Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Toyota Tundra.

The Toyota Tundra is the most competent pickup Toyota has ever produced, but the two-year-old truck has been hit hard by the harsh reality of the US auto slump. Gas prices and a sluggish housing industry have conspired to put a wet blanket on the Tundra party, and the San Antonio plant will be closed from August 8 until mid-November to allow dealers to clear out Tundra inventory. When the Texas plant does come back online, a portion of its production could wind up overseas.

At the Management Briefing Seminars, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc. President Steve St. Angelo said some Tundras and Sequoias could be produced in the US and shipped overseas. While markets like Europe and Asia aren't likely to turn to trucks and SUVs in large numbers, both the Tundra and Sequoia could be a welcomed addition in the Middle East, where cheap gas prices makes big vehicles more acceptable. While the overseas truck market isn't likely to produce huge demand for the Tundra and Sequoia, the currently untapped markets could help the San Antonio plant come closer to running at its peak efficiency.



[Source: Auto News (subs req'd)]

Click above for high-res gallery of our time with the 2008 Toyota Sequoia

Gigantor. The 2008 Toyota Sequoia arrives humongously revised from the already beefy first-generation. The Timberland Mica (Metallic Green) example that Toyota lent us for a week definitely deserves whatever size-related superlatives you can dream up. It's big, it's powerful, it doesn't sip fuel. There is a need and a market for this type of vehicle, however. If Sequoia buyers don't actually utilize its considerable capabilities, that's not Toyota's fault. This year marks the migration of Toyota's full size Sport Utility to the same mechanicals that underpin the new Tundra, ladling on capability to an already fairly competent and refined vehicle.


All photos ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

The 2007 LA Auto Show has come and passed, and the show acted as a North American catch-up for all the world-wide unveilings from Frankfurt in September. We saw the production F430 Scuderia, the Reventon, the Up!, and many other vehicles that first caught the public eye in Germany two months earlier. LA had its share of world debuts, like the all-new Sequoia, the Nissan Murano, and the Lincoln MKS. We looked over all the world debuts and came up with a video of our top five new introductions of the 2007 LA Auto show. We tried to figure into our decision both industry significance and enthusiast impact. Click play on the video above to check out where the new vehicles ranked, and hit the jump to chime in with your list as well.

click above image to see high-res gallery of the 2008 Sequoia

Toyota rolled out the 2008 Sequoia today and as expected, it is essentially a Tundra in SUV form. The Sequoia's front end and interior take design cues straight from its pickup truck brethren. The new model will also get the option of the 381 HP 5.7L V8 engine mated to a six-speed transmission. While on the surface the new Sequoia is based off of the Tundra, it is also designed with an active family lifestyle in mind. The addition of independent front and rear suspensions offer a more comfortable ride for lengthy trips along with increased handling and stability. It is also rather capable of clambering over rough terrain as was demonstrated live on stage. The rear seats and the third row are more adjustable for better storage, access and comfort, as well. Toyota also threw in more electronic gadgets to keep up with consumer demands. A JBL synthesis 14-speaker sound system is available complete with Bluetooth connectivity, MP3 player ports, XM satellite radio and a rear DVD player.

Follow the jump for the complete release from the Toyota camp. Also check out our hi-res images from the live unveiling along with Toyota's own photography in the gallery below.

Why bother even camoflaging the new Sequoia? We all know it's going to have a Tundra nose, with a closed-in tail. Woohoo. There will be detail differences, we're sure, but the more important details of the new Sequoia snaps that Priddy and Company snared are the underbits. Looking closely at the back end, an independent rear suspension appears to be fitted. That should help create more liveable space for third row passengers in what promises to be a cavernous interior, and it wouldn't be right to have the Armada prancing around with IRS while the Sequoia carried on with the live-axle setup that suspends the current truck.

The front view shows what may be a sensor for adaptive cruise control, which means this behemoth will now effortlessly ride the bumper of meek cars, threatening to crush them. Powertrains should be direct ports from the Tundra, so while it's stature may be glacial, its speed will not.

