Milestones Texas Makes Millionth Truck – 2014 Tundra

The third generation Tundra disappoints, carrying over its three powertrains that Detroit Three pickups clearly best.

Toyota Texas built the plant’s one-millionth truck this week, a $50,000 1794 Edition Tundra, a marketing model that refers to the ranch founded in 1794 where the plant is located on the south side of San Antonio.

Toyota Texas producing Tundra and Tacoma pickup trucks celebrates its 10th anniversary this fall. It was the first foray by the Japanese into the last vehicle segment that the Detroit Three owned – full-size pickups. Tundra production at the plant began in October 2006, with the mid-size Tacoma pickup truck added in the summer of 2010. Currently there are 21 on-site suppliers, who employ 2,900 workers. 

For the 2014 model year that is now just getting underway, Tundra gets a mild exterior and interior redesign – the first since 2007 – in an attempt to increase sales in the most profitable vehicle segments in North America. The Tundra continues to face strong competition from the new 2014 Chevrolet and GMC Sierra, as well as the recently revised Ram, and the perennial best seller in the truck world, Ford F-Series. Tundra sales of the outgoing model at 11,365 during August is credible, but to put this in perspective, consider that the F-Series sold more than 71,000 in August alone. Year-to-date almost 500,000 F-Series trucks have been driven home by Ford customers compared to 73,000 Tundra trucks delivered.

The 2014 Tundra is offered in three cab styles, a two-door Regular Cab, four-door Double Cab and four-door CrewMax, all available in 4×2 and 4×4 versions. Since Tundra is selling in volumes far below what Toyota originally thought probable, Toyota continues to work on an upgrade strategy consisting of the price leading SR and volume-leading SR5, then quickly moving to “well-appointed” and progressively more expensive Limited, and now two premium grades, “Platinum” and the all-new “1794 Edition.” Prices range from $27,000 to much more than $50,000.

This third generation Tundra is disappointing in our view because it carries over with its three existing and average powertrains – a 4-liter V6 with a five-speed, yes – a five-speed automatic (Ram has 6- and 8-speeds, Ford 6-speeds), and two Toyota V8 engines, 4.6-liter and 5.7-liter, both with 6-speed automatic transmissions. Toyota is badly lagging on transmission speeds, direct fuel injection and cylinder cutout technology compared to the Detroit Three.

Given GM’s new line of fuel-efficient engines in the 2014 Silverado and Sierra pickups (New GM Pickup EcoTech3 V6 Rated at 24 and 22 MPG) as well as good F-Series and Ram fuel economy numbers, the Toyota EPA fuel economy ratings are not competitive.

Tundra is rated at 16 mpg city/20 highway/17 combined for the V6 version, 15 mpg/19/16 for the 4.6-liter V8 (F-Series 5-liter V8 2WD at 15 mpg/21/17 or GM 5.3 V8 2WD at 16 mpg/23/19), and 13 mpg/18/15 for the 5.7-liter 2wd V8 (Ram 5.7 V8 4×4 8-speed at 15mpg /21/17.

While the Tundra continues to be a truck with claims to American roots – engineered by Toyota Technical Center in Michigan, its revised shape with an enlarged grille of Kenworthian proportions by Calty Design in California, and assembly in Texas – Ford, GM and Dodge Ram pickup truck buyers remain loyal to their brands. This is not entirely the result of blind chauvinism but for sound technical reasons.

That said Tundra’s 5.7-liter V8 carries more than 2,000 pounds and tows more than 10,000 pounds. Tundra has been compliant with SAE’s new towing standard since 2011, a standard the Detroit Three have not adopted in a bit of marketing monkey business that sees them claim higher ratings, but this does not mean that their trucks are more capable. Toyota also has another thing going for it. Tundra has been a quality leader, winning the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study for seven years running in the full-size segment.

How this all shakes out in the marketplace is predictable in our view. Toyota will continue to enjoy limited success. Its buyers will be happy, and Toyota Texas will serve as a constant reminder to arrogant Detroit Three Execs – if there are any left – that the automobile business is an endless endurance race, and not a quarterly profit sprint.

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