Click to Enlarge.
Toyota (NYSE:TM) started of production for the all-new, all-hybrid Toyota Sequoia SUV today at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas. Gen 3 of the full-size Tundra-pickup-based Sequoia abandons the Princeton, Indiana plant, aka TMMI, where the body-on frame Tundra was also built from November 2007 until January 2022. (AutoInformed on: First 2022 Toyota Tundra Built in Texas)*
Sequoia SUV is all-hybrid with a twin-turbo V6 hybrid i-FORCE Max powertrain rated at 437 horsepower, 583 lb.-ft. of torque. It was first used on Tundra. The i-FM has a motor generator within the bell housing between the twin-turbo engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. Sequoia’s fuel economy ratings are a ~7-8 mpg improvement compared to the old V8 engine: Two-wheel-drive Sequoia – 21 miles per gallon in the city, 24 on the highway and 22 combined. Four-wheel-drive are rated or predicted at 19 mpg city, 22 highway, 20 combined. Those numbers are the same regardless of trim.
The three-row SUV part of the large-size SUV segment will appear at dealerships in October with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Pricing (MSRP) starting at $58,300. To maximize profits, Sequoia launches with the Capstone grade, a premium collection of items that so far is exclusive to vehicles manufactured at Toyota Texas.
In 2019 Toyota announced a $391 million investment in Toyota Texas, which meant Gen 3 Tundra and Sequoia will be built exclusively in Texas. The Sequoia – Toyota said – is the latest advanced manufacturing development at Toyota Texas, where more than 3,800 Toyota employees and 5,300 on-site suppliers spent thousands of hours preparing for its debut. The team incorporated new manufacturing techniques, such as innovative laser welding technology and a modified production process to stamp the largest sheet of metal in Toyota history.
To commemorate the Sequoia’s new home, Toyota Texas donated a combined $100,000 to the San Antonio River Foundation and the San Antonio Parks Foundation. The donations will support the proliferation and preservation of trees, and environmental stewardship initiatives on the south side of San Antonio. Toyota’s total investment in San Antonio is now more than $3.1 billion.
*AutoInformed.com on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Toyota Sequoia and Tundra Now Texans
Click to Enlarge.
Toyota (NYSE:TM) started of production for the all-new, all-hybrid Toyota Sequoia SUV today at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas. Gen 3 of the full-size Tundra-pickup-based Sequoia abandons the Princeton, Indiana plant, aka TMMI, where the body-on frame Tundra was also built from November 2007 until January 2022. (AutoInformed on: First 2022 Toyota Tundra Built in Texas)*
Sequoia SUV is all-hybrid with a twin-turbo V6 hybrid i-FORCE Max powertrain rated at 437 horsepower, 583 lb.-ft. of torque. It was first used on Tundra. The i-FM has a motor generator within the bell housing between the twin-turbo engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. Sequoia’s fuel economy ratings are a ~7-8 mpg improvement compared to the old V8 engine: Two-wheel-drive Sequoia – 21 miles per gallon in the city, 24 on the highway and 22 combined. Four-wheel-drive are rated or predicted at 19 mpg city, 22 highway, 20 combined. Those numbers are the same regardless of trim.
The three-row SUV part of the large-size SUV segment will appear at dealerships in October with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Pricing (MSRP) starting at $58,300. To maximize profits, Sequoia launches with the Capstone grade, a premium collection of items that so far is exclusive to vehicles manufactured at Toyota Texas.
In 2019 Toyota announced a $391 million investment in Toyota Texas, which meant Gen 3 Tundra and Sequoia will be built exclusively in Texas. The Sequoia – Toyota said – is the latest advanced manufacturing development at Toyota Texas, where more than 3,800 Toyota employees and 5,300 on-site suppliers spent thousands of hours preparing for its debut. The team incorporated new manufacturing techniques, such as innovative laser welding technology and a modified production process to stamp the largest sheet of metal in Toyota history.
To commemorate the Sequoia’s new home, Toyota Texas donated a combined $100,000 to the San Antonio River Foundation and the San Antonio Parks Foundation. The donations will support the proliferation and preservation of trees, and environmental stewardship initiatives on the south side of San Antonio. Toyota’s total investment in San Antonio is now more than $3.1 billion.
*AutoInformed.com on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.