Toyota Tundra 2024 News

So you want to have the biggest ute on the road? You’ll have to pay for it.  Just like here in Australia, the best-selling vehicles in the United States are pick-up trucks. In their case, it’s the home-brewed Ford F-150 and has been for over 40 years. In Australia the F-truck’s Ford Ranger cousin will take top honours this year. 

Toyota has confirmed full local details for its locally remanufactured Tundra ute as the model goes on sale in Australia, with its price set firmly at the top end of the American ute market.Starting from $155,990 before on-road costs, the 2025 Toyota Tundra will initially be offered in Australia in a single variant, the Limited, which in the US is around the middle of the line-up.It’s the lowest grade that can be had with the hybrid i-Force Max set-up, which pairs a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor for a total of 326kW and 790Nm. This heads to all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission and a part-time four-wheel drive system.The Tundra is the focus of a remanufacturing program in Melbourne, undertaken by Walkinshaw Automotive Group to convert the trucks from left- to right-hand drive. Its rivals undergo the same process.The program is the first of its kind for Toyota anywhere in the world and was paired with a local customer evaluation program, which saw more than 200 Tundras loaned to customers to provide feedback to Toyota.It is 5955mm long, 2040mm wide and 1985mm tall, and features a decent number of features visible from the outside including an ‘active front spoiler’ below the front grille, which changes position to improve aerodynamics or increase ground clearance.Its LED headlights feature automatic high-beam functionality, while 20-inch alloy wheels flank a side-step to assist cabin access.Inside, the Tundra Limited comes with a 14.0-inch touchscreen multimedia display, which Toyota said is the largest it offers, plus a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12-speaker JBL premium audio system.Wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, a series of USB ports including two rear USB-C outlets, dual-zone climate control, and heated and vented electrically adjustable synthetic leather front seats are also standard.It boasts a 4500kg braked towing capacity with optional towing kit, while its standard 3500kg rating and maximum tray payload of 758kg come thanks to the TNGA-F platform shared with the LandCruiser 300 Series and LandCruiser Prado.Toyota covers the Tundra with its five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, as well as capped-price servicing at $450 per service over intervals of 6 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.The price is slightly higher than the $145,990 indicated pricing initially expected, but CarsGuide was told “the quoted amount is indicative only” at the time.The Tundra is approximately on par with the most expensive comparable (i.e. non-performance) offering from Ram, the $156,950 1500 Limited with RamBox. Only heavy-duty offerings such as the Silverado HD or Ram 2500 and 3500, and the supercharged Ram 1500 TRX are more expensive.

The 2025 Toyota Prado launched in Australia with a mildly-electrified 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, but questions of a Prado hybrid are coming thick and fast. In the United States, the 250 Series Prado (where it’s known simply as LandCruiser) can be had with an i-Force Max petrol-electric hybrid that Toyota execs refer to as a ‘one motor’ system. Surely it can’t be far from reaching Australia, right?Toyota’s near-50 per cent hybrid sales mix suggests a Prado hybrid would be the right fit but Global Chief Engineer Keita Moritsu is not convinced the technology is up to snuff. “I recognise that carbon neutrality is very important but, as the chief engineer, I cannot compromise on the capability of the LandCruiser. At the moment, I believe that 48-volt is suitable for this market,” Moritsu-san told Australian media. “There is a hybrid variant available in the US, which we’re continuing to investigate. We wouldn’t rule it out. We certainly have no confirmation of that vehicle, or its suitability for Australia, but we won’t rule it out entirely,” clarified local Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley. CarsGuide pressed Hanley on the matter, with Toyota finally launching Tundra locally. The US-sized ‘big’ pick-up becomes Toyota’s first one-motor hybrid sold in Australia after a gruelling evaluation process to ensure the ute’s local right-hand drive conversion is up to par. Designed with ultimate grunt in mind rather than efficiency, the Tundra’s twin-turbo V6 based powertrain turns out impressive outputs of 325kW/790Nm, allowing a braked tow rating of 4500kg, when equipped with a heavy-duty hitch. The Lexus LX — the LandCruiser 300 Series’ uptown cousin — is confirmed to score a version of the twin-turbo V6 engine in Australia shortly, adding further fuel to the fire that Toyota could soon sell a hybrid LandCruiser product in Australia. “Anything’s possible,” said Hanley, “while I don't have any confirmation of the hybrid moving beyond where it is today, the realities are that through this platform we have options and flexibilities, and depending on the needs of each individual market, we can adjust if we need to.”Hanley clarified that it isn’t the hybrid drawing buyers to the new Tundra, though, “primarily, they just love the idea of a big ute!“I think that one-motor hybrid works for the car. It does work. I'm not sure it's the driving force behind someone buying one. I think it's more about the lifestyle — the towing, what it can do — before it comes down to the motor. “What they want in Tundra is capability. The one-motor hybrid delivers that capability; it gives everything they want,” explained Hanley. The snag comes from the LandCruiser 250 Series hybrid’s credentials in the United States. Despite the 250 Series’ i-Force Max engine punching out 243kW and 630Nm — far more than the 150kW/500Nm from the V-Active boosted diesel — the braked towing rating 2700kg, a way off the 3500kg Australian customers see as the standard. CarsGuide understands that the 250 Series’ hybrid powertrain is yet to undergo the rigorous evaluation the V-Active diesel engine was subjected to, much of which takes place in Australia. A version of the powertrain could still arrive, however."Toyota's multi-pathway approach is already helping customers reduce their carbon footprint. Everything from the fully-electric bZ4X and Mirai, to hybrids and 48-volt technology. But, having said that, we also know that we need to do more,” said Hanley.“We need to evolve our model portfolio to accelerate the opportunity for all customers to reduce their carbon footprint. For the next few years, I can tell you, we are well placed with our electrification of passenger cars and SUVs. “But we still, as we stand here today, have a big challenge ahead of us with heavier vehicles,” admitted Hanley before qualifying that HiLux and LandCruiser nameplates are here to stay. Don’t expect a Prado hybrid before the end of 2025, however. 

Is the BYD Shark 6 going to be joined by a big brother? A full-sized ute might be in the pipeline for the near future, targeting American pick-ups like the Ford F-Series, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra in Australia.

They might all be remanufactured through Walkinshaw in Victoria, but Toyota has wasted no time in declaring the incoming Tundra as better than the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado, insisting its product "sets a new benchmark" for the conversion process in Australia.

Toyota has revealed the extraordinary pressure to ensure the quality of the new Tundra, as production of the US-built but Australian remanufactured full-sized truck ramps up in Melbourne, ahead of its November release.

The rising popularity of jumbo pick-up trucks has caught the attention of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

The right-hand-drive Toyota Tundra has at last been put on sale in Australia, with Toyota in Japan signing off Walkinshaw's remanufacturing efforts and approving the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 rival for sale in our market.

The Toyota Tundra testing and validation program is finally nearing completion, with the final vehicles in the 280-strong testing fleet now on their way to customers as approval to properly sell the model in Australia finally looms.

In May this year Toyota Motor Sales USA issued a recall notice covering in excess of 100,000 vehicles; specifically twin-turbo V6 petrol-powered versions of the Toyota Tundra full-size pick-up and Lexus LX600 luxury three-row SUV from 2022-2023.