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submitted: Aug 25th 2008 | by: JasonLancaster | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 688 | |

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 sold in the states was the 1963 Toyota LandCruiser truck. The Landcruiser truck was only available in small numbers for just four years (from 1963-67). Today, these vehicles are highly sought-after collector's items. In addition to being imported to the US, the LandCruiser truck was produced by Toyota internationally for many years after 1967, and can still be found overseas.

Following the LandCruiser truck, Toyota imported the "Stout". Available in 1964, this was the obvious predecessor of the Toyota HiLux. The Stout, like the HiLux that followed, was only available in one configuration - a reg. cab and a 4-cylinder engine. The Stout's last year was 1968, after which the Toyota Hilux Pickup truck officially replaced the Stout.

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 attempt at a full-size truck, the T100. Many critics found the T100 supremely lacking in terms of power because a V8 engine was not available. Today, despite this limitation, there are a lot of loyal T100 owners who will argue it was one of Toyota's best trucks ever. By all accounts, the T100 was a flop plagued by poor sales.

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.

In 1999, Toyota released their next attempt at a full-size, the 2000 Tundra. This new full-size truck featured a powerful 4.7L V8, as well as a larger frame, interior, and greater hauling and towing capabilities than the T100 it replaced. When this model debuted, it was declared Motor Trend's "Truck of The Year". Toyota experienced moderate success with this model, selling about 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 over the next 50 years? The future could bring a hybrid truck, the first diesel offered by Toyota in the US, there is even talk of selling a small, simple, and inexpensive truck as a Scion. Whatever happens, it's definitely going to be exciting!

About the Author

About the author: Jason Lancaster has been working in the auto industry and with the Toyota Tundra for almost 10 years. Find more Tundra Reviews at his website, www.tundraheadquarters.com.

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