Toyota To Update Large Pickup And SUVs, Hybrid Truck Possible

Khodrocar - The Japanese powerhouse prepares for the offensive, with the Tundra up for an overhaul. In addition to the full-size workhorse, Toyota is also working on updating the 4Runner and Sequoia, body-on-frame SUVs with genuine off-road capability.

Speaking to Automotive News, group vice president of marketing Ed Laukes made it clear: "To continue to be able to address that [updated competition], we have to work on upgrades.” About the period when the updated Tundra, Sequoia, and 4Runner will hit dealership lots, Ed expectedly kept his lips shut.

More impressively, however, Toyota takes into consideration to hybridize one of its pickup truck models. "There's absolutely no reason we couldn't have a hybrid truck. All those options, we're exploring. When you're trying to raise you CAFE limits for the entire brand, there's no option that isn't on the table,” Ed told the cited publication, and it’s the most sensible move possible when you consider that Ford is now working on a hybrid powertrain for the F-150.

Whatever updates Toyota plans for the three body-on-frame culprits, the truth of the matter is that all three are getting increasingly old. The 4Runner, for example, went on sale more than eight years ago. The Sequoia, on the other hand, is a decade old. As for the second generation of the Tundra, the full-size pickup truck can trace its roots all the way back to 2006.