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On October 31st, 1957, Toyota Motor Sales was founded in the U.S. In the 50 years since, Toyota has grown from a small Japanese import auto manufacturer that no one took seriously to one of the largest auto manufacturers in the world. The history of Toyota is a story about success. Part of the story is the growth of Toyota trucks, and 50 years seems like a good time to review the history of Toyota trucks in the United States. The first Toyota truck brought to the US was the 1963 Toyota LandCruiser truck. Available in small numbers for only four years in the U.S. market (1963-67), these are highly sought-after collector's items. In addition to being imported to the US, these vehicles were produced by Toyota internationally for many years after 1967 and can be found overseas. Next, we have the Toyota Stout. Available in 1964, this was the obvious predecessor to 1969's Toyota HiLux. The Stout, like the HiLux, was available in only one configuration - a regular cab and a four cylinder engine. The Stout's last year was 1968, after which the Toyota Hilux Pickup truck was officially born. The HiLux was the first Toyota truck to reach measurable sales and commercial success. The "HiLux" name, as groovy as it is, was dropped from Toyota trucks in 1975. From that point forward, the small Toyota truck was simply known as the "Toyota Pickup". The HiLux/Toyota Pickup developed rather quickly. In 1975, the SR5 package was first made available. In 1979, Toyota first began offering a four-wheel-drive model. In 1983, Toyota offered an "Xtra Cab" Toyota Pickup that was extremely popular. Toyota trucks began to come in their own in the 80's, reaching top cultural status as evidenced by their various pop-culture references (who could forget the Toyota truck from Back To The Future?). In 1993, Toyota introduced their first full-size truck, the T100. While many critics found the T100 supremely lacking in terms of power (a V8 engine was not available), there are a lot of loyal Toyota fans who will argue this was one of the best Toyota trucks ever built. The T100 was a commercial flop, selling in very small numbers. In 1995, the "Toyota Pickup" finally got a name of its own, the Tacoma. Known as the "Taco" by off-road enthusiasts everywhere, the Tacoma is easily Toyota's largest commercial success in the US truck market. The Tacoma offered an excellent combination of performance, power, and off-road ability, while still being a very inexpensive vehicle in it's work truck configuration. Toyota released their next attempt at a full-size truck, the 2000 Tundra, in 1999. This new full-size featured a powerful 4.7L V8, as well as a larger frame, interior, and greater hauling and towing capabilities than the T100. When the Tundra debuted, it was a hit. It was named Motor Trend's "Truck of The Year" in it's first year of production, and sales topped 126k units in 2004. In 2004, Toyota released a completely redesigned Tacoma. This new larger Tacoma rivaled the full-size Tundra in terms of size and power, while still honoring Toyota's compact pickup roots in terms of economy and off-road performance. The new Tacoma, while more expensive, has been nothing short of a complete success, becoming the best-selling compact truck on the market. In 2007 Toyota released the 2nd generation Tundra. This new Tundra overcame all the criticism that Toyota's full-size trucks were really only 7/8th size. The new Tundra offers the most powerful engine in it's class, a 5.7L V8 with 381hp. The new Tundra has been extremely popular, setting full-size Toyota truck sales records. Much of the new Tundra's success is due to it's class-leading 10,800 lb tow rating, which is made possible by the powerful engine and advanced 6 speed automatic transmission. What will Toyota come up with next? The future seems to hold both hybrid and diesel engine trucks, as well as the possibility of bringing back the concept of a small, simple, and inexpensive truck in the Scion line. Who knows all that could happen in 50 years...
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About the Article Author
About the author: Jason Lancaster has been working in the car industry and with the Toyota Tundra for the better part of a decade. Find more Tundra Reviews at his website, www.tundraheadquarters.com.
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