound like the HiLux that Toyota should be offering to its fanatically loyal Australian customer base.Do you agree?

The popularity of one the most controversial vehicles types in Australia has plummeted so far in 2025, with sales of American-style jumbo trucks like the Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra and Ram 1500 driving off a cliff.Loved by those who buy them, but ridiculed by plenty who don't, the big trucks have been accused of being "big, dumb utes" that exploit tax loopholes by The Australia Institute, been threatened with higher parking charges, and been flagged by some MPs as candidates for higher registration fees.And now sales are hurting. Some 640 examples of the Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Silverado HD, Ford F150, Ram 1500, Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 were sold across Australia in April, bringing the group's year-to-date tally to 3010.That's down 26.2 per cent on the single month result in April 2024 (867 sales), while the year to date total has fallen 13.8 per cent, from 3490 over the first four months of 2024.But because, at this time last year, Toyota was delivering very few Tundras as part of a customer testing program, their results (up 171.4 per cent month-on-month and 99.3 per cent year to date) are actually propping up the segment's percentages. Remove the Tundra sales, and the segment for the remaining brands has actually fallen 32.7 per cent month on month, and 18.8 per cent year to date.Interestingly, the numbers in 2025 are even smaller than in 2023 (787 month and 3043 year to date), despite there only being four models in market then, compared to the seven being sold today.It spells hard news for all brands, with significant remanufacturing investment required to convert the models from left- to right-hand drive, but perhaps none more so than Toyota, who – after a six-year program to develop the vehicle for Australia – only put the Tundra on sale in November last year.At the time, media was told production was being ramped up to five vehicles per day, or up to 110 per month and 1300 vehicles annually. Last month, just 76 found homes, pushing the year-to-date tally to 299 vehicles - an average of 74 per month, or 888 annually, should the trend continue all year.We asked Toyota about the Tundra's slow start in February, and the brand told us "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."Clearly it's not just Toyota struggling to move the big trucks at the moment. The most popular Ram, the 1500, was down 18.1 per cent for the month and 24.9 per cent year to date, the Chevrolet Silverado was done 18.3 per cent for the month (but is up six per cent for the year), the Ford F-150 is down 69.9 per cent for the month and 35.9 per cent for the year.