[Source: StraightLine]

It seems like forever since body-on-frame SUVs ruled the automotive landscape, but there's still a sizable amount of high-profit share up for grabs, even with gas at well over $3 per gallon. With that in mind, Toyota is planning another crack at the large and in charge Sequoia.

Brenda Priddy's crew got a couple of well disguised spy shots of the Sequoia on public streets, but the massive amounts of dirt adorning the camo tells us that Toyota's future big ute may have actually been tested off-road. The Sequoia is based off the same platform as the Tundra, and the two trucks will share Toyota's awesome new 5.7L, 381 HP engine. The 4.7L V8 should also be available, along with five- and six-speed automatics. Expect the Sequoia to hit show rooms in early '08.

Toyota may be on top of its game when it comes to fuel efficient transportation, but even the boys and girls from Aichi Japan have trouble saying no to a rolling profit waiting to happen.

[Source: Edmunds Straitline]

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana (TMMI) has just announced that it will eliminate a portion of its temporary work force by the end of the year. Not a huge number of employees are effected, but it's definitely important news for the 370 workers who will no longer be needed, some of which we're told had been working for Toyota in Indiana for years.

TMMI says the workers had been used to help start up the San Antonio plant, and were also used for pilot production programs on the Sequoia SUV and Tundra pickup. Once full-scale production starts up, the pilot workers are no longer needed. Declining demand for the Sequoia also contributed to the decision, according to Kelly Dillon, a TMMI spokesperson. TMMI has used a company called Personnel Management to acquire these temporary workers, and is working with the agency to help find other jobs for them. The employees got their pink slips this week. None of TMMI's regular work force of 4,700 is effected by the layoffs. Personnel Management will still have a contract with TMMI to supply 1,000 to 1,200 workers at the facility.

Thanks for the tip, Will!

[Source: Evansville Courier & Press]

Sales of the Toyota Sequoia have been falling fast, with the big Japanese 'ute selling 38-percent less units last month than in June of 2005. With the new Toyota Tundra being readied for production at the company's new truck plant in San Antonio, Texas, there's no better time than now to start thinking about the 2008 Sequoia.

This partial pic of the next Sequoia's front end was featured on the front cover of Fenek magazine, and while no details are available, it's clear the next Sequoia will lift its look and likely most of its mechanicals directly from the new Tundra. This means the Sequoia may become a much better match for Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon and Ford's new Expedition, both of which have been substantially redesigned and are ready to rumble.

[Source: ScionLife]

Good things are coming in 'threes' for Toyota lately. Autoblog just hipped readers to the pending third birthday of its triumvirate of Scion offerings earlier today.

What's more, three of Toyota's American plants are reaching some milestones of their own this year. The plants include:

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky (TMMK), celebrating its 20th year as the company's first U.S. plant. It currently manufactures the Avalon and Camry/Solara.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TMMI), which builds the Sequoia, Sienna, and Tundra, celebrates its 10th year.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia (TMMWV) is celebrating its 10th year as well. The plant provides engines and vehicles for a variety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Plant employees and management will be joined by officials from their hometowns (Georgetown, Princeton, and Buffalo, respectively) to commemorate the occasions. Toyota Motor Corp. currently employs over 38,000 workers in the U.S./Canada, and has created nearly 400,000 jobs in the U.S. according to the Center for Automotive Research.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

Investigators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are once again turning their gaze to the Toyota Tundra. The regulatory group's study of the popular pickup's steering mechanism already led to a recall of 790,000 units last year, which included models like the 2002-2004 Sequoia and 2001-2002 4Runner.

NHTSA's new inquiry affects some 95,000 2004 model year Tundras built after September 30, 2003, and centers on the potential failure of front suspension ball joints. The potentially faulty part has been blamed for an accident resulting in an injury.

[Source: Bloomberg News]