Toyota Australia has confirmed it will be officially introducing the Tundra full-size American pickup truck later this year, coming in as the local arm’s biggest vehicle.
The local team has been testing and tuning the Tundra in Australia for six years to make sure it lives up to local conditions in terms of durability, quality and reliability. Now, Toyota HQ in Japan has approved local re-production of the model. This will be the world’s first officially-approved right-hand drive re-engineering program for the Tundra.
Two variants will go on sale, including initially the Limited trim and a soon-to-follow top-spec trim specifically for Australia. Both are based on the TNGA-F platform like the 300 Series LandCruiser, powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 producing 326kW and a whopping 790Nm, matched to a 10-speed auto.
Featuring a part-time four-wheel drive system with dual-range, the Tundra should offer decent off-road capability. It’ll offer great towing, with a braked tow rating of 4500kg. This matches other big American trucks like the Ford F-150 and RAM 1500.
Some of the standard features include a 14-inch touch-screen, 12-speaker JBL sound system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, heated and cooled front seats, 20-inch wheels, and dual-zone climate control.
The flagship grade will add a sunroof, massaging front seats, a 10.9-inch head-up display, heated steering wheel, and various black trimmings for the exterior such as alloy wheels and tailgate highlights. Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, said:
“This is not just a ‘simple’ left to right-hand drive conversion. The Tundra has been completely re-engineered by Toyota engineers working in close collaboration with Walkinshaw and uses many parts and components from other Toyota vehicles such as LandCruiser 300 Series to ensure the very highest quality standards.”
As Hanley said, the Tundra will be converted to right-hand drive for Australia in Melbourne by Walkinshaw Group. The Limited variant goes on sale in November, with the top-spec model launching the second quarter of 2025. Prices are yet to be confirmed.